Kes (dir Ken Loach, 1969)

Bullied at school and ignored and abused at home by his indifferent mother and older brother, Billy is a 15-year-old working-class Yorkshire boy who discovers his own private means of fulfilment when he adopts a fledgling kestrel and proceeds to train it in the art of falconry. Loach’s compassionate treatment means the film is both a biting indictment of the British class system of the time but also a celebration of the power of relationships between humans and animals – and his kestrel has everything that Billy needs: freedom, pride, respect and independence.

Screens with Ma Poule | My Girl (dir Caroline Ophélie, France, 2023: 18 min). Ever since the rooster died, Jasper’s only surviving hen has been plagued by depression; forced to come down from the mountain where he lives far from the modern world, the old man sets out in search of companionship for his beloved feathered friend.

This programme is part of the Al Sidr Environmental Film Festival, a collaboration between NYUAD and Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi