Loach was a member of the British "Free Cinema Movement" of the '50s -- which was committed to dealing with issues of the working class and lower-class of British society -- and he was a pioneer of the doc-drama of the '60s. His film "Cathy Come Home," about a homeless mother, aired on the BBC, created a scandal, and forced a public debate about the homeless in London. His latest film "Riff-Raff," about construction workers, is his first comedy.