British Council Logo UK Films Database
Project Detail

Shem

Synopsis

Daniel, 19 and good looking, leads a life of pleasure and fun in London until one conversation with his grandmother. He realizes he needs more meaning to his life and goes on a quest for his great grandfather's grave, somewhere behind the former Iron Curtain. He never tells his real name (his SHEM in Hebrew) to anyone but during his stroll through Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Belgrade - his identity and what being a British Jew means slowly dawns on him. Many surprises await him.

Details

Year
2005
Type of project
Features
Running time
93 mins
Format
35mm
Director
Caroline Roboh
Producer
Jerome Levi
Co-Producer
Jerome Levi
Screenwriter
Caroline Roboh
Principal cast
Ash Newman, Istvan Szabo, Cyrielle Clair

Categories

Fiction

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

BIF Productions Ltd

Henbury House
Claverton Court
Claverton Down
Bath BA2 6DN
UK

Sales Company

Visual Factory

21 Wigmore Street
London W1U 1PJ
UK

T +44 (0)20 7499 7544

info@visualfactory.co.uk

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

A Winter Mirage A Winter Mirage

Director: Guoju Wang

Year: 2025

In Chinese, ‘golden-age’ and ‘mirage’ share the same sound. On the 2024 Winter Solstice in Yiwu, China’s largest trading hub, single mother Yu considers closing her accessory shop and returning to her old opera job amid the 2024 economic decoupling. It’s a story of my mum, one day of her life. Official Selection Premiers Plans Film Festival Angers 2026

Asian Biography Docufiction
A Mustard Seed A Mustard Seed

Director: Femi Oladigbolu

Year: 2026

Mide, a young man brought up in a traditional Nigerian family, has spent his early years within the strict confines of a Christian Pentecostal household. In Mide’s home, tradition and faith are intricately intertwined, guided by the family’s patriarch - Mide’s father.

Drama
Smooth the Edges Smooth the Edges

Director: Charles Newland

Year: 2026

Chantel, a young woman of Romani-Gypsy heritage conceals her ethnicity to avoid workplace discrimination, but after losing her job, she confronts her identity while navigating the challenges of finding new employment and facing the prejudices of those around her.

Drama