The Sheep Thief

The Sheep Thief (aka: Sheep's Feast) is a 1997 United Kingdom 16 mm short film by Asif Kapadia lasting 24 minutes, and is Kapadia’s graduation film from the Royal College of Art.

The Sheep Thief
(aka Sheep's Feast)
Directed byAsif Kapadia
Produced byVictoria Connell
Written byAsif Kapadia
Starring
  • Abdul Rehman
  • Soaib Karimbhai
  • Jigar Bikhabhai
  • Kokila Mahendra
Music byDario Marianelli
CinematographyRoman Osin
Edited byHugo Lawrence
Production
company
Distributed byBritish Council Film
Release date
  • 1997 (1997)
Running time
24 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom

Production

The story idea was itself based upon a bible story told by a teacher to Kapadia when he was seven years old about a thief who became a saint. Understanding his concept would not work as well if shot in the United Kingdom, he raised funds and traveled to Rajasthan, India where he worked with film students from the Indian Film School, in Pune and cast and shot with local talent.[1]

Plot

Tashan (Abdul Rehman) is young street kid caught while stealing a sheep. He is branded on his forehead for stealing and left for dead. Waking, he covers the brand with a headband and embarks on a journey throughout rural India. On a backwoods dirt road he meets Safia (Kokila Mahendra), helps her, and eventually becomes an accepted member of her family.[2]

Cast
  • Abdul Rehman as Tashan
  • Soaib Karimbhai as Ya Ya
  • Jigar Bikhabhai as Zed
  • Kokila Mahendra as Safia

Recognition

Awards and nominations
  • 1998, won the Cinefondation's Deuxième Prix at the Cannes Film Festival[3][4]
  • 1997, won Grand Prix at Brest European Short Film Festival [5]
  • 1998, won 'Best Short Film Award' at St. Petersburg Film Festival
  • 1999, won 'Best Short Film Award' at the International Children’s Film Festival in Isfahan, Iran
  • 1998, won 'Best Short Film' at Melbourne Film Festival
  • 1998, won 'Best Director' award at Poitiers Film Festival
  • 1998, won 'Most Promising Director Award' at Tel Aviv Film Festival
  • 1998, won 'International Prix de Aaton' at Locarno Film Festival
  • 1998, won 'Jury Prize' at New York Expo Short Film Festival
  • 1998, won 'Jury Prize' at FilmVideo Montecatini International Short Film Festival
  • 1997, won 'Best Cinematography' at Cinematexas International Short Film Festival

Releases

The film is included on CINEMA 16, the DVD of British Short films.

It screened at Clermont Ferrand, Toronto and London Film Festivals,[6] was televised in the United Kingdom by Channel 4, and across Europe by Canal +, ZDF and Arte.

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References
  1. Wood, Jason (2000). Talking Movies: Contemporary World Filmmakers in Interview. Wallflower Press. p. 133. ISBN 1904764908. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  2. Felando, Cynthia (2015). Discovering Short Films: The History and Style of Live-Action Fiction Shorts. The Sheep Thief (Kapadia, 1997, 24 minutes): Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1137484381. Retrieved 30 January 2016.CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. "Awards 1998 : All Awards". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  4. Mueller, Matt (20 April 2015). "Cannes: Asif Kapadia thrilled by 'Amy' selection". Screen Daily. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  5. Smith, Ian Haydn; Wood, Jason (2015). New British Cinema from 'Submarine' to '12 Years a Slave': The Resurgence of British Film-making. Asif Kapadia: Faber & Faber. ISBN 0571315178. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  6. staff. "Filmmakers talk about British Council Film- Asif Kapadia". British Council Film. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
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