Sheffield 2021

Fifty-five projects have been selected for presentation to industry partners at the 16th edition of Sheffield DocFest’s flagship pitching forum, the MeetMarket (9-11 June). Furthermore, 22 projects are selected for Arts Talent Market, running in parallel.

The ever-prolific Mark Cousins emerges from pandemic lockdown with the engagingly insightful The Story of Looking (which closes Sheffield DocFest), a film that touches on territory he has delved into before but also comes with a personal spin that makes it all the more appealing.

The gentle melancholy that permeates this documentary about a 90-year-old Welsh man stoically planning the end of his days is balanced quite perfectly by the beautiful voices of the male voice choir he is a member of.

Using as its creative starting point an iconic early 70s photograph by acclaimed photographer Don McCullin of a youngster running along a bleak Liverpool street, this engaging documentary delves into the community who live in that same area today.

Nira Burstein’s debut feature Charm Circle (whose world premiere this week at Sheffield Doc Fest was very warmly received) is a warts-and-all family affair in which the director gets up close and very personal with her mother, father and sisters. The director does the same with Business Doc Europe.

Best Film in International Competition was 'Nũhũ Yãg Mũ Yõg Hãm: This Land Is Our Land!' while the Special Jury Award went to Equatorial Constellations. In UK Competition, 'Ali and His Miracle Sheep' won Best Film as 'Portrait of Kaye' (Ben Reed, UK) won the Special Jury Award. Audience Award to Charm Circle.

Spanish director Alba Sotorra talks to Business Doc Europe about her doc in which she she explores the plight of the so-called ISIS brides, including the divisive Shamima Beguma from the UK and the American Hoda Muthana.

Factory to the Workers (Tvornice Radnicima) is an engrossing fly-on-the-wall documentary about the struggles of a collectively owned Croatian machine tools factory trying to deal with new economic realities within a changing world.

Anais Taracena’s film is the second South American doc in recent months about someone going undercover to expose injustice. But the tone of the two films couldn’t be more different. While Maite Alberdi’s Oscar-nominated The Mole Agent was playful and whimsical, Guatemalan Taracena’s film is altogether more hard hitting. She talks to BDE.

What is the point of documentary? What is the point of doc festivals? And given the plethora of rescheduled events competing for both industry and public attention, what is the point of Sheffield? To answer these questions Doc Fest director Cíntia Gil goes back to first principles with Business Doc Europe.