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\u2019s 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 \u2013 and his kestrel has everything that Billy needs: freedom, pride, respect and independence.<\/p>\n
Screens with Ma Poule | My Girl <\/strong>(dir Caroline Oph\u00e9lie, France, 2023: 18 min). Ever since the rooster died, Jasper\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n This programme is part of the Al Sidr Environmental Film Festival,<\/a> a collaboration between NYUAD and Environment Agency \u2013 Abu Dhabi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"