Sheffield 26

There is hardly a corner of the UK that Doc Rowe, the man described as “Britain’s great folklorist,” hasn’t visited and chronicled. He is indefatigable in his attempts to get to these events, if his health will allow it. “There’s a uniformity to them, in that they speak to people’s need for ritual and belonging, but there is also a uniqueness about every single one of them,” Curry suggests of the folk festivals, and Doc Rowe’s fascination for them.

“We are really a nurturing festival. We can take care of each of the films and we promise you will not get lost in an avalanche of too many,” Sheffield DocFest boss Raul Niño Zambrano explains why he favours a streamlined, yet expansive approach within his selection. “I think, for us, balance is the key word,” he reflects on how the festival addresses the huge social and political convulsions of the current era while also finding space for lighter fare.

Time Machine Maidan has been described by its co-director Roman Liubyi as “an upside-down mockumentary.” The film (also directed by Volodymyr Tykhyy) is structured like a time travel fantasy, but deals in forensic detail with some seismic moments in recent Ukrainian history. Liubyi talks to Business Doc Europe on the eve of Sheffield DocFest, where it world premieres in International Competition.

Mongolian director Khoroldorj Choijoovanchig and French co-writer Chantal Perrin talk to BDE about their feature doc Colors of White Rock, which reintroduces us to Maikhuu, one of the few female drivers on the treacherous ‘coal highway’ that snakes through the Gobi Desert. It is a gritty but poetic film. “I didn’t want it to be really, really political, but in a way the topic, the theme of the story, engages with the current situation in Mongolia,” the director notes to BDE of a story that can’t help but have a strong political undertow.

Sheffield DocFest announced May 29 the jury members for the festival’s five competitive sections; International Competition, International First Feature Competition, International Short Film Competition, the Tim Hetherington Award and the International Alternate Realities Competition. Also announced are further additions to the public and industry programme, including two additions to the Talks Programme and three new premieres for the Film Programme. Sheffield DocFest runs from 10 - 15 June.

Sheffield DocFest has announced the fifty doc projects for the 2026 edition of MeetMarket, all of which are at various stages of production. “The 2026 MeetMarket programme, which runs 11 to 12 June, is a distinctive and totally varied mix of bold, vivid and socially conscious work,” organisers write. Featured in the line-up are five Rough Cuts, first edits selected to be shown to the UK and international industry delegates in attendance.

Running June 10 to 15, the festival will open with the protest doc We, The Hated by UK doccer Rich Felgate, ahead of a programme that presents 80 feature films and 24 shorts, including 45 World Premieres, 17 International Premieres, 5 European Premieres, and 35 UK Premieres from 64 Countries. “In 2026, we are navigating a world defined by both profound uncertainty and constant transformation. Our theme, Realities in Motion, captures this momentum, reflecting how our lives are continually reshaped by collective action,” says Raul Niño Zambrano, Creative Director.

Guest of Honour will be leading UK thesp Maxine Peake, while the festival will also embrace actor Miriam Margolyes, Oscar-winning director Andrea Arnold and broadcaster and environmentalist Chris Packham. A one-off celebration of Sir David Attenborough at 100 will bring together leading filmmakers and activists to reflect on his extraordinary legacy. The 2026 edition of Sheffield DocFest, dubbed ‘Realities in Motion,’ will run June 10-15.

Open to UK-based story-tellers, four shortlisted ideas will be pitched live during Sheffield DocFest in June 2026. The winner will receive £10,000 and expert narrative support from climate spring to produce their chosen idea. “With this year's pitch, we encourage creatives to explore innovative and timely unscripted ideas that entertain broad digital audiences, centre the power of community, and offer visions of a future where system change is possible,” comments David Leach, Head of Unscripted at Climate Spring.

The leading UK documentary festival and market announced March 31 the return of its Filmmaker  Challenge, which is supported by principal sponsor Prime Video Pathway. Applications are now open and the deadline to apply is Wednesday 22 April. The new expanded format will support twice as many filmmakers than ever before, and the completed short films will screen June 13. Sheffield DocFest returns to the city from 10 - 15 June with initial programming due to be announced in April 2026.