Artist Film · 2022 · 16 min

Indi

An artist film set in the mid-1990s, charting the world of an emigré mother and her British-born teenage son who dreams of playing professional football for England.

Indi — trailer (2022)

Film Stills

Sheeru and young Indi walk hand-in-hand outside the football ground

A vintage television floats on a wooden pallet along a canal — the imagined in-between world

Sardar and Sheeru in a night-time outdoor scene

The temple sequence — souls journeying into the next life

Sheeru arrives at the school gate as children play in the yard

Sheeru in the in-between world — a portrait in red dupatta against the night

The in-between world — souls gathered around a fire beneath a washing line

Father and Indi in silhouette — a quiet domestic moment

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Production stills from Indi (2022)

Director: Billy Dosanjh
Year: 2022
Runtime: 16 minutes
Commissioned by: FLAMIN Productions
(Film London Artists' Moving Image Network)
Funded by: Arts Council England
Film London
New Art Exchange
Festival Selection: London Indian Film Festival 2023
New Brit-Asian Shorts programme

About the Film

Indi is set in the mid-1990s and charts the world of Sheeru, an emigré mother, and her British-born teenage son Indi — Britain's first great hope as a professional South Asian footballer. The work explores the heartfelt relationship between Indi, his desi mother, his preoccupied father, and the sport he loves.

The work questions how life choices are shaped by one's environment and addresses the complexities of living across opposing cultures, traditions, and identities. It features intimate domestic scenes alongside rich visual effects sequences, including an imagined in-between world where souls wait to journey into the next life.

"Telling thoughtful and personal stories with honesty, restraint and respect."

— FLAMIN Development Award judges

Screenings & Recognition

London Indian Film Festival 2023

New Brit-Asian Shorts programme

Flatpack Film Festival 2023

Official selection, Birmingham

BAFTA-Qualifying Short Film

Eligible via Film London FLAMIN scheme

New Art Exchange, Nottingham

Premiere screening — 2022

FLAMIN Development Award

Film London Artists' Moving Image Network

Funded & Commissioned by

Indi was commissioned by FLAMIN Productions (Film London Artists' Moving Image Network) and funded by Arts Council England, Film London, and New Art Exchange.

Production