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Sheffield DocFest (formerly styled Sheffield Doc/Fest), short for Sheffield International Documentary Festival (SIDF), is an international documentary festival and Marketplace held annually in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

, England. The Festival includes film screenings, interactive and virtual reality exhibitions, talks & sessions, Marketplace & Talent for the funding and distribution of documentaries and development of filmmakers, unmissable live events, and its own awards. Since beginning in 1994, DocFest has become the UK's biggest documentary festival and the third largest in the world.Matt Thrift
''Preview: Sheffield DocFest 2013''
, ''Little White Lies'', 29 May 2013 The

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

have called it "one of the leading showcases of documentary films".''Martin Scorsese premiere for Sheffield DocFest''
BBC News, 8 May 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014 Sheffield DocFest is now widely recognised as one of the top three documentary festivals in the world, and "the most significant documentary festival in Britain".Julie Farmer, 'Centre Stage', ''First For Business'', 1 June 2013 The Festival has been voted one of the Top Five Coolest Documentary Film Festivals in the World by ''

MovieMaker ''MovieMaker'' is a magazine, website and podcast network focused on the art and business of filmmaking with a special emphasis on independent film. The magazine is published on a quarterly basis. See also * List of film periodicals Film period ...

'' magazine.

About Sheffield DocFest

Sheffield DocFest is the UK's leading documentary festival and one of the world's most influential markets for documentary projects. The festival champions and presents the breadth of documentary form – film, television, immersive and art – in the vibrant city of Sheffield each June. DocFest offers makers and audiences a place for inspiration, debate, development, learning and challenge. DocFest's programming represents the festival's core values – creativity, empathy, freedom, inclusivity and internationalism. Over the years, the festival has been held at over 20 other venues across

and the surrounding area, including th
Showroom Workstation
Light Cinema,

Sheffield Town Hall Sheffield Town Hall is a municipal building on Pinstone Street in the City of Sheffield, England. The building is used by Sheffield City Council, and also contains a publicly displayed collection of silverware. It is a Grade I listed building. ...

Sheffield City Hall Sheffield City Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Sheffield, England in Barker's Pool, one of the city's central squares. It was built and is owned by Sheffield City Council but is now managed by the Sheffield City Trust, under a 99-year l ...

, and the DocFest Exchange on

Tudor Square Tudor Square is a city square in the city of Sheffield, England. The square is home to the largest concentration of theatres in the UK outside London and has thus become known as Sheffield's ‘Theatre Land’. The Square lies at the heart of th ...

developed with

Wellcome Wellcome () is a supermarket chain owned by British conglomerate Jardine Matheson Holdings via its DFI Retail Group subsidiary. The Wellcome supermarket chain is one of the two largest supermarket chains in Hong Kong, the other being Park ...

. Fun is a key element, and the festival holds many parties.Chris Bond
''Documentary evidence of a golden age as festival opens window on the world'', ''The Yorkshire Post'', 30 May 2013
/ref> The festival has grown steadily over recent years.Nick Bradshaw
''The best of Sheffield DocFest 2013'', ''Sight & Sound'', 10 July 2013
/ref> DocFest screenings help many films to achieve a wider audience by attracting distribution and further screening opportunities for the films it shows.Alexandra Zeevalkink
''Sheffield DocFest: call for documentary submissions '', docgeeks.com, 30 October 2012
/ref> Sheffield DocFest's Marketplace & Talent is a major part of the Festival, which includes the MeetMarket for films and series to achieve funding and distribution, Alternate Realities Market for interactive and virtual reality projects, live pitches, and other training initiatives. Interactive, immersive and virtual reality documentary is also a central element of the Festival with interactive exhibitions and commissioned works scattered across the city, and the Alternate Realities Summit taking place throughout an entire day of the Festival. Sheffield DocFest is the perfect platform for anyone with an interest in interactive, virtual reality and factual content. DocFest prides itself in supporting and nurturing new talent: in addition to the Festival days in June, Sheffield DocFest presents All Year workshops, screenings, labs and mentoring opportunities both in the UK and internationally.

History

In 1990, Peter Symes of

BBC TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 19 ...

Features

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

had the idea of creating a forum for British documentary filmmakers to debate and discuss their craft. In 1993, he set up a festival board which included representatives from

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...

, Discovery Channel,

Central Independent Television ITV Central, previously known as Central Independent Television, Carlton Central, ITV1 for Central England and commonly referred to as simply Central, is the Independent Television franchisee for the Midlands. It was created following the rest ...

and Granada Television. They chose to hold the festival in

, an English industrial town which was just beginning to develop a media and cultural sector.Kevin Ritchie
''DocFest celebrates its second decade''
''realscreen.com'', 12 June 2013 The first Sheffield International Documentary Festival was held in 1994, formatted as an international film festival and conference for documentary professionals.'20th Anniversary for Sheffield DocFest', ''Regional Film and Video'', 1 June 2013 It included a film programme, one or two masterclasses, and a party.'Quidnunc', ''Sheffield Telegraph'', 6 June 2013 It lasted two days and mainly attracted London-based filmmakers and producers, plus several international commissioners and distributors. Over the next eight years, the

Festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

continued with around 475-700 delegates attending, and total audiences reaching around 2000. The Festival became an opportunity for London-based independent filmmakers to talk to commissioners at the

...
and

, who were otherwise difficult to reach. Success at the Festival might mean landing a job for the coming year. In 2005 DocFest attracted more than 600 mostly-UK delegates and enjoyed almost 9000 screening and session admissions. However, with changes in the factual television marketplace, it was time for DocFest to move from a primarily craft-based event, and increase its marketplace activity. The chairman at the time, Steve Hewlett, visited the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) where he met its director Heather Croall, who had a background in filmmaking and had founded the

cross-platform In computing, cross-platform software (also called multi-platform software, platform-agnostic software, or platform-independent software) is computer software that is designed to work in several computing platforms. Some cross-platform software ...

storytelling event DigiDocs. He invited Croall to come and work for the festival, where she was subsequently Festival Director & CEO until early 2015, turning around the Festival's fortunes. The 1990s rise in

international co-production A co-production is a joint venture between two or more different production companies for the purpose of film production, television production, video game development, and so on. In the case of an international co-production, production companie ...

s meant that British producers could no longer rely solely on one big broadcaster for their entire budget, and instead had to look abroad to piece together financing for their films. To internationalise the Festival and help filmmakers achieve this financing, Croall introduced the MeetMarket pitching forum, where filmmakers pitch their ideas to funders in one-to-one meetings. MeetMarket was developed with the help Karolina Lidin, Marketplace Executive Producer since 2008. In 2003, she developed the very first MeetMarket with Croall at AIDC, which was later brought to

in 2006. Croall also introduced the digital-focused Summit and Crossover Market, now Alternate Realities Market, which – like the MeetMarket – pairs

buyer Procurement is the method of discovering and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. When a government agency buys goods or serv ...

s and commissioners with game designers, technologists, producers, digital agencies and filmmakers, all looking to tell stories in the interactive realm. In 2007, Hussain Currimbhoy joined as programmer.Paul Banks
''Fav docs of Sheffield DocFest's programmer''
''The Knowledge'', 9 May 2013 In 2011 the Festival moved from November to June, to better fit into the industry calendar and ensure better weather and lighter evenings for visitors. DocFest was an early advocate of crowdfunding as a source of finance for documentary filmmakers, and in 2010 staged its first festival-based crowdfunding pitching event, which was also an industry first. The campaign was launched on Indiegogo with a goal to raise $25k for the Festival to help stage special events. They exceeded their target. From 2012, selected highlights from the Festival have often played at the

BFI Southbank BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007, known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the UK, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Institute. His ...

in London.Chris Patmore
''Packed schedule for Sheffield DocFest announced''
moviescopemag.com, 10 May 2013 The Festival began producing its own film projects, including '' From the Sea to the Land Beyond'' in 2012 and '' The Big Melt'' in 2013. From 2014, the

became recognised by the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

as an Oscar-qualifying festival in the Best Documentary (Short Subject) category with the DocFest Short Doc Award Winner eligible to enter for consideration. Many DocFest Short Doc Award-winning films have gone on to be shortlisted for Oscars. In 2014 DocFest presented films including '' Beyond Clueless'' and ''

Love Is All Love Is All may refer to: Bands *Love Is All (band), Swedish indie rock band Films * ''Love is All'' (2007 film), Dutch film * ''Love Is All'' (2014 film), a documentary film by Kim Longinotto Songs *"Love Is All", a song by The Action *"Love Is ...

'' at Latitude Festival, with Sigur Ros scored archive film '' The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circuses and Carnivals'', ''

Montage of Heck Montage may refer to: Arts and entertainment Filmmaking and films * Montage (filmmaking), a technique in film editing * ''Montage'' (2013 film), a South Korean film Music * Montage (music), or sound collage * ''Montage'' (Block B EP), 201 ...

'', ''Sounds of the Cosmos'' and a number of shorts also featured in 2015. This

partnership A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments ...

has continued, and in 2017 DocFest brought a selection of

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...

projects to

Latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

for the first time, alongside a curated programme of shorts. In 2014 there were some high level staff changes. Deputy Director Charlie Phillips left to head up the documentary arm of

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

, with director of Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival Melanie Iredale taking up the position.Adam Benzine
''DocFest hires Iredale as Phillips, Currimbhoy depart''
''Realscreen'', 8 September 2014 Director of Programming Hussain Currimbhoy left for Sundance Festival with former Executive Content Adviser at Independent Television Service (ITVS) Claire Aguilar becoming Head of Programming & Industry Engagement.Sarah Cooper
''Claire Aguilar joins Sheffield DocFest''
''Screen International'', 12 December 2014 Croall returned to Australia to direct the

Adelaide Fringe The Adelaide Fringe, formerly Adelaide Fringe Festival, is the world's second-largest annual arts festival (after the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Between mid-February and mid-March each year, ...

.Sheffield DocFest director Heather Croall to step down
screendaily.com, 5 January 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015 Following Heather's departure, Crossover Labs Director Mark Atkin stepped in as acting director for the 2015

, before Liz McIntyre of

Discovery Networks Discovery, Inc. was an American multinational mass media factual television conglomerate based in New York City. Established in 1985, the company operated a group of factual and lifestyle television brands, such as the namesake Discovery Channe ...

joined as CEO & Festival Director from 1 September 2015.Sheffield DocFest hires Liz McIntyre
broadcastnow.co.uk, 21 April 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015 Since McIntyre's appointment, the CEO & Festival Director has championed diverse and pluralist voices, inclusiveness and accessibility, for example creating a crèche service and introducing

British Sign Language British Sign Language (BSL) is a sign language used in the United Kingdom (UK), and is the first or preferred language among the Deaf community in the UK. Based on the percentage of people who reported 'using British Sign Language at home' on ...

interpreted talks,

Dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

-friendly screenings, Doc/Dinner for championing diverse talent within the industry, and a From Door to Doc, affording reduced rate entry to screenings for hard-to-reach areas of

. In 2016 there were high-level staff appointments. Luke W Moody, formerly of

BRITDOC Doc Society (formerly Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation and BRITDOC Foundation) is a social entrepreneurship organisation created in 2005. They have supported the production of over 60 films that have won awards . Development Initially supported by UK b ...

(now Doc Society) joined as Director of Film Programming, replacing Head of Programming & Industry Engagement Claire Aguilar. Former

Dogwoof Dogwoof is a film-distribution company based in the United Kingdom. History Dogwoof Pictures Dogwoof was founded in 2003 by Andy Whittaker, and originally concentrated on foreign films, including such titles as ''Don't Move'', '' Fateless'', ' ...

Distribution Manager Patrick Hurley joined as Head of Marketplace & Talent, replacing Marketplace Manager Anna Parker. From

...
, Dan Tucker joined as Curator of Alternate Realities. And in 2017, Lisa Brook joined as Marketing & Events Consultant. The effect of the

economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

is worth millions of pounds. Outside of the annual

, there is now also a year-round programme, called DocFest All Year, providing training, educational and cultural activities across the UK, including a training initiative for aspiring

feature Feature may refer to: Computing * Feature (CAD), could be a hole, pocket, or notch * Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob * Feature (software design) is an intentional distinguishing characteristic of a software item ...

documentary producers called Future Producer School launched in 2014.Manori Ravindra
''Sheffield DocFest launches producer school, pitch competitions''
realscreen.com, 10 March 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014

2020

The 27th Sheffield DocFest was due to take place between 4–9 June 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was cancelled in its original form. In November 2019 Cíntia Gil became the new festival director at Sheffield DocFest. Her vision and film programme strands for the 27th edition of Sheffield DocFest were announced in
A letter to Sheffield and to those who will join DocFest in 2020
.

2019

The 26th Sheffield DocFest was held between 6–11 June 2019, and attracted 28,098 public admissions, up 9% from the previous year, along with 3,489 industry delegates from 59 countries. The Festival opened at Sheffield City Hall with a UK premiere of "

Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the F ...

" by

Asif Kapadia Asif Kapadia (born 1972) is a British filmmaker. Academy Award, BAFTA and Grammy winning director Asif Kapadia has made his name directing visually striking films exploring ‘outsiders’, characters living in extreme circumstances, fighting ...

. The programme featured over 200 documentaries with 36 world premieres, 19 international, 12 European and 91 UK premieres. The films were chosen from a submission pool of 2548 from 52 countries around the world. Programme included "The Rest" by

Ai Weiwei Ai Weiwei (, ; born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly c ...

, " Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin" by

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with u ...

, "Midnight Family" by Luke Lorentzen, "Earth" by

Nikolaus Geyrhalter Nikolaus Geyrhalter (born 1972) is an Austrian filmmaker. He has directed, produced, written, and worked as cinematographer for numerous documentaries. He has won awards for ''Das Jahr nach Dayton'' (1997), ''Pripyat'' (1999), '' Elsewhere'' (2001 ...

, "One Child Nation" by

Nanfu Wang Nanfu Wang (born 1985) is a Chinese-born American filmmaker. Her debut film '' Hooligan Sparrow'' premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2017. Her second film, ''I A ...

, "About Love" by Archana Atul Phadke, and "

For Sama ''For Sama'' () is a 2019 documentary film produced and narrated by Waad Al-Kateab, and directed by Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts. The film focuses on Waad Al-Kateab's journey as a journalist and rebel in the Syrian uprising. Her husband is ...

" by

Waad Al-Kateab Waad Al-Kateab ( ar, وعد الخطيب; born ) is the pseudonym of a Syrian journalist, filmmaker, and activist. Her documentary, ''For Sama'' (2019), was nominated for four BAFTAs at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards, winning for Best Docu ...

and Edward Watts. Alternate Realities programme featured 28 projects and included "Subconscious Sensibilities" - an exhibition of virtual and augmented reality, games, interactive documentaries and large scale digital installations at

Site Gallery Site Gallery is an art gallery in Sheffield, England. It specialises in moving image, new media and performance based art. Site Gallery is based at Brown Street in Sheffield's Cultural Industries Quarter. It is an international centre for con ...

. "Converging Sensibilities" at the Hallam Performance Lab was a collection of 360° documentaries presented as a VR Cinema. VR experiences at the festival included: "Echo" by Georgie Pinn, "Le Lac" by Nyasha Kadandara, "Algorithmic Perfumery" by Frederik Duerinck, and "Spectre" by Bill Posters and dr. Daniel Howe – a Sheffield DocFest commission, in partnership with

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

and MUTEK, with support from Arts Council England. Over 200 speakers shared their own experiences at the 26th Sheffield DocFest. The Talks & Sessions programme included:

Paul Greengrass Paul Greengrass (born 13 August 1955) is a British film director, film producer, screenwriter and former journalist. He specialises in dramatisations of historic events and is known for his signature use of hand-held cameras. His early film ' ...

, Jenn Nkiru,

, Chidera Eggerue,

Stacey Dooley Stacey Jaclyn Dooley (born 9 March 1987) is an English television presenter, journalist, and media personality. She came to prominence in 2008 when she appeared as a participant on '' Blood, Sweat and T-shirts''. Since then, she has made socia ...

Rodney P Rodney Panton, also known as Rodney P (born in Balham, London, 12 December 1969) is an English MC, as well as a radio and television personality who first gained attention via the UK hip hop scene in the 1980s. A former member of UK hip-hop gro ...

Michael Dapaah Michael Dapaah (born 10 August 1991) is a British actor, rapper, and comedian best known for portraying the fictional rapper Big Shaq (also known as Roadman Shaq). He is also known for his mockumentary ''SWIL'' (Somewhere in London), which fo ...

Jeremy Deller Jeremy Deller (born 30 March 1966) is an English conceptual, video and installation artist. Much of Deller's work is collaborative; it has a strong political aspect, in the subjects dealt with and also the devaluation of artistic ego through th ...

and Paddy Wivell. Industry sessions programme included "My Big Break" featuring Roxy Rezvany, Ellie Flynn and Eliza Capai discussing their career highs and lows; and "Breaking the Class Ceiling" with Danny Leigh, Fiona Campbell, Kieran Yates, Billy Porter, Mia Bays and Paul Sng exploring barriers for entry to the industry. Over 300 Decision Makers from over 30 countries attended the 2019 Festival, including executives from

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

Arte Arte (; (), sometimes stylized in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European public service channel dedicated to culture. It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based European Economic Interest Grouping ARTE, plu ...

...
,

Cinereach Cinereach is a nonprofit film funding organization in New York, NY, founded in 2006, which provides grants, awards, an annual fellowship, and in-house film production. The organization also has partnerships with other film development organization ...

Doc Society Doc Society (formerly Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation and BRITDOC Foundation) is a social entrepreneurship organisation created in 2005. They have supported the production of over 60 films that have won awards . Development Initially supported by UK b ...

, Altitude, Submarine Entertainment,

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

, National Geographic, POV, RYOT,

Artangel Artangel is a London-based arts organisation founded in 1985 by Roger Took. Directed since 1991 by James Lingwood and Michael Morris, it has commissioned and produced a string of notable site-specific works, plus several projects for TV, film, r ...

, Passion Pictures and Pulse Films. Over two days 87 teams took approximately 1,650 match-made meetings with the Decision Makers in the MeetMarket and Alternate Realities Talent Market.

2018

The 25th Edition of Sheffield DocFest was held between 7–12 June 2018.

2017

The 2017 event took place from 9 to 14 June. A record total of 72,146 audiences attended, including 3,397 industry delegates who travelled from 54 countries, 36,008 public audiences, and virtual audiences experiencing the Festival through

livestream Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but ...

. The film programme hosted a record 182 films with 35 world premieres, 21 international, 24 European and 73 UK premieres. The film programme boasted premieres including: Daisy Asquith's Queerama, the Opening Night Film, scored by John Grant; Laura Poitras' new Julian Assange documentary

Risk In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environm ...

; Whitney 'Can I Be Me' from

Nick Broomfield Nicholas Broomfield (born 1948) is an English documentary film director. His self-reflective style has been regarded as influential to many later filmmakers. In the early 21st century, he began to use non-actors in scripted works, which he cal ...

; and Winnie from Pascale Lamche, which originated in DocFest's MeetMarket. The Alternate Realities programme featured 26 projects, 12 of which had world premieres, 1 international, 5 European and 8 UK. VR experiences at the festival included:

Chasing Coral ''Chasing Coral'' is a 2017 American documentary film about a team of divers, scientists and photographers around the world who document the disappearance of coral reefs. ''Chasing Coral'' was produced by Exposure Labs and directed by Jeff Orlows ...

: The VR Experience, presented in a 360 dome, which accompanied the feature documentary in the film programme; Unrest VR, which accompanied the feature film

Unrest Unrest, also called disaffection, is a sociological phenomenon, including: * Civil unrest * Civil disorder * Domestic terrorism * Industrial unrest * Labor unrest * Rebellion * Riot * Strike action * State of emergency Notable historical in ...

; and Future Aleppo by Alex Pearson and Marshmallow Laser Feast, a commission by DocFest, in partnership with FACT, and with support from Arts Council England. The Talks & Sessions programme included big-name speakers

Lenny Henry Sir Lenworth George Henry (born 29 August 1958) is a British actor, comedian, singer, television presenter and writer. Henry gained success as a stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in '' The Le ...

Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a Welsh film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular. Common traits in his films are th ...

Ian Hislop Ian David Hislop (born 13 July 1960) is a British journalist, satirist, writer, broadcaster, and editor of the magazine ''Private Eye''. He has appeared on numerous radio and television programmes and has been a team captain on the BBC quiz sho ...

and

Louis Theroux Louis Sebastian Theroux (; born 20 May 1970) is a British-American documentarian, journalist, broadcaster, and author. He has received two British Academy Television Awards and a Royal Television Society Television Award. After graduating fro ...

. Industry sessions included: a panel about making your film Oscar-ready, featuring Tom Oyer from the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

; a sessions with

God's Own Country "God's Own Country" is a phrase meaning an area, region or place supposedly favoured by God. Examples Australia In Australia, the phrase "God's own country" was often used to describe the country in the early 1900s, but it appears to have gr ...

director Francis Lee for the Northern Talent Talk; a free public interview with

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

sensation Elijah Quashie aka The Chicken Connoisseur; and two sessions with editor

Walter Murch Walter Scott Murch (born July 12, 1943) is an American film editor, director, writer and sound designer. With a career stretching back to 1969, including work on '' THX 1138'', ''Apocalypse Now'', '' The Godfather I'', '' II'', and '' III'', ''Am ...

. 2017 saw the reinvention of all film strands to concisely represent the creative vision of the

. The new strands featured in 2017 were: Doc/Vision, Doc/Adventure, Doc/Expose, Doc/Love, Doc/Think, Doc/Rhythm, Focus/Industry, featuring work-in-progress pieces, and Focus/India, featuring a collection of documentaries from that year's focus country of choice, to mark 70 years after

Partition Partition may refer to: Computing Hardware * Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive * Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job Software * Partition (database), the division of a ...

. 2017 also saw the use of new venue The Light Cinema on the Moor, offering 3 luxury cinema screens. Following the 2017 Festival, 9 virtual reality works from the Alternate Realities exhibition were chosen to tour Latin America as part of DocFest's Realidades Alternativas tour with support from

. The tour visited festivals DocMontevideo in

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

, DocSP in Brazil, and Noviembre Electrónico in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Notable screenings and events included: * The world premiere Opening Night Film Queerama from director Daisy Asquith and with a soundtrack from John Grant, Alison Goldfrapp, and Hercules & Love Affair, chronicling 50 years after the decriminalization of homosexuality in the UK through the

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

archive. The Opening Night event included a Q&A with Asquith and Grant, hosted by Campbell X, and a performance from Grant * Closing Night honoured MP Jo Cox with Closing Night Film Jo Cox: Death of an MP by director Toby Paxton, a discussion about her legacy, and a Great Get Together held on Tudor Square to encourage Festival-goers and the public to unite and remember * A livestream of the UK Premiere of

's Whitney 'Can I Be Me', featuring a Q&A with Broomfield and radio presenter

Sarah-Jane Crawford Sarah-Jane Crawford is an English television and radio presenter, actress, voice-over artist, and DJ best known for her radio work with Hits Radio and formerly with BBC Radio 1Xtra, and television work with E! Network (which she is curre ...

, and a live tribute performance by Michele John, all broadcast live to 130 cinemas across the UK * The return of Desert Island Docs, featuring Northern film star

Maxine Peake Maxine Peake (born 14 July 1974) is an English actress and narrator. She is known for her roles as Twinkle in the BBC One sitcom '' dinnerladies'' (1998–2000), Veronica Ball in the hit Channel 4 comedy drama '' Shameless'' (2004–2007), Mart ...

as she discussed her favourite documentaries and the influence they hold on her life and work * Joe Cocker: Mad Dog with Soul saw a sold-out screening in the iconic

Leadmill The Leadmill is the longest running live music venue and nightclub in Sheffield, England, based on Leadmill Road, lying on the southeast edge of the Sheffield city centre, city centre. It opened in 1980 in a former flour mill, originally a Com ...

, where Joe Cocker frequently performed * The introduction of Docs 'til Dawn, showcasing rare cult documentaries after midnight. 2017's Docs 'til Dawn programme included

Adam Curtis Adam Curtis (born 26 May 1955) is an English documentary filmmaker. Curtis began his career as a conventional documentary producer for the BBC throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s. The release of ''Pandora's Box'' (1992) marked the ...

' HyperNormalisation, with an introduction from Curtis himself * A retrospective looking back 50 years at 1967: The Summer of Love and Discontent, featuring films such as Allan King's '' Warrendale'', Far from Vietnam produced by Chris Marker and directed by French New Wave filmmakers Jean-Luc Godard,

Alain Resnais Alain Resnais (; 3 June 19221 March 2014) was a French film director and screenwriter whose career extended over more than six decades. After training as a film editor in the mid-1940s, he went on to direct a number of short films which included ...

, Agnès Varda, Joris Ivens, William Klein and

Claude Lelouch Claude Barruck Joseph Lelouch (; born 30 October 1937) is a French film director, writer, cinematographer, actor and producer. Lelouch grew up in an Algerian Jewish Family. He emerged as a prominent director in the 1960s. Lelouch gained criti ...

, and a rare screening of Edouard 'Yves' de Laurot's Silent Revolution/Black Liberation * Immersive live cinema for the European premiere of

Florian Habicht Florian Habicht is a New Zealand film director. Florian was born in Berlin, Germany and moved with his family to the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, when he was eight. He went to high school in Kerikeri before attending the University of Auckland's ...

's Spookers, shown in the 1920s

Abbeydale Picture House Abbeydale Picture House (later Abbeydale Cinema) is a former cinema in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. When opened by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield on 20 December 1920 the picture house was the largest and most luxurious cinema in Sheffield, ...

and featuring a fright-night cast of performers staged in the building * The world premiere of

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n Dancehall competition film Bruk Out! from director Cori Wapnowski, including a follow-up dancehall dance class held by the film's protagonist Ale Camara at the DocFest Exchange on

and the

Party at Code featuring a performance from dancers featured in the film * A work-in-progress special preview of 8 Minutes from the Alexander Whitley Dance Company, combining contemporary dance with

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

visuals from BAFTA-winning artist Tal Rosner, ahead of the Sadler Wells premiere in July * The Alternate Realities Summit returned with a full day of panel sessions and keynote speakers, featuring

Google Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...

's Jessica Brillhart,

's VR Deputy Editor Nicole Jackson, Amnesty International UK's Che Ramsden, and Robin McNicholas from Marshmallow Laser Feast on using the latest technology to create projects like Future Aleppo and including a surprise

Skype Skype () is a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for VoIP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also has instant messaging, file transfer, deb ...

from Future Aleppo's 13-year-old inspiration Syrian refugee Mohammed Kteish * The European premiere of VR installation Munduruku: The Fight to Defend the Heart of the Amazon by Grace Boyle (The Feelies), James Manisty (Alchemy VR) and Pete Speller ( Greenpeace), which went on to win the Alternate Realities Audience Award at DocFest 2017, and then further tour Latin America with DocFest's international VR tour 'Realidades Alternativas' with support from

* Live VR experience DOOM ROOM hosted in Theatre Delicatessen mixed performance art with virtual reality in a UK premiere from Danish artist Mads Damsbo (source) * The return of DocFest Exchange developed with Wellcome, offering elements of the film, Alternate Realities, and talks programmes for free to the public * Years and Years frontman

Olly Alexander Oliver Alexander Thornton (born 15 July 1990) is a British singer and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of Years & Years and for his performance as Ritchie Tozer in the Channel 4 drama series, ''It's a Sin''. Early life Alexander w ...

on his new documentary Growing Up Gay and his personal struggle with mental health in the

LGBTQ+ ' is an Acronym, initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term for Sexuality and gende ...

community *

in conversation with

for

The BBC ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

Interview, held at the sold-out

Crucible Theatre The Crucible Theatre (often referred to simply as "The Crucible") is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England which opened in 1971. Although it hosts regular theatrical performances, it is best known for hosting professional snooker's ...

* The introduction of the Craft Summit presented by Documentary Campus, featuring industry heavyweights that dissect the art of documentary filmmaking. Speakers included editor

, Field of Vision's Charlotte Cook and Ben Steele on serialised documentaries, Balz Bachmann and Nainita Desai on composing, and directors from the 2017 film programme Julia Dahr ( Thank You for the Rain), Shaul Schwarz (Trophy) and Egil Håskjold Larsen (69 Minutes of 86 Days) on directing and

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to foc ...

2016

The 2016 event took place from 10 to 15 June. A total of 32,769 audiences attended, including 3,534 industry delegates who travelled from 60 countries, and 29,235 public audiences, both figures a record increase on 2015. The film programme hosted a record 160 films with 27 world premieres, 15 international, 19 European and a whopping 52 UK premieres from 49 different countries. Audiences were attracted to big filmmaking names from the documentary world including US director Michael Moore – whose film ''

Where to Invade Next ''Where to Invade Next'' is a 2015 American documentary film written and directed by Michael Moore. The film, in the style of a Travel documentary, travelogue, has Moore spending time in countries such as Italy, France, Finland, Tunisia, Slovenia ...

'' opened the Festival –

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

winning director

Ken Loach Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is a British film director and screenwriter. His socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty ('' Poor Cow'', 1967), homelessn ...

, and legendary filmmakers

D. A. Pennebaker Donn Alan Pennebaker (; July 15, 1925 – August 1, 2019) was an American documentary filmmaker and one of the pioneers of direct cinema. Performing arts and politics were his primary subjects. In 2013, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sci ...

and Chris Hegedus. Women and

LGBT+ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

subjects feature prominently throughout the Festival's selection, making up two of the festival's strands, plus a retrospective honouring Chantal Akerman. The speakers represented in the Talks & Sessions programme were 45% female. The newly renamed Alternate Realities programme featured 14 immersive media experiences in

Millennium Gallery The Millennium Gallery is an art gallery and museum in the centre of Sheffield, England. Opened in April 2001 as part of Sheffield's Heart of the City project, it is located in the city centre close to the mainline station, the Central Library ...

, and 12 virtual reality documentaries in Site Gallery, The Space and Union Street. The Alternate Realities Summit was a day-long event with a focus on virtual reality,

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech r ...

, and mixed reality. The morning session saw a keynote from Ramona Pringle and Bina48, an artificially intelligent robot, while the afternoon session saw a keynote from Google's Jessica Brillhart. 2016 also saw the inaugural Alternate Realities Commission, supported by site Gallery and Arts Council England. Darren Emerson's Indefinite (previously Invisible) won the £5,000 prize and had its World Premiere at the Festival. Indefinite, about the detention of immigrants in Britain, was later featured by

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

. 2016 saw the introduction of the DocFest Exchange on

developed with Wellcome, which hosted a series of public talks, including an interview with

This is England ''This Is England'' is a 2006 British drama film written and directed by Shane Meadows. The story centres on young skinheads in England in 1983. The film illustrates how their subculture, which has its roots in 1960s West Indies culture, espec ...

director

Shane Meadows Shane Meadows (born 26 December 1972) is an English director, screenwriter and actor, known for his work in independent film, most notably the cult film '' This Is England'' (2006) and its three sequels (2010–2015). Meadows' other films i ...

. Notable screening and events included: * The UK Premiere of Michael Moore's ''Where to Invade Next'' opened the Festival at

, attended by Moore for a post-screening Q&A which was live streamed to more than 120 cinemas nationwide. * The UK Premiere of The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger closed the Festival with a sell-out screening at Showroom Cinema, attended by directors Tilda Swinton and Bartek Dziadosz * Live performances accompanied film screenings including: a performance by protagonist and famous street dancer

Storyboard P Storyboard P (born Saalim Muslim) is an American street dancer. He is one of the foremost practitioners of the flex genre of street dance, and is particularly noted for his improvisational style. He developed a type of dance called "mutation" or " ...

following the World Premiere of Storyboard P, a stranger in Sweden; a solo set by Princess Shaw following the UK Premiere of Presenting Princess Shaw; and Where You're Meant to Be was screened in

, followed by a set from Arab Strap's

Aidan Moffat Aidan John Moffat (born 10 April 1973) is a Scottish vocalist and musician, and member of the band Arab Strap. Early life Moffat was born and raised in Falkirk, Scotland. The first album he bought was ''Elvis Sings for Kids'' by Elvis Presley ...

and the Bothy Ballad singers. * Following the UK Premieres of ''Strike a Pose'' and ''Kiki'', the Vogue, Strike a Pose Party invited Madonna backup dancer Kevin Stea, New York ballroom leader Twiggy Pucci Garcon, and a house of voguers to O2 Academy * USC Shoah Foundations' New Dimensions in Testimony had its World Premiere as part of the Alternate Realities Exhibition, showcasing groundbreaking technology in natural language processing software through a hologram of Holocaust Survivor Pinchas Gutter. The project was awarded both the Alternate Realities Interactive Award and Audience Award for Interactive Project. It was also featured in the Alternate Realities Summit, with creator Dr Stephen Smith presenting a keynote, joined by Gutter himself on stage *

Sir David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...

came to the

for the first time, seeing a sold-out talk at the Crucible Theatre, which was live broadcast to the Outdoor Screen on

held a packed Q&A following Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach *

was honoured with a retrospective, and also attended the UK Premiere of his film

Unlocking the Cage ''Unlocking the Cage'' is a 2016 American documentary film about the work of the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) and lawyer Steven Wise's efforts to grant limited legal personhood rights to chimpanzees, whales, dolphins and elephants. It was direct ...

. The legendary documentary maker was also featured in conversation with collaborator Chris Hegedus at the Crucible Theatre *

Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an English actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992 ...

delivered a packed talk at Crucible Theatre * Snooker legend

Ronnie O'Sullivan Ronald Antonio O'Sullivan (born 5 December 1975) is an English professional snooker player who is the current world champion and world number one. Widely recognised as one of the most talented and accomplished players in the sport's history, ...

returned to the Crucible Theatre, where he has won five World Championship titles, to discuss his favourite documentaries

2015

The 22nd Festival ran for six days 5–10 June. Over 20 venues were used to host films, sessions, interactive exhibitions and networking events, with the full programme announced on the morning of the general election on 7 May.DocGeeks
''Sheffield DocFest aims for bigger, better and more interactive in 2015''
''DocGeeks'', 7 May 2015 A record number of audiences attended the festival, with 3,422 festival delegates and 27,917 members of the public. 148 films were shown, of which a record breaking 31 were world premieres, including

Sean McAllister Sean Brian McAllister (born 15 August 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Primarily as a central midfielder, he has good vision and passing ability. He began his professional career at Sheffield Wedne ...

's hotly anticipated '' A Syrian Love Story'', Brian Hill's ''The Confessions of Thomas Quick'', and Jake Witzenfeld's ''Oriented'', 41 UK premieres, 13 international premieres, and 19 European premieres.Michael Rosser
'' Sheffield DocFest unveils 2015 line-up''
''Screen Daily'', 7 May 2015 Nearly 50% of the film programming was headed up by female filmmakers, with 73 of the films either produced or directed by women filmmakers.Alex Ritman
''Sheffield DocFest Touts Strong Female Presence''
''The Hollywood Reporter'', 9 June 2015 Notable screenings and events included: * The UK premiere of

Joshua Oppenheimer Joshua Lincoln Oppenheimer (born September 23, 1974) is an American-British film director based in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is known for his Oscar-nominated films ''The Act of Killing'' (2012) and ''The Look of Silence'' (2014), Oppenheimer was ...

's '' The Look of Silence'' at Showroom Cinema opened the

with sell out screenings in both Screens 3 and 4. * Opening Night continued at

with the world premiere of archive film '' The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circuses and Carnivals'' directed by Benedikt Erlingsson and scored by

Georg Hólm Georg "Goggi" Hólm (; born 6 April 1976) is the bassist of the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. He is the most prominent member of Sigur Rós in the English press, as he does significantly more press than the other members due to him being ...

and

Orri Páll Dýrason Orri Páll Dýrason (; born on 4 July 1977) is an Icelandic musician. He was previously the drummer for Sigur Rós. He joined the band in 1999, shortly after the recording of the studio album An album is a collection of audio recordin ...

of Sigur Rós and the Head of the Pagan Church in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

and godfather of Icelandic music,

Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (; born 23 April 1958), also known as HÖH, is a musician, an art director, and '' allsherjargoði'' (''chief goði'') of Ásatrúarfélagið ("the Ásatrú Association"). Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson was a pioneer in the use ...

.Ben Green
''SHEFFIELD DOCFEST 2015: Full programme announced''
''The Star'', 11 May 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015 The film features never before seen footage from fairgrounds, circuses, variety performances, vaudeville and more, from the very birth of film to the present day, including footage from

The University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

's National Fairground Archive. * A special screening of Jessica Edward's bio-doc ''Mavis!'' documenting the life of Mavis Staples was held in the classic Victorian

Sheffield Botanical Gardens The Sheffield Botanical Gardens are botanical gardens situated off Ecclesall Road in Sheffield, England, with 5,000 species of plants in 19 acres (77,000 m2) of land. The gardens were designed by Robert Marnock and first opened in 1836 ...

. * Sheffield Repertory Orchestra performing

Gustav Holst Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...

The Planets ''The Planets'', Op. 32, is a seven- movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1917. In the last movement the orchestra is joined by a wordless female chorus. Each movement of the suite is name ...

live to a screening of interplanetary odysseys and commissioned visuals by Sheffield creative design agency Human and commentary from astronomer Paul Crowther. * A 'Women in Docs' strand celebrating films with women on screen and behind the lens. * ''War Work: 8 Songs with Film'', a master work of poetic and musical archive composed and directed by Michael Nyman, and performed by Michael Nyman Band and

Hilary Summers Hilary Summers is a Welsh lyric contralto. She was trained at Reading University, the Royal Academy of Music, and the National Opera Studio in London. She has performed on soundtracks such as '' The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'', '' The L ...

to commemorate the First World War.Caroline Frost
''Idris Elba's 'Mandela, My Dad And Me' One Of The Highlights At This Year's Sheffield Documentary Festival''
''HuffPost'', 7 May 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015 * A retrospective of British activist filmmaker John Akomfrah. * A closing night event including screening of '' Monty Python – The Meaning of Live'' by

Roger Graef Roger Arthur Graef OBE (18 April 1936 – 2 March 2022) was an American-born British documentary filmmaker and theatre director. Born in New York City, he moved to Britain in 1962, where he began a career producing documentary films investiga ...

and James Rogan, with

Michael Palin Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, television presenter, and public speaker. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. Since 1980, he has made a number of travel documentaries. Palin w ...

in attendance for a post-screening Q&A and book signing. * The Ideas & Science strand, supported by the

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of one of the predecessors of Glaxo ...

, focusing on creativity and innovation at the heart of documentary, digital and interactive. * An 'Interactive at Sheffield' exhibition presented by Crossover Labs, featuring 16 interactive documentaries held at

. * A dedicated

arcade at

featuring 9 projects on a collection of

Oculus Rift Oculus Rift is a discontinued line of virtual reality headsets developed and manufactured by Oculus VR, a division of Meta Platforms, released on March 28, 2016. In 2012 Oculus initiated a Kickstarter campaign to fund the Rift's development, af ...

Samsung Gear VR The Samsung Gear VR is a virtual reality headset developed by Samsung Electronics, in collaboration with Oculus VR, and manufactured by Samsung. The headset was released on November 27, 2015. When in use, a compatible Samsung Galaxy device acts ...

and

Google Cardboard Google Cardboard is a discontinued virtual reality (VR) platform developed by Google. Named for its fold-out cardboard viewer into which a smartphone is inserted, the platform was intended as a low-cost system to encourage interest and developme ...

.Jamie Feltham
''Sheffield DocFest 2015 Shows VR at its Most Humanising, Empowering and Emotive''
''VR Focus'', 9 June 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015 * ''FINAL DAYS'' by British artist

Heather Phillipson Heather Phillipson is a British artist working in a variety of media including Video art, video, sculpture, music, large-scale installations, online works, text and drawing. She is also an acclaimed poet whose writing has appeared widely online, ...

, a specially commissioned installation at Castle House, a defunct department store in the heard of

. Supported by Arts Council England, presented in partnership with

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

and

Serpentine Galleries The Serpentine Galleries are two contemporary art galleries in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Central London. Recently rebranded to just Serpentine, the organisation is split across Serpentine South, previously known as the Serpentine Gallery, ...

. There were 83 sessions, talks and masterclasses, with speakers including

Davina McCall Davina Lucy Pascale McCall (born 16 October 1967) is an English television presenter. She was the presenter of the reality show '' Big Brother'' during its run on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2010. She also hosted Channel 4's ''Streetmate'' (199 ...

Nicky Campbell Nicholas Andrew Argyll Campbell, OBE (born Nicholas Lackey, 10 April 1961) is a Scottish broadcaster and journalist. He has worked in television and radio since 1981 and as a network presenter with BBC Radio since 1987. Early life Campbell wa ...

, Jon Snow, Lucy Worsley,

Philippa Perry Philippa, Lady Perry ( Fairclough; born 1957), is a British psychotherapist and author. She has written the graphic novel ''Couch Fiction: A Graphic Tale of Psychotherapy'' (2010), ''How to Stay Sane'' (2012), and ''The Book You Wish Your Parent ...

Ian Katz Ian Alexander Katz (born 9 February 1968) is a British journalist and broadcasting executive who is currently Chief Content Officer at Channel 4, overseeing all editorial decision making and commissioning across Channel 4's linear channels, str ...

, Charlotte Moore, and Robin Ince.

2014

The Festival expanded from five days to six and for the first time began on a Saturday. Screenings took place across a wider range of more unusual venues in

and the

Peak District The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It includes the Dark Peak, where moorla ...

.Kelly Anderson
''Sheffield DocFest expands, sets 2014 dates''
''Real Screen'', 12 September 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2014 130 films were shown, of which 21 were world premieres, 24 UK premieres, and 12 European premieres.Kevin Ritchie
''Scorsese, Longinotto, Woolcock to premiere docs in Sheffield''
''Real Screen'', 9 May 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014Eric Eidelstein
''The 21st Annual Sheffield Documentary Festival Will Showcase a New Scorsese Film, Industry Sessions and More''
indiewire.com, 8 May 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014Ian Youngs
''Sheffield DocFest: War crimes, pop stars and skaters''
BBC News, 6 June 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014 World premieres included

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, inclu ...

's documentary about ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...

'', ''

The 50 Year Argument ''The 50 Year Argument'' is a documentary film by Martin Scorsese and co-directed by David Tedeschi about the history and influence of the ''New York Review of Books'', which marked its 50th anniversary in 2013. The documentary premiered in Jun ...

''; Alex Holmes' ''Stop At Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story''; ''The Last Man On The Moon'', about former astronaut

Eugene Cernan Eugene Andrew Cernan (; March 14, 1934 – January 16, 2017) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot. During the Apollo 17 mission, Cernan became the eleventh human being t ...

who also attended the Festival; ''One Rogue Reporter'', written and directed by former ' Daily Star' reporter Rich Peppiatt; and ''Brilliant Creatures: Rebels of Oz''.Vanessa Thorpe
''The Australians who set 60s Britain swinging''
''The Guardian'', 31 May 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014 Notable screenings and events included: * The European premiere of ''Pulp: A Film About Life, Death and Supermarkets'' directed by

,Henry Barnes
''Sheffield DocFest to host first public screening of Scorsese documentary''
''The Guardian'', 8 May 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014 telling the story of

Pulp Pulp may refer to: * Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit Engineering * Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture * Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper * Molded pulp, a packaging material ...

's final concert in

in 2012 and including a simulcast and live satellite Q&A with the band, broadcast to 120 cinemas across the UK and Ireland.Charles Gant
''22 Jump Street triples original's first weekend take at UK box office''
''The Guardian'', 10 June 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014 * The premiere of

Kim Longinotto Kim Longinotto ( Sally Anne Longinotto-Landseer; born 8 February 1948, London) is a British documentary film maker, well-known for making films that highlight the plight of female victims of oppression or discrimination. Longinotto has made mo ...

's ''Love Is All'' at Chatsworth House with a soundtrack by

Richard Hawley Richard Willis Hawley (born 17 January 1967) is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. After his first band Treebound Story (formed while he was still at school) broke up, Hawley found success as a member of Britpop band Longp ...

, combining film material from the

BFI National Archive The BFI National Archive is a department of the British Film Institute, and one of the largest film archives in the world. It was founded as the National Film Library in 1935; its first curator was Ernest Lindgren. In 1955, its name became the N ...

with original music in a similar vein to previous DocFest projects '' From the Sea to the Land Beyond'' and '' The Big Melt''. * Saint Etienne performing a live score to ''How We Used To Live'', Paul Kelly's documentary about vanishing London. *

Summer Camp A summer camp or sleepaway camp is a supervised program for children conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as ''campers''. Summer school is usually a part of the academ ...

performing a live soundtrack to '' Guardian'' writer Charlie Lyne's film essay '' Beyond Clueless'', about 90s teen movies. * A 'Hell on Wheels' strand of cycling films to celebrate the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

visiting

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

.Helen Pidd
''Hell on wheels: cycling documentaries at Sheffield DocFest''
''The Guardian'', 9 June 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014 * Nightly screenings in the Peak Cavern including Thomas Balmes' ''

Happiness Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. ...

''. * A spotlight on

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

including ''Miners Shot Down'' about the

Marikana miners' strike The Marikana massacre was the killing of thirty-four miners by the South African Police Service (SAPS) on 16 August 2012 during a six-week wildcat strike at the Lonmin platinum mine at Marikana near Rustenburg in South Africa's North West prov ...

. * A retrospective of experimental Greek-French director Agnès Varda. * An 'Interactive at Sheffield' exhibition presented by Crossover Labs, featuring 15 interactive documentaries delivered through devices including the

Virtual Reality headset. This included the first documentary videogames to be shown at the

, '' Riot'' and ''

Papers, Please ''Papers, Please'' is a puzzle simulation video game created by indie game developer Lucas Pope, developed and published through his production company, 3909 LLC. The game was released on August 8, 2013 for Microsoft Windows and OS X, for Li ...

''.''Sheffield Documentary Festival to Present 15 Boundary-Pushing Interactive Documentaries as part of Interactive at Sheffield''
indiewire.com, 6 May 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014 * Immersive documentary ''Door into the Dark''.Charlotte Harding
''How to get lost''
''Dazed''. Retrieved 4 August 2014 Speakers included

Peter Bazalgette Sir Peter Lytton Bazalgette (; born 22 May 1953) is a British television executive and producer, best known for producing over 3000 episodes of BBC's Food and Drink and Ready, Steady, Cook. He was elected President of the Royal Television Soci ...

, Brian Eno, Sue Perkins, Grayson Perry,

John Pilger John Richard Pilger (; born 9 October 1939) is an Australian journalist, writer, scholar, and documentary filmmaker. He has been mainly based in Britain since 1962. He was also once visiting professor at Cornell University in New York. Pilge ...

, Jon Snow, and

Ondi Timoner Ondi Doane Timoner is an American filmmaker and the founder and chief executive officer of Interloper Films, a full-service production company located in Pasadena, California. Timoner is a two-time recipient of the Sundance Film Festival's ...

. There were 82 conference sessions and masterclasses, and a record number of pitch opportunities for filmmakers worth £200,000.

2013

2013 saw a record number of films and delegates. Delegate numbers rose by 18% to 3,129. There were a record 18 international delegations including representatives from

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, the State of Palestine,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, and

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...

, attending the Festival with a special focus on factual filmmaking in their regions. 250 buyers and Decision Makers from over 20 countries attended. Film submissions topped 2000 for the first time.Daniel Dylan Wray
''Sheffield DocFest hopes to rekindle last year's Oscar magic''
''The Guardian'', 9 May 2013 120 films were shown, of which there were 77

feature length A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

documentaries, 33

shorts Shorts are a garment worn over the pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they ...

, 10 interactive projects and one art installation. There were 18 world premieres, 12 UK premieres, and 5 European premieres. A record 14 films screening at DocFest were developed and funded through MeetMarket,Pippa Considine
''Sheffield DocFest highlights for 2013''
televisual.com, 10 May 2013 including

's '' The Act of Killing'' which went on to win the Audience Award. World premieres included '' Basically, Johnny Moped'', ''Emptying The Skies'', ''Everybody's Child'', '' A Fragile Trust: Plagiarism, Power & Jayson Blair at the New York Times'', ''Here Was Cuba'', ''

Mirage Men Mirage Men is a 2013 documentary film directed by John Lundberg, written by Mark Pilkington and co-directed by Roland Denning and Kypros Kyprianou. ''Mirage Men'' suggests there was conspiracy by the U.S. military to fabricate UFO folklore in o ...

'', ''Notes from the Inside with James Rhodes'', '' Particle fever'', ''Plot for Peace'', ''Project Wild Thing'', '' Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic'', '' The Big Melt'', '' Which Way is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington'', ''The Man Whose Mind Exploded'', ''The Road to Fame'', ''The Secret Life of Uri Geller – Psychic Spy?'', '' Thin Ice'', and ''To Let The World In''. European premieres included ''

After Tiller ''After Tiller'' is a 2013 documentary film directed by Martha Shane and Lana Wilson that follows the only four remaining doctors in the United States who openly perform abortions in the third trimester of pregnancy. In 2015, ''After Tiller'' wo ...

'', ''

Dirty Wars Dirty wars are offensives conducted by regimes against their dissidents, marked by the use of torture and forced disappearance of civilians. Dirty War may also refer to: Specific historical events * Dirty War (Argentina, 1974–1983), period of ...

'', and ''

Pandora's Promise ''Pandora's Promise'' is a 2013 documentary film about the nuclear power debate, directed by Robert Stone. Its central argument is that nuclear power, which still faces historical opposition from environmentalists, is a relatively safe and clean ...

''. UK premieres included ''The Act of Killing'' and '' The Crash Reel''.Barry Walsh
''"Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer" to open Sheffield DocFest''
realscreen.com, 9 May 2013 ''The Act of Killing'' went on to win a Bafta and was named best film of 2013 by ''

''.''Hussain Currimbhoy''
, British Council, 2 June 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014 Film strands included Behind the Beats, Best of British, Cross-Platform, Euro/Doc, First Cut, Global Encounters, New York Times Op-Docs, Queer Screen, Resistance, Shorts, The Habit of Art, and This Sporting Life. A new strand, Films on Film, screened a notable film with a documentary about it, for example ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty ...

(Director's Cut)'' with ''The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist'', and

John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...

' ''

Female Trouble ''Female Trouble'' is a 1974 American dark comedy film co-composed, photographed, co-edited, written, produced, and directed by John Waters and starring Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Mink Stole, Edith Massey, Michael Potter, Cook ...

'' with '' I Am Divine''. This strand aimed to attract a wider mix of people, and was supported by Lottery funding through the BFI's Film Festival Fund which provides extra resources to help grow film festival audiences.''Pussy Riot film to open Sheffield DocFest''
screendaily.com, 9 May 2013 The DocFest Retrospective strand celebrated the work of Japanese filmmaker

Shōhei Imamura was a Japanese film director. His main interest as a filmmaker lay in the depiction of the lower strata of Japanese society. A key figure in the Japanese New Wave, who continued working into the 21st century, Imamura is the only director from J ...

. More than 75 directors were present and took part in Q&A sessions. Notable screenings and events included: * Three opening night films: ** '' The Big Melt'', a documentary film about

's steel industry by Martin Wallace with a live soundtrack from

Jarvis Cocker Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19 September 1963) is an English musician and radio presenter. As the founder, frontman, lyricist and only consistent member of the band Pulp, he became a figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Following P ...

and over 50 musicians.''Pulp's Jarvis Cocker to perform at Sheffield premiere of steel documentary 'The Big Melt''
''NME'', 10 June 2013 ** An in-cave screening of '' The Summit'', a climbing documentary by Nick Ryan about the quest to reach the peak of K2. This was screened at Peak Cavern, a cave known as the 'Devil's Arse', in the

. ** The European premiere of '' Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer'' followed by a

interview with Katya Samutsevich, one of the members of

Pussy Riot Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist protest and performance art group based in Moscow that became popular for its provocative punk rock music which later turned into a more accessible style. Founded in August 2011, it has had a membership of appr ...

.Mark Moran
''Pussy Riot film to open Sheffield's DocFest 20''
pictureville.net, 9 May 2013 * A live soundtrack performance of ''

Songs from the Shipyards ''Songs from the Shipyards'', the seventh album by English folk group The Unthanks, was released on 5 November 2012. The album is designated Vol. 3 in The Unthanks' ''Diversions'' series and follows on from Vol. 1 ('' The Songs of Robert Wyat ...

'' by

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...

-nominees

The Unthanks The Unthanks (until 2009 called Rachel Unthank and the Winterset) are an English folk group known for their eclectic approach in combining traditional English folk, particularly Northumbrian folk music, with other musical genres."They may cal ...

. * A look behind-the-scenes of the BBC's '' Who Do You Think You Are?'' series. * A day of events centred on the

documentary '' The Spirit of '45''.'The Spirit of '45 Day announced for Sheffield DocFest'
8 May 2013 * TEDxSheffield, a fringe event which took place the day before the Festival. * The

Howard Street Howard Street may refer to: * Howard Street (Baltimore), a major street in Downtown Baltimore, Maryland **Howard Street Tunnel fire, a disaster that struck the freight railroad tunnel under Baltimore's Howard Street in 2001 *Howard Street (Sheffiel ...

outdoor screen which showed films for free for 12 hours each day during the Festival.Ellen Beardmore, ''Once in a lifetime' chance to see films', ''The Star (Sheffield)'', 30 May 2013 * Blast Theory's interactive online game ''I'd Hide You''.Liat Clark
''City-wide manhunt turns Sheffield into digital stage''
, wired.co.uk, 20 February 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014 * Doc/Feast, a street food market made up of local foodie businesses, plus a special DocFest ale. There were 80 conference sessions and masterclasses, and 300 speakers. Notable speakers included

Adam Buxton Adam Offord Buxton (born 7 June 1969) is an English actor, comedian, podcaster and writer. With the filmmaker Joe Cornish, he is part of the comedy duo Adam and Joe. They presented the Channel 4 television series '' The Adam and Joe Show'' (19 ...

, Melvyn Bragg,

Jonathan Franzen Jonathan Earl Franzen (born August 17, 1959) is an American novelist and essayist. His 2001 novel '' The Corrections'', a sprawling, satirical family drama, drew widespread critical acclaim, earned Franzen a National Book Award, was a Pulitzer Pr ...

Uri Geller Uri Geller ( ; he, אורי גלר; born 20 December 1946) is an Israeli-British illusionist, magician, television personality, and self-proclaimed psychic. He is known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other i ...

Ira Glass Ira Jeffrey Glass (; born March 3, 1959) is an American public radio personality. He is the host and producer of the radio and television series ''This American Life'' and has participated in other NPR programs, including ''Morning Edition'', ' ...

, Alex Graham,

Janice Hadlow Janice Vivienne Hadlow (born November 1957) in Lewisham is a former BBC television executive. She was the controller of the BBC television channel BBC Two, taking over this position in November 2008 having previously been controller of BBC Four. A ...

, Jay Hunt,

Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He is also known for his other roles as Graham Lodsworth in ' ...

, Mark Kermode, Sir Trevor McDonald,

Hardeep Singh Kohli Hardeep Singh Kohli (born 21 January 1969) is a Scottish presenter of Sikh heritage who has appeared on various radio and television programmes. Background Kohli was born in London and moved to Glasgow, Scotland, when he was four. His parents ...

Miranda Sawyer Miranda Caroline Sawyer (born January 1967) is an English author, journalist and broadcaster. Education and early life Sawyer was born in Bristol and grew up in Wilmslow, Cheshire with her brother Toby, who is an actor. Sawyer was educated at ...

interviewing

, Sue Perkins,

Captain Sensible Raymond Ian Burns (born 24 April 1954), known by the stage name Captain Sensible, is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. Captain Sensible co-founded the punk rock band the Damned, originally playing bass before switching to guitar. H ...

, and

Alan Yentob Alan Yentob (born 11 March 1947) is a BBC presenter and retired British television executive. He stepped down as Creative Director in December 2015, and was chairman of the board of trustees of the charity Kids Company from 2003 until its colla ...

.'Docfest', ''Exposed magazine'', 1 May 2013Ian Soutar, 'Film critic Mark exorcising 25 years of fear', ''Sheffield Telegraph'', 6 June 2013

2012

2,657 delegates from 67 countries attended the Festival, and general admissions were 20,079. Notable screenings and events included: * The debut of ''From The Sea To The Land Beyond'', a documentary by

Penny Woolcock Penny Woolcock (born 1 January 1950) is an Argentine filmmaker, opera director, and screenwriter. Early life Penny Woolcock was born in Argentina and raised in Montevideo and Buenos Aires. In 1967, she founded a radical theatre group and was b ...

with a live soundtrack performance by

British Sea Power Command of the sea (also called control of the sea or sea control) is a naval military concept regarding the strength of a particular navy to a specific naval area it controls. A navy has command of the sea when it is so strong that its rival ...

. * A surprise performance by

Sixto Rodriguez Sixto Diaz Rodriguez (born July 10, 1942), known professionally as Rodriguez, is an American singer-songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. Though his career was initially met with little fanfare in the United States, he found success in South Afric ...

, the star of opening night film ''

Searching for Sugar Man ''Searching for Sugar Man'' is a 2012 documentary film about a South African cultural phenomenon, written and directed by Malik Bendjelloul, which details the efforts in the late 1990s of two Cape Town fans, Stephen "Sugar" Segerman and Craig ...

'', which went on to win an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

for Best Documentary. Speakers included

Gareth Malone Gareth Edmund Malone (born 9 November 1975) is an English choirmaster and broadcaster, self-described as an " animateur, presenter and populariser of choral singing". He is best known for his television appearances in programmes such as '' The ...

and

Tim Pool Timothy Daniel Pool (born March 9, 1986) is an American YouTuber, political commentator and podcast host who first became known for live streaming the 2011 Occupy Wall Street protests. He joined Vice Media and Fusion TV in 2014, later workin ...

.Laura Davies, 'What's Up, Doc', ''Exposed magazine'', 1 June 2013

2011

2011 saw the Festival move from November to June, right off the back of the November 2010 Festival. The Festival opened with

Morgan Spurlock Morgan Valentine Spurlock (born November 7, 1970) is an American documentary filmmaker, humorist, television producer, screenwriter and playwright. Spurlock's films include '' Super Size Me'' (2004), '' Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?'' ( ...

s' POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold and featured box-office hit Senna, Alma Har'el's debut Bombay Beach, an Albert Maysels retrospective, and Oscar-winning director

Barbara Kopple Barbara Kopple (born July 30, 1946) is an American film director known primarily for her documentary work. She has won two Academy Awards, the first in 1977 for '' Harlan County, USA'', about a Kentucky miners' strike, /sup> and the second in ...

's Gun Fight.

Awards

The Sheffield DocFest Awards honour the best documentaries from the DocFest programme, and are judged by industry professionals.

Current categories

* Sheffield DocFest Audience Award voted for by audiences, for both Films and Alternate Realities projects. * Grand Jury Prize for excellence in style, substance and approach. The jury is made up of UK and international documentary specialists. * Environmental Award given to the documentary that best addresses or raises awareness of the environmental challenges faces by the world. * Interactive Award for a project that exhibits originality in approach to form, storytelling and delivery. The jury is made up of international film and interactive industry experts. * Tim Hetherington Award presented by

. This was introduced in 2013 to honour war photographer

Tim Hetherington Timothy Alistair Telemachus Hetherington (5 December 1970 – 20 April 2011) was a British photojournalist. He produced books, films and other work that "ranged from multi-screen installations, to fly-poster exhibitions, to handheld de ...

. It includes a cash prize and is decided by a jury including Tim's mother, Judith Hetherington. * Illuminate Award supported by

. This award explores the screen chemistry between vibrant storytelling and innovative filmmaking inspired by science. * Art Doc Award for new forms of documentary storytelling and bold, innovative

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with b ...

films. * New Talent Award to discover the future of documentary film. * Youth Jury Award for the film that is most engaging for young audiences. The winner is chosen by a jury of five young people aged 18–22, who take part in a series of workshops and screenings with industry professionals ahead of the festival. * Short Doc Award, introduced in 2013, these films are made by new and established filmmakers from around the world and automatically qualifies the winner for consideration for the

. * Student Doc Award for films made as part of tertiary course work at UK and international universities, judged by a panel of industry experts. * Alternate Realities Virtual Reality Award, celebrating virtual reality documentary as a flourishing creative genre awarding the project that displays excellence in factual storytelling as well as technical ingenuity. * Alternate Realities Interactive Award, honouring the project that exhibits originality in its approach to form, storytelling and delivery.

Previous categories

* Inspiration Award, introduced in 2009, which celebrates a figure in the industry who has championed documentary and helped get great work into the public eye. * The In The Dark Sheffield International Audio Award introduced in 2014 to highlight the best in audio documentaries.Vicky Frost
''Sheffield DocFest 2014: Love and Radio - audio''
''The Guardian'', 7 June 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014 * Interactive Award * Student Doc Award * Sheffield Innovation Award * EDA Award for Best Female-Directed Film * The Wintonick Award * Short Doc Audience Award * Creative Leadership Award * Award for Unsung Hero in Factual TV * Storytelling and Innovation Award * Jerwood First Cuts Award

Winners

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

The awards were held on 10 June 2015 at the Crucible Theatre.

2014

The awards were held on 12 June 2014. For the first time, the award-winning documentary short automatically qualifies for consideration for the

. A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to

.''Harold Evans film Attacking The Devil wins Sheffield DocFest award''
BBC News, 12 June 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014

2013

The awards were held on 16 June 2013, and presented by

Jeremy Hardy Jeremy James Hardy (17 July 19611 February 2019) was an English comedian. Born and raised in Hampshire, Hardy studied at the University of Southampton and began his stand-up career in the 1980s, going on to win the Perrier Comedy Award at the Ed ...

. The

Alliance of Women Film Journalists The Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) is a non-profit organization founded in 2006. It is based in New York City and is dedicated to supporting work by and about women in the film industry. The AWFJ is composed of 84 professional female ...

also presented a Special EDA Award to Sheffield DocFest's Festival Director, Heather Croall, naming her 2013's Ambassador of Women's Films.Michael Rosser
''The Act of Killing takes top prize at Sheffield DocFest ''
screendaily.com. Retrieved 16 June 2013Jennifer Merin

, about.com. Retrieved 16 June 2013

2012

The awards were held on 17 June 2012.

2011

A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to

Albert Maysles Albert Maysles (November 26, 1926 – March 5, 2015) and his brother David Maysles (January 10, 1931 – January 3, 1987; ) were an American documentary filmmaking team known for their work in the Direct Cinema style. Their best-known films i ...

2010

2009

Films

Sheffield DocFest's film programme showcases international documentaries and new works of

. The Film programme includes: * Over 150 screenings of feature, mid-length and short documentaries and works of

each year. * Q&As with the filmmakers and protagonists of the films. * A strand of panels corresponding to the main programme, featuring filmmakers and protagonists of the films, including sessions, workshops, and pitching competitions. * Free outdoor screenings of U-rated documentaries. * A series of films In Competition for prestigious awards.

Alternate Realities

Sheffield DocFest runs a number of programmes focused on new media development in interactive and immersive projects and

, titled Alternate Realities. The Alternate Realities programme includes: * The Alternative Realities Summit, which is a full day of sessions exploring the digital revolution in broadcasting. Delegates can network with representatives from the film and TV industry, which have included keynote speakers such as Google's Jessica Brillhart,

BBC North BBC North (Group) is an operational business division of the BBC. It is also a brand that has been used by the BBC to mean: *The large ''BBC North'' region, centred on Manchester, that was active from the late 1920s until 1968 and was based u ...

's Richard Deverell, Frank Rose, Steven Johnson and

Katerina Cizek Katerina Cizek is a Canadian documentary director and a pioneer in digital documentaries. She is the Artistic Director, Co-Founder and Executive Producer of the Co-Creation Studio at MIT Open Documentary Lab (Massachusetts Institute of Technolog ...

from ''

Highrise A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdictio ...

''. The day includes breakout sessions and round table discussions. * The Alternative Realities Market, which is a pitching event for interactive and digital projects run in a similar way to the festival's MeetMarket. It took place for the first time in 2013, when 27 project teams pitched to 85 cross-platform decision makers. * A strand of Alternative Realities panels during the main Festival conference programme, which includes sessions, commissioning editor panels, workshops, project showcasing, and cross-platform pitching competitions. * The Alternative Realities Exhibition, which shows and hosts interactive and VR including those commissioned especially for the Festival. This is also a space where delegates can meet and network. * Meet the Maker sessions, which allow audiences to meet the artists behind the projects featured in the exhibition for informal Q&As. In 2017, Alternate Realities at Sheffield DocFest was awarded Arts Council England NPO status, helping the programme to grow even further.

Talks & Sessions

Sheffield DocFest's Talks & Sessions programme features high-profile speakers, industry creatives, and documentary talent in a variety of discussions, large public talks, commissioning question panels, interviews, and showcasing sessions. Past high-profile speakers include

Reggie Yates Reginald (Reggie) Yates (born 31 May 1983) is a British writer and director with a career spanning three decades on screen as an actor, television presenter and radio DJ. Yates played Leo Jones in ''Doctor Who'' and has worked at the BBC in ra ...

, Michael Moore,

Tilda Swinton Katherine Matilda Swinton (born 5 November 1960) is a British actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition t ...

, John Akomfrah, Brett Morgan, Sue Perkins, and

Joan Rivers Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...

Marketplace & Talent

MeetMarket & Alternate Realities Market

MeetMarket & Alternate Realities Market is a documentary pitching event held at Sheffield DocFest, where filmmakers pitch their project ideas one-on-one to UK and international broadcasters, funders and distributors. Former Festival Director Heather Croall introduced MeetMarket to DocFest in 2006 and developed it as an alternative to public pitching (where filmmakers pitch to a large audience).Michael Rosser
''Heather Croall, Sheffield DocFest''
screendaily.com, 10 June 2013 Each meeting is match-made and scheduled with relevant Decision Makers. Each year there are approximately 65 projects, which hold many one-to-one across two days.Michael Rosser
''Sheffield DocFest's MeetMarket draws record pitches''
screendaily.com, 2 April 2013 In 2017, the event was attended by 330 Decision Makers. Since its introduction, nearly 10,800 meetings have taken place for 609 documentary and digital projects (as of July 2017). All meetings held at MeetMarket have been requested by both parties, meaning it's more likely for a deal to be made. While the focus is on achieving funding and distribution, participants also benefit from advice on production, distribution, exhibition, marketing and outreach. Filmmaker Guy Davidi said "Pitching in intimate round-table sessions was a big comfort. It reduces tension and competitiveness and makes the whole thing much more relaxed and fun. We have created important connections and in one case it led directly to an investment."''MeetMarket report 2006-2012''
, ''Broadcast'', 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2014 In 2017, 63 projects from 22 countries, including new films from Michael Moore, Mark Cousins,

, Dionne Walker, Laura Poitras, and Jerry Rothwell, and 24 Alternate Realities projects were selected, including works from Charlotte Mikkelborg, Richard Nockles, and INK Stories. 330 Decision Makers took part, including representatives from Submarine,

BBC Earth BBC Earth is a brand used by BBC Studios since 2009 to market and distribute the BBC's natural history content to countries other than the United Kingdom. BBC Studios is the commercial arm of the public service broadcaster. BBC Earth commercia ...

VR, Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Film Board of Canada,

VICE A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...

, and Pulse Films. In 2016, 64 projects from 27 countries were chosen to participate, including new films from Orlando von Einsiedel,

Jennifer Brea Jennifer Brea is an American documentary filmmaker and activist. Her debut feature, '' Unrest'', premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and received the US Documentary Special Jury Award For Editing. Brea also co-created a virtual reality fil ...

, Mike Lerner, Stefan Kloos, Nick Fraser, Christoph Jorg, David Letterman, Al Morrow, Jeanie Finlay, Andre Singer, Amir Amiriani, and Catherine Allen. 25 Alternate Realities Market projects were chosen, including works from

Katharine Round Katharine Round is an English documentary filmmaker. She is co-founder of the production company Disobedient Films, and Doc Heads; a dedicated documentary screening organization that promotes the work of documentary filmmakers, with a focus on ...

, Alex Pearson, Darren Emerson, and

. 313 Decision Makers took part in the MeetMarket, Alternate Realities Market and various other Marketplace initiatives from organisations including Red Bull,

Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discover ...

, National Geographic,

, and

. In 2015, 64 projects from 19 countries were chosen to participate in MeetMarket from 600 submissions, including new films from John Akomfrah, Lindsey Dryden and

Maheen Zia Maheen Zia is a Pakistani film director and film editor. Education She has a degree in Radio/TV Production from Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, United States and teaches at the Department of Visual Studies at the University of Karachi. Car ...

. 300 executives, distributors, commissioners, funders, advisors and buyers across documentary and digital media took part in the MeetMarket and Marketplace activity including

...
,

and

. In 2014, 64 projects were chosen to participate in MeetMarket, including new films from

Franny Armstrong Franny Armstrong (born 3 February 1972) is a British documentary film director working for her own company, Spanner Films, and a former drummer with indie pop group The Band of Holy Joy. She is best known for three films: '' The Age of Stupid' ...

William Karel William Karel (born 1940) is a French film director and author. He is known for his historical and political documentaries. Biography Karel was born in Bizerte in French Tunisia. After studying in Paris, he emigrated to Israel where he lived f ...

, and Stanley Nelson Jr. 290 investors, commissioners and production partners took part including commissioners from

, ''

Dazed ''Dazed'' (''Dazed & Confused'' until February 2014) is a bi-monthly British style magazine founded in 1991. It covers music, fashion, film, art, and literature. Dazed is published by Dazed Media, an independent media group known for producing ...

'', ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...

'',

Vimeo Vimeo, Inc. () is an American video hosting, sharing, and services platform provider headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices. Vimeo's business model is through software a ...

and

Nowness Nowness (stylized NOWNESS) is a digital video channel that was launched in 2010 by its founder Jefferson Hack as a brand of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE.

and distributors

Oscilloscope Laboratories Oscilloscope Laboratories is an independent film company and distributor founded by Adam Yauch and former TH!NKFilm executive David Fenkel. It also has a recording studio and film production facilities. Fenkel returned to the company on May 4, 2 ...

and

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

. In 2013 MeetMarket attracted over 600 applications. Over 60 projects from 18 countries were chosen to participate. Filmmakers included

Marshall Curry Marshall Curry (born ) is an Oscar-winning American documentary director, producer, cinematographer and editor. His films include '' Street Fight'', '' Racing Dreams'', '' If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front'', ''Point and ...

, Jeanie Finlay, Alex Gibney, Phil Grabsky, Brian Hill,

Victor Kossakovsky Viktor Kossakovsky (russian: Виктор Косаковский; born 19 July 1961) is a Russian documentary filmmaker. Early life Kossakovsky was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, at the time Leningrad, U.S.S.R. He began his film career in ...

and

. The selection also included six cross-platform projects. MeetMarket films and Alternate Realities Market projects are tracked for success across awards and other

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...

s. Films and projects have gone on to win awards at Sundance,

Tribeca Tribeca (), originally written as TriBeCa, is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. Its name is a syllabic abbreviation of "Triangle Below Canal Street". The "triangle" (more accurately a quadrilateral) is bounded by Canal Stree ...

, IDFA, Hot Docs and DocFest. Notable films to achieve funding through MeetMarket include

and Unrest VR, Notes on Blindness and Notes on Blindness: Into Darkness, Joshua Oppenheimer's '' The Act of Killing'' and '' The Look of Silence'', '' Searching for Sugarman'', Jeanie Finlay's '' The Great Hip Hop Hoax'', ''

Ping Pong Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

'', ''

5 Broken Cameras ''5 Broken Cameras'' ( ar, خمس كاميرات محطمة ''Khamas Kamīrāt Muḥaṭṭamah''; he, חמש מצלמות שבורות ''Hamesh Matslemot Shvurot'') is a 94-minute documentary film co-directed by Palestinian Emad Burnat and Israel ...

'', and '' God Loves Uganda''.

Pitches

The Marketplace plays host to further initiatives, such as pitches and prize competitions. Pitched projects are selected from an open call, cover a range of topics, and offer funding, in-kind support and Festival Pass prizes. Previous pitches include: * The

Film Fund * The Whicker's World Foundation Film & TV Award, offering £80,000 to the winning pitch *

...
Northern Docs Pitch *

Pitch *

Rule Britannia Pitch * The

First Cut Pitch *

Virgin Money Virgin Money is a financial services brand used by two independent brand-licensees worldwide from the Virgin Group. Virgin Money branded services are currently available in Australia and the United Kingdom. The brand formerly operated in South Af ...

Shorts Competition

Training Initiatives

The Marketplace also holds All Year training initiatives, including Future Producer School. Future Producer School, created by Sheffield DocFest and Bungalow Town Productions, has successfully run every year since its launch in 2014. Aimed at emerging producers currently working in the industry, the primary outcome of Future Producer School is to develop industry partnerships and provide industry knowledge and experience to up-and-coming producers that have the ambition to become international feature documentary producers. Notable alumni include Eloise King, Julia Nottingham, Lindsey Dryden, and Sky Neal. On-Screen Talent Market is a Sheffield DocFest initiative to connect charismatic subject-specialists with producers, commissioners, and other Decision Makers looking for fresh faces for their programmes. The programme includes an intensive morning training programme giving insight into the industry via first-hand encounters with established professionals, and is designed for the experts to hone their skills in presenting themselves to the media. This is followed by an afternoon of match-made one-to-one meetings between the talent and television executives. The programme is designed and delivered in collaboration with the Academic Ideas Lab. Doc/Dinner allows a group of emerging filmmakers to dine with industry executives to exchange ideas and expertise, hosted by Yates. In 2017, execs from the

...
,

, Pulse Films and

met with 20 young filmmakers.

Delegations

DocFest hosts a number of international and national delegations each year, including delegations from Norway,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, Palestine,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and Wider Europe.

Social Events & Networking

Each year, DocFest hosts parties and drinks events during the

and year-round, including the annual Guilty Pleasures Party held at both DocFest and in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

at IDFA. Nightly parties are themed around the programme and in 2017 included: the I Will Always Love Docs Party, celebrating the premiere of Whitney "Can I Be Me"; a Great Get Together lunchtime picnic celebrating the life and legacy of Jo Cox MP, before the premiere of Closing Night Film Jo Cox: Death of an MP; and in 2016, and the Vogue, Strike a Pose Party, celebrating the premieres of Strike a Pose and Kiki. Each year also sees the Award Ceremony hosted at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, honouring the best films of the

. Each Festival sees dozens of networking drinks hosted by sponsors and supporters, including Image Nation Abu Dhabi,

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion ...

Shooting People Shooting People is an international social network for independent filmmakers that was founded in 1998 by Cath Le Couteur and Jess Search, in which members share resources and knowledge to get their films made and seen. Dedicated to the support a ...

, and more.

All Year programme

DocFest activities outside of the five-day festival include: * Films, for example DocFest presents which takes a selection of the Festival's film programme around the UK, and screenings at Latitude Festival. * Alternate Realities Tours across the UK to various venues and Latitude Festival and internationally. In 2017, DocFest toured Latin America with the 'Realidades Alternativas' exhibition. * Talks & Sessions across various film festivals, featuring members of the DocFest staff. * Marketplace & Talent, including ongoing mentoring programme for filmmakers. * Networking events for filmmakers. * A structured

internship An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

and

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

programme for young people.

Festival directors

* Liz McIntyre, 2015–present * Heather Croall, 2006–2014 * Brent Woods, 2002–2005 * Kathy Loizou, 1996–2001 * Paula Shirley, 1995 *

Midge MacKenzie Margaret Rose "Midge" MacKenzie, (6 March 1938 - 28 January 2004) was a London-born writer and filmmaker who first become known for producing Robert Joffrey's multimedia ballet ''Astarte'' with the Joffrey Ballet, and ''Women Talking'', a documenta ...

, 1994

Festival chairpersons

Alex Cooke (producer) 2019–present (Deputy chair - Brian Woods 2016–present) * Alex Graham, 2011–2019 * Steve Hewlett, 2005–2011 * Christo Hird, 2000–2004 * Roger James, 1997–2000 * Marian Bowan, 1996 * Peter Symes, 1994–1995

Board Members

* Peter Armstrong * Patrick Holland * Ralph Lee * Shirani Sabaratnam * Helen Scott * Ian Wild

References

External links

Official websiteCrossover website
(archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheffield Doc Fest Annual events in the United Kingdom Film festivals in England Culture in Sheffield Digital media organizations Documentary film festivals in the United Kingdom Documentary film organizations Events in Sheffield Festivals in South Yorkshire Film organisations in the United Kingdom Film festivals established in 1994 British documentary film awards