A film shot in County Durham is tipped for a top gong at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Old Oak, which was made in our region last year and is set to premiere at the festival, is being predicted as this years winner of the Palme d'Or award, according to analysis.

The Palme d'Or award is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is considered one of the film industry’s most prestigious.

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Written by Paul Laverty, the Old Oak tells the story of a pub landlord in a previously thriving mining community who struggles to hold onto his pub, whilst tensions rise in the town when Syrian refugees are placed in the empty houses in the community.

Filming locations in County Durham included Murton, Horden and Easington.

The pub in Murton that became The Old Oak during filming was a disused pub previously known as The Victoria

It is said to be Loach’s last film, one of Britain’s most prolific and most political of directors.

Previous Palme d'Or winners including Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction.

In 2016 Ken Loach scooped the prize with North East-shot I, Daniel Blake which tells of the title character’s struggles with the welfare system after a heart attack means he can no longer do his job.

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At the time he said he was “quietly stunned” to have scooped his second Palme d'Or, after first winning it in 2006 with The Wind That Shakes The Barley.

And analysis says Loach could be in for a hattrick, according to the analysis by gambling firm Japan 101. It says that based on a formula from previous Palme d'Or award winners, The Old Oak is most likely to bring home the prize, with director Ken Loach and star members of the cast previously bringing home the prestigious award.

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The formula looked at previous wins by both the director and cast, location, and genre.

A spokesperson for Japan 101 said: “There are some big names in the top ten, including Ken Loach who has said he will likely be concluding his career with The Old Oak.

"The OId Oak, which was shot in the County-Durham region last year, will be in the festival spotlight this weekend, officially making its debut. Our findings predict this film could take away the Palme d'Or Award.”