Ed Perkins ’09 directed a film that won Best Short Documentary at the international Sheffield Doc/Fest in Yorkshire, England.

The Guardian newspaper commissioned the film, which is called Black Sheep. Simon and Jonathan Chinn, who co-founded the production company Lightbox, produced Black Sheep. The Guardian’s head of documentaries Charlie Phillips was the executive producer.

According to The Guardian, Black Sheep’s producers made the following statement:

“We are so thrilled that Ed’s directing talent has been recognised with this award. Black Sheep tells an extraordinary story, brought to life in the most visceral way. Ed is a highly original voice in nonfiction storytelling and we are so proud that Lightbox has had the opportunity to nurture his career and give him the opportunities for his talents to flourish – with more to come.”

Black Sheep is the story of a young black man’s struggle to come to terms with his race identity.

Perkins currently lives in London, where he works as a self-employed documentary filmmaker. In addition to The Guardian, Perkins has directed, filmed, and edited for National Geographic, BBC, Channel 4, The New Yorker, Stateless Media, Vanity Fair, and Focus Features.