This film is part of Free
The Sheep Thief
An adolescent criminal finds redemption when he meets and helps a young mother and her family.
Overview
Tashan, a teenage street urchin, is physically branded after being caught stealing a sheep. Alone and destitute, he covers up the scar that marks him as criminal, before meeting Safia, a young mother who accepts his help and invites him into her family. The Sheep Thief is a powerful magic realist tale exploring the way experience shapes identity and whether individuals can ever change.
One of the best British shorts of the 1990s, Asif Kapadia's Royal College of Art graduation film boasts sumptuous cinematography and beautiful locations in Rajasthan.
Related
Skin Deep Skin Deep
Drama 2001 15 mins Location: London
A young Pakistani man tries to pass as white and hang out with a group of racist skinheads
London Me Bharat London Me Bharat
Drama 1972 20 mins Location: London
Stylishly-shot document of multicultural 1970s London among Southall's Asian community.
Shakti Shakti
Drama 1992 14 mins
An Asian woman engages her inner goddess to create a stunning oasis in a grey tower block.
Ugandan Asians at Houndstone Camp Ugandan Asians at Houndstone Camp
Current affairs 1972 7 mins Location: Yeovil
Ugandan Asian refugees face up to a sudden wintery future.
No Virginity, No Nationality No Virginity, No Nationality
Drama-documentary 1981 15 mins
Satirical docu-drama based on the shocking fact that virginity tests were carried out by the home office on Asian girls arriving from India and Pakistan between 1971-1979.
Latifah and Himli's Nomadic Uncle Latifah and Himli's Nomadic Uncle
Drama 1992 15 mins Location: Westminster
Alnoor Dewshi's clever, charming and illuminating film about two cousins who discuss ideas of culture and history while wandering through London.
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.