The 31st edition of Sheffield DocFest features 48 World Premieres, 14 International Premieres, 17 European Premieres, and 29 UK Premieres from 56 countries. Our coverage starts on June 12.
Sheffield DocFest opens on 12 June 2024 with the World premiere of Kevin Macdonald’s Klitschko: More than a Fight, screening in International Competition, about former heavyweight boxing world champion Vitali Klitschko and his brother Wladimir, who together dominated the sport for more than a decade and are now the longest serving Mayor of Kyiv.
Annabel Grundy, Sheffield DocFest Managing Director, says: “In planning this year’s edition of DocFest, we have reflected on where we can make a difference, how our programming can counteract false narratives and oversimplification, and how we can support our ecosystem at a time when independent journalism, co-authored narratives and deeply reflective works are critical in helping us make sense of the world. I am deeply proud of the team who have created a careful, compassionate and balanced programme always with the filmmakers in mind.”
Diana Buckley, Director of Economy, Skills and Culture at Sheffield City Council, adds: “Sheffield DocFest is a key event in our city’s cultural calendar and one that proudly puts Sheffield on the world stage. This year’s exciting programme of world premieres, artworks and special guests is fantastic to see – from stories of Ukraine to brilliant music documentaries and talks with incredible international guests. We are proud to support this globally renowned event right here in Sheffield.”
Films
Sheffield DocFest 2024 film programme totals 109 films (80 features and 29 shorts), drawn from over 2700 entries, including 48 World Premieres, 14 International Premieres, 17 European Premieres, and 29 UK Premieres from 56 countries. Titles screen in three competition sections – International Competition, International First Feature Competition and International Short Film Competition. In addition to the previously announced Days of Reflection and Guest of Honour Programme, the festival once again presents its Podcast Stories strand and previews of television series episodes in its First Impressions strand. Further out-of-competition films screen in six strand sections: Rhythms, Debates, People & Community, Memories, Rebellions, and Journeys.
Raul Niño Zambrano, Sheffield DocFest Creative Director, says: “Curating a programme is a collaborative effort, and I am incredibly grateful for the dedication and commitment of our international advisers, consultants, and staff who have invested their time in assessing all the films, artworks, and talks. The selection we have made together serves as an invitation for reflection, dialogue and empathy, and we can’t wait to share all these stories with our international audience.”
Films in Competition & Awards
The line-up for this year’s International Competition comprises eight films up for the Grand Jury Award for the International Competition, eight films in the International First Feature Competition supported by Netflix, and nine films in International Short Film Competition; five documentaries will be considered for the Tim Hetherington Award, presented in association with Dogwoof; six films will be considered by the Youth Jury, and the International Virtual Reality Competition will honour the best virtual reality non-fiction work. Winners will be revealed during an awards ceremony at Crucible Playhouse on 16 June.
Highlights include
International Competition – includes Tilda Swinton’s feature directorial debut alongside filmmaker Bartek Dziadosz’ The Hexagonal Hive and a Mouse in a Maze (World premiere) pitched at the MeetMarket in 2018 as they travel the world to understand what it means to learn, and along the way uncover playful food for thought; and from Croatian director Goran Devic Pavilion 6 (World premiere) presents a portrait that offers some insight into a nation’s collective psyche, as the population clamours for the vaccination against the COVID-19 virus.
My Sweet Land
International First Feature Competition – includes the awaited My Sweet Land (World premiere). How do you turn a child into a child soldier? This sensitive portrait of 11-year-old Vrej, who lives in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, attempts an answer, and Made in Ethiopia (International premiere), pitched at the MeetMarket in 2020. When a vast Chinese factory complex in rural Ethiopia undertakes ambitious expansion plans, the promises of industrialisation are brought into question.
Strands
Rhythms focus on music documentaries and performances; Debates feature films on wide-ranging, important topics that need to be discussed; People & Community includes stories that celebrate togetherness through family, friendship, and community; Journeys include transformations and explorations. Memories explores how the past informs the present, and Rebellions focuses on stories of people striving for social change and fighting for what matters.
Highlights include
People & Community highlights: The Trouble With Mr Doodle (European premiere) is the story of Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, and how a seemingly benign activity has transformed his life with startling results; The Accidental President (UK premiere) is the story of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who put her name on the ballot alongside authoritarian Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, having no idea she would win.
Journeys highlights: Lucy Walker’s Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa (European premiere) documents the life of the first Nepali woman to successfully reach the peak of Everest who as a working single mother in America, leaves to climb the mountain once again, and Life is Beautiful (Al haya helwa) (UK premiere), a poignant portrayal of displacement, a young Palestinian filmmaker, stranded in Norway, documents his struggle for residency.
Memories highlights: in Death without Mercy (World premiere), director Waad Al-Kateab (For Sama) captures the anguish of Syrian and Turkish communities as they reel from the devastation wreaked by a massive earthquake; and in Don’t Forget to Remember (International premiere), the winner of the Audience Award at the Dublin International Film Festival, an artist navigates his mother’s life and memories as they are being eroded by the advance of Alzheimer’s.
S/He Is Still Her/e – The Official Genesis P-Orridge Doc
Rebellions highlights: S/He Is Still Her/e – The Official Genesis P-Orridge Doc (International premiere) is a comprehensive, enthralling and aptly provocative portrait of the singer-songwriter, musician, poet, performance artist, visual artist and occultist known as Genesis P. Orridge, and The Cranes Call (European premiere) is a heart-pounding account of the relentless mission to secure accountability for the mass atrocities occurring in Ukraine.
Rhythms highlights: the thrilling story of The Cimarons is told in Harder than the Rock (World premiere) from directors Mark Warmington and Don Letts, the story of the first UK band to embrace the thrilling new sound coming out of Jamaica. Directors and members of the band will introduce and discuss this joyous account, rich in archive and concert footage. Hakeem (World premiere) is a portrait of troubled Eastender Hak Baker, whose life takes an unexpected turn after he wins a guitar in a prison raffle.
Debates highlights: In Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics (European premiere), one woman sets out on a daunting quest to understand just how much plastic has infused our environment, our bodies and our lives, while Eternal You (UK premiere) questions the limit to what might be possible when facing the seemingly boundless possibilities of AI, including bringing the dead back to life.
Other highlights and talks include: Eno with Live Mix the screening of this generative documentary, a portrait of producer, musician, artist, activist and all-round polymath Brian Eno, will never be repeated the same way again, and digital artist Brendan Dawes will be present to discuss why; blur: To the End (World premiere) director Toby L discusses his riveting portrait of the popular and critically acclaimed band, as they record ‘The Ballad of Darren’ and prepare for a sell-out tour; Anthony Crook will discuss his film Mogwai: If the Stars Had a Sound (European premiere) the perfect introduction to the acclaimed Scottish band and their work on their tenth album ‘As the Love Continues’, which was recorded during lockdown.
blur: To the End
Additional film highlights include UK premieres of Farming the Revolution (Inquilab di kheti), in which farmers in India organised a spirited national protest against the country’s new farm laws, leading to a momentous defeat for the State: Teaches of Peaches, Philipp Fussenegger and Judy Landkammer’s riveting portrait of Peaches celebrates the career of one of contemporary music’s iconoclasts; and Agent of Happiness in which a happiness surveyor in the Kingdom of Bhutan grapples with his own contentment in this light-hearted yet fascinating probe into how happiness can be measured.
The previously announced 2024 special programme, Days of Reflection, will present a daily reflection screening and moderated conversation, bringing together filmmakers across the programme to reflect on themes of Co-Resistance, Freedom of the Press, Ancestral Lands and Archiving the Present with the premiere screenings of No Other Land, State of Silence, Yintah, and Witnesses: Captivity That Kills.
TV
The festival is thrilled to host three exclusive (World premiere) previews of the first episodes of the new documentary series. All events will include a conversation with the creators and special guests.
Four Kings – a riveting series focusing on the careers of four leading Black British boxers (heavyweights Frank Bruno, Lennox Lewis, and middleweights Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn), the rivalry that existed between them and the challenges they faced. An interview with Bruno and executive producers, Rick Murray of Workerbee, will follow this screening.
Cult Massacre: One Day In Jonestown – a comprehensive and thoroughly researched examination of the largest mass murder-suicide in American history and a portrait of the cult whose leader, Jim Jones, precipitated it. Two episodes of this Nat Geo series will be followed by an interview with director Marian Mohamed.
In My Own Words: Hanif Kureishi – with wit, intelligence and honesty, the acclaimed playwright, novelist and filmmaker looks back on his work, the culture it emerged from and recent events that radically changed his life. A frank and intimate documentary portrait directed by Nigel Williams is followed by a live online interview with Kureishi and Williams.
Talks
Sheffield DocFest will present eight public talks, which will all be held at the Crucible Theatre.
Vanessa Lobón Garcia, Talks & Sessions Senior Producer, says, “Our 2024 Talks encompass and celebrate exciting new voices alongside industry ‘legends’, impact and activism alongside sporting heroes and those striving for social change now and as we revisit our shared histories. We extend immense gratitude to our guests, sponsors, and partners whose support helps us to bring these unique speakers, subjects and talents to Sheffield.”
Guest of Honour Roger Ross Williams, the critically acclaimed and award-winning director, producer, and writer –and the first African American director to win an Academy Award® will attend the festival and present a selection of new documentary films from emerging filmmakers.
Williams will participate in two special talks: Social Impact Documentaries – an in-depth talk in which Williams will engage with the directors and producers of program titles Sugarcane, The Battles for Laikipia, Union, Daughters and Stone Mountain; and an In Conversation in which Williams will discuss his career from his emergence as a filmmaker to his award-winning success and increasing breadths of subjects that span topics such as the black American experience, living with disabilities and the cultural ramifications of Western religion in Africa.
The 2024 Guest of Honour programme is supported by Netflix.
Daughters
Broadcaster-supported talks are BBC Interview with Simon Reeve, the author, journalist, explorer and presenter whose career has taken him around the world and through various danger zones, and the previously announced Channel 4 interview with Leeds-based award-winning filmmaker and creative director of Candour Productions Anna Hall who will discuss her wide-ranging career as a filmmaker and producer from Edge of the City, Catching a Killer to The Push.
Doctor, scientist and broadcaster Chris van Tulleken will be discussing his genre-breaking approach to making science and medicine accessible while producing real-world change. Stand-out events include a talk with the filmmakers and contributors to Channel 4’s landmark series Defiance: Fighting the Battle for British History about the hidden history of South Asian anti-racist activists in 1970s and 80s Britain; narrator Idris Elba and the creative team of Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Colour explore a case study into the development and production of the new Nat Geo series.
The award-winning film and sound editor Walter Murch joins the festival for a masterclass interview, discussing the art of cutting film and the extraordinary body of work he has worked on.
Sheffield DocFest runs from 12-17 June at the following key venues: The Crucible Theatre, Showroom Cinema, Workstation, Curzon Sheffield, The Light, Sheffield City Hall and Town Hall, Channing Hall, Site Gallery, Site Studio, and Cutlers’ Hall. Tickets are on sale now here.
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