Sheffield DocFest 2022 announces full programme 

The programme of the 29^th Sheffield DocFest was unveiled May 31 and includes 38 World Premieres, 22 International Premieres, 11 European Premieres with new works by Emma Davie, Werner Herzog and Rodrigo Reyes.

Five World Premieres, 6 International Premieres and 3 European Premieres feature in the Alternate Realities programme of technologically innovative non-fiction and immersive documentaries and includes new works by Jad Abumrad, Dries Depoorter and Rachel Briscoe.

The festival will also present Headline talks from Guest Curator Asif Kapadia with editor Chris King; Brett Morgen (director of Bowie doc Moonage Daydream), Pratibha Parmar (My Name is Andrea) and David Olusoga: (StoryTrails). Scroll down for the full festival programme.

Alex Cooke, Chair of the Board of Trustees, says: “Sheffield DocFest is back in-person! We are excited to come back together, to re-connect. The festival team have worked tirelessly, through waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, to bring you this impressive, jam-packed line-up of world class events. There has never been a more important time for documentaries. They take us into worlds and lives and help us understand, they let us empathise, and they hold those in power to account. This special Festival affords us a community, one to find real comfort in. I hope you forge new friendships; I hope you feel welcome, I hope you leave feeling re-energised and mostly, I hope you have some much-needed fun.”

Clare Stewart, Interim CEO Sheffield DocFest says:  “Sheffield DocFest has an extraordinary legacy of connecting the global documentary ecosystem with the people of Sheffield and South Yorkshire. As one of the world’s leading documentary festivals, and the UK’s only film marketplace, we create opportunities for business through our industry programme, for creativity by bringing filmmakers and artists together, and for exchange between makers and audiences through our screening programmes, exhibitions and talks & sessions. We can’t wait to bring everyone back together again at this year’s Festival.”

Key Broadcaster talks include the BBC Interview with renowned journalist, newsreader and presenter Clive Myrie; the Channel 4 Interview with Will Young who will be discussing the recent documentary Losing My Twin Rupert;  and the ITV Interview with the British Paralympian swimmer, Ellie Simmonds.

As previously announced, Sheffield DocFest opens with the UK premiere of Brett Morgen’s glorious cinematic odyssey Moonage Daydream. Morgen will participate in an In Conversation as part of the Talks programme and will give a Masterclass as part of the Craft Summit.

Three “exceptional collaborations” will also shape this year’s Festival programme, the festival underlines. “Firstly with Guest Curator Asif Kapadia, who joined when the Festival was starting this year’s programming journey, and whose own contribution is a testimony to how great documentaries of the past can shape the creative imaginations of the future; then, an urgent and important collaboration with respected colleagues at Docudays UA, who started working with Sheffield DocFest when their own Festival could not go ahead due to the Russian invasion; and finally, with Kat Cizek at MIT’s Open Documentary Lab, who worked with the Festival’s creative leads on a programme that illuminates the philosophies and practices of Co-Creation, filmmaking that cares – like so many great documentaries do – about changing our world, for the better.”

The three Special Programmes that headline this year’s selection:

• A Documentary Journey with Asif Kapadia. 2022 Guest Curator,the  award-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia, selects documentaries that had significant impact for him, inspiring his own style and creative choices. Highlights include Martin Scorsese’s Italianamerican, Jean Bach’s A Great Day in Harlem, and When We Were Kings – about the legendary boxing match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. Kapadia says: “Without this film, there would be no Amy. There would be no Senna. There would be no Diego Maradona”. Kapadia will also appear in conversation with his long-time collaborator in Cutting the ‘Fame’ Trilogy: Asif Kapadia and Chris King.

• Ukraine. Password: Palianytsia In solidarity with Ukraine, Sheffield DocFest has collaborated with Docudays UA – the Ukraine’s leading international human rights documentary festival – to present Password: Palianytsia. This programme will launch the British Council and Ukrainian Institute’s ‘UK/Ukraine Season of Culture’ with the World Premiere of One Day in Ukraine, by media activist and filmmaking collective Babylon’13. It includes nine new documentaries alongside VR and artwork, as well as five projects in MeetMarket, the Festival’s pitching forum, and three Work-in-Progress presentations. “It provides a powerful encounter with contemporary Ukrainian life – including the horrific reality of the Russian invasion and the current war,” write organisers.

• Co-Creation: Changing our World While selecting films and immersive projects for this year’s Sheffield DocFest – from over 2200 entries – the Festival team witnessed an increase in collective filmmaking and more works emerging that demonstrate the practices and philosophies of Co-Creation. Curated with Katerina Cizek at MIT’s Open Documentary Lab’s Co-Creation Studio, this programme illuminates the practice of making documentary work from within communities and making films with people, rather than for, or about, them. Katerina Cizek will lead a keynote address Co-Creation: Collective Dreams, outlining the practices and philosophies of co-creation according to MIT’s Open Documentary Lab’s Co-Creation manifesto, and will be joined by some of the artists whose works feature in this strand. 

Film Programme

The 2022 film programme totals 135 films (95 features and 40 shorts), including 38 World Premieres, 22 International Premieres, 11 European Premieres, 46 UK Premieres and 18 retrospective films. Titles screen in three competition sections – International Competition, International First Feature Competition and International Short Film Competition – as well as six strand sections – Rhythms, Debates, People & Community, Memories, Rebellions and Journeys.

Raul Niño Zambrano, Head of Film Programmes says: “The 135 selected films not only add up to an exciting, wide-ranging, provocative, engaging and entertaining programme, they are a barometer of the importance of documentary film upon the world stage. And after two years of uncertainty, they show, along with the other facets of this fantastic festival, that Sheffield DocFest is back – stronger and more vital than ever.” Scroll down for full programme.

Alternate Realities

The Alternate Realities exhibition programme showcases innovative non-fiction and immersive documentaries in all forms, breaking the boundaries of traditional documentary practice – including virtual reality, use of artificial intelligence, sculptural installations, sound art and performance art. This year’s Festival will present 29 works at exhibition spaces that are predominately free and open to the public, supported by Arts Council England.

Francesca Panetta, Alternate Realities Curator says “The artists we are featuring this year open new vistas on the way we encounter stories. By using new techniques and new technologies they show that immersive and interactive documentaries can wrap themselves around you, make you part of the story, take you down a rabbit holes, and potentially lead you to a place you never expected. The works we’ve selected are important in topic, but also fun to engage with, and all importantly, bring audiences together digitally and in person to ReConnect.” Scroll down for full programme.

Talks & Sessions

Sheffield will present a series of nine public Talks and 15 Sessions open to industry delegates, as well as the Craft Summit and three live pitch events. Beccy Ashdown, Talks & Sessions Senior Producer says “We’re honoured to welcome some of the world’s leading voices in film, immersive media and activism, to discuss their expansive careers and creative work. Our guest speakers are pushing the boundaries of storytelling, with their unique approaches to form and style. Each of our Talks and Sessions will take audiences on a journey of discovery, exploration and reflection. A huge thank you to our guests, sponsors and partners, without whom this would not be possible.” Scroll down for full programme.

Industry Programme

The Industry Programme and Market runs in conjunction with the Festival – the flagship MeetMarket pitching forum, three Live Pitch sessions, the Craft Summit a day of four panels and masterclasses, and a day of talks during the Alternate Realities Summit, as well as the Works In Progress screenings. Charlotte Reekers, Senior Industry Producer, says, “We look forward to welcoming filmmakers from all over the world to meet face-to-face. Broadcasters, streamers, funders, distributors, sales agents, execs and a wide range of helpful professionals and pathfinders who can help get the next set of beautiful, boundary breaking documentaries made and seen.”

The Market runs in conjunction with the Festival providing networking opportunities and practical sessions and round tables. The Switchboard provides advice on the people to meet at this year’s market, Snap Chats is the networking mixer, while Who’s Who sessions are where decision makers introduce who they are and what they’re looking for. Other activities include the networking session Producer meet Producers, the Pitch Your Short session with advice given by commissioners from some of the world’s major shorts platforms and funders, and How to Co-produce with the UK a discussion session moderated by UK Global Screen Fund.

FULL PROGRAMME SHEFFIELD DOCFEST 2022

Opening Night Film 

• Moonage Daydream – USA – 2022 – Brett Morgen (UK Premiere). Brett Morgen’s glorious cinematic odyssey features kaleidoscopic imagery, personal archive footage and unseen performances, all anchored by David Bowie’s music and words.

International Competition (Best Film Award)

The International Competition selection is made up of 5 world premieres and 4 international premieres, featuring cinematic and thought-provoking documentaries – representing Australia, Brazil, Lebanon, Mexico, Poland, Spain, UK, US, and Ukraine – which engage with reality from a multitude of perspectives.

• After the End of the World – Lebanon – 2022 – Nadim Mishlawi (World Premiere) (Memories). Set amongst the constantly changing city of Beirut, this rousing film explores the knowledge and history spaces can hold, and what happens when those spaces disappear.
• A Bunch of Amateurs – UK – 2022 – Kim Hopkins (World Premier) (People & Community). This affectionate tribute to silver screen dreamers details a group of ageing cinephiles’ attempts to save their filmmaking club, including remaking a classic musical.
• Man on Earth – Australia – 2022 – Amiel Courtin-Wilson (World Premiere) (People & Community). In this visceral, intensely intimate film, 65-year-old Bob has decided to end his own life after four years of living with Parkinson’s Disease.
• The Melt Goes On Forever: The Art & Times of David Hammons – USA – 2022 – Harold Crooks, Judd Tully (World Premiere) (Memories). A striking portrait of an African American artist who has steadfastly remained an outlier in the art world but whose work offers an essential commentary on race in the US.
• My Name is Andrea – USA – 2022 – Pratibha Parmar (International Premiere) (Debates). Using archival footage and re-enactments, director Pratibha Parmar brings new light to the work of feminist writer and public intellectual Andrea Dworkin.
• One Day in Ukraine – Ukraine, Poland – 2022 – Volodymyr Tykhyy (World Premiere) (Rebellions). A mesmerizing feature length documentary from the Babylon’13 collective, focused on a single day: March 14, 2022, the 2,944th day of the Russian-Ukrainian War.
• Sansón and Me – Mexico, USA – 2022 – Rodrigo Reyes (International Premiere) (People & Community). Rodrigo Reyes reconnects with Sansón, a Mexican migrant sentenced to life in prison, who he met when the director was a translator at his trial.
• Singing on the Rooftops – Spain – 2021 – Enric Ribes (International Premiere) (People & Community). The life of nonagenarian Gilda, a drag-queen in Barcelona, dramatically changes when they are asked to take care of an abandoned three-year-old girl.
• Swing and Sway – Brazil – 2022 – Fernanda Pessoa, Chica Barbosa (International Premiere) (Journeys). Two filmmakers – one in Brazil, the other in the US – send each other video letters, each inspired by a woman experimental filmmaker, over the course of one year. 

International First Feature Competition

The International First Feature Competition selection is made up of 5 world premieres and 4 international premieres – representing Canada, France, Germany, Jordan, Netherlands, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa. Spain, UK, USA, Venezuela.

• 8 Bar – The Evolution of Grime – UK – 2022 – Ewen Spencer, Aleksandra Bilic, David Upshal (World Premiere) (Rhythms). The riveting story of Grime, told from the inside, taking in the characters, the music, the fashion, the hits that got away and the way the scene won over the world.
• Children of Las Brisas – UK, Venezuela, France, USA – 2022 – Marianela Maldonaldo (World Premiere) (Debates). Marianela Maldonado’s observational documentary charts nine years in the lives of young Venezuelans whose musical talent offer a chance for them to escape poverty.
• Dear Jackie – Canada – 2021 – Henri Pardo (International Premiere) (Memories). This cinematic letter to the first Black man to play Major League Baseball explores Jackie Robinson’s time in Montreal and testifies to his experience of racism and inequality.   
• Hafreiat – Jordan, Spain, Qatar – 2022 – Alex Sardà (World Premiere) (People & Community). Whilst labouring on an archaeological dig in Jordan, a father excavates his troubled past. With another baby on the way, he ponders the possibility of a better future.
• Julie on Line – France – 2021 – Mia Ma (International Premiere) (People & Community). Shot over five years, director Mia Ma follows her friend Julie as she tries to reinvent her future and find a way to live with schizophrenia. 

•  Master of Light – USA, Netherlands – 2022 – Rosa Ruth Boesten (International Premiere) (Journeys). After a decade in prison, artist George Anthony Morton returns home to reconcile with his family and grapple with past traumas by painting a series of portraits.
• One in a Million – Germany – 2022 – Joya Thome (World Premiere) (People & Community, ReConnect). Whitney is a rising star of the US gymnastics scene, who has a sizeable following on YouTube. Among them is Yara, who lives in Germany and is one of her biggest fans.
• Some Women – Singapore – 2021 – Zi Qui Low (International Premiere) (Rebellions). Drawing on her own experiences to reclaim her transgender identity, Singaporean director Quen Wong’s directorial debut disrupts the silence around trans discrimination.
• This is National Wake – South Africa, USA – 2022 – Mirissa Neff (World Premiere) (Rhythms). Employing a rich trove of archive film, Mirissa Neff explores the history of South Africa’s outlaw multi-racial rock group, who formed at the height of Apartheid.

Tim Hetherington Award

• Beneath the Surface – Norway, UK – 2022 – Alexander Niakaris, Irvine-Cox (UK Premiere) (Debates). Alexander Niakaris Irvine-Cox’s searing investigative documentary explores an overlooked culture of abuse and systemic racism in Norway.
• 1341 Frames of Love and War – Israel – 2022 – Ran Tal (UK Premiere) (Memories). Israeli photographer Micha Bar-Am recalls his journey from Berlin to Palestine, the birth of the state of Israel and its subsequent history in this compelling film.
• Delikado – Philippines, Australia, USA, UK, Hong Kong – 2022 – Karl Malakunas (European Premiere) (Rebellions). Three environmental campaigners are faced with corruption, murder and betrayal as they battle to save an island paradise in the Philippines.
• Lyra – UK – 2021 – Alison Millar (UK Premiere) (Rebellions). An intimate and uncompromising portrait of Lyra McKee, the 29-year-old Northern Irish investigative journalist who was murdered by the New IRA.
• Overcoming the Darkness – Ukraine – 2022 – Kinodopomoga (World Premiere) (Rebellions). This kaleidoscope of stories shines a light on Ukrainians bravely defending their land against the Russian invasion, where millions struggle for their right to exist.
• The Territory – Brazil, Denmark, USA – 2022 – Alex Pritz (UK Premiere) (Rebellions). A young indigenous leader and his environmental team fight against farmers involved in the wholescale destruction of vast swathes of the Amazonian rainforest 

International Short Film Competition

The International Short Film Competition is made up of 8 world premieres, 1 international premiere and 1 European premiere – representing Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, China, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Nicaragua, Portugal, USA, UK.

• The Family Statement – USA, UK – 2022 – Grace Harper, Kate Stonehill (European Premiere). Using messages drawn from a family WhatsApp group, this film constructs a conversation between the billionaire Sackler family and those afflicted by America’s opioid crisis.
• Aunt, a Tricycle – China, USA – 2022 – Siru Wen (World Premiere). Through an intimate journey involving the filmmaker and her aunt, we see what remains and what is transformed with the passing of time.
• How to See the Night – Portugal, Hungary, Belgium – 2022 – Maria Casas Castillo (World Premiere). When a mysterious creature stalks the night, a group of rangers employ camera traps and radio frequencies to enter this animal’s secret world.
• The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo – USA, UK – 2022 – Ilinca Calugareanu (World Premiere). 16-year-old Yuguo, who has a passion for Eastern European romantic poetry, makes a pilgrimage from his home in China to the foothills of Romania’s Carpathian Mountains.
• Fawley – UK – 2022 – Chu-Li Shewring, Adam Gutch (World Premiere). With a multitude of voices, both human and non-human, this sensorial gem explores the environs of the soon-to-be demolished Fawley Power Station. 
• 1 Kilo, 3 Euros – Germany – 2022 – Ani Mrelashvili (International Premiere). A tiny parcel shop in Berlin, which sends packages to faraway loved ones, offers the city’s Georgian community a slice of home.
• Leaves of K. – Nicaragua, Costa Rica – 2022 – Gloria Carrión (World Premiere). In 2018, the Nicaraguan police brutally repressed anti-government protests organised by high school students. K., a 17-year-old girl who was arrested, recounts the horrors of her time in jail.
• Calling Cabral – Guinea-Bissau, Portugal, Brazil – 2022 – Welket Bungué (World Premiere). Shaped by mysticism, resistance, and the voice of revolutionary leader Amílcar Cabral, we take a personal and poetic journey through the anti-colonial past and present of Guinea-Bissau.
• Mirrors – UK – 2022 – Paul Daly (World Premiere). A cathartic celluloid journey through six unprecedented years in England – from Brexit and the Grenfell fire to Black Lives Matter protests and Covid-19.
• Happiness is £4 Million – China, USA – 2022 – Weixi Chen, Kai Wei (World Premiere). An idealistic, young journalist is tasked with profiling China’s biggest real estate speculator. But how can she write a profile about a man whose money-obsessed worldview she despises? 

Strand: Debates

These are films about the things we need to talk about. Whether it is the opioid crisis, systematic racism, the fossil fuel lobby or birth control, these films get under the skin of contemporary issues, inviting us to be part of the conversation

• As Prescribed – USA – 2022 – Holly Hardman (International Premiere). Detailing multiple cases of the devastating damage wreaked by prescription drugs in the US, Holly Hardman’s film offers poignant insight into the opioid crisis.
• The Business of Birth Control – USA – 2021 – Abby Epstein (UK Premiere). Once seen as the drug that revolutionised women’s emancipation, the politics of hormonal birth control has a more troubling history, as this film details.
• Fashion Reimagined – UK, USA – 2022 – Becky Hutner (European Premiere). Trailblazing fashion designer Amy Powney is on a mission to create a sustainable collection and transform the way we engage with fashion.
• Garçonnières – Switzerland – 2022 – Céline Pernet (International Premiere). A group of men, aged between 30 and 45 talk candidly to Céline Pernet about their relationship to notions of masculinity.
• The Happy Worker – Finland – 2022 – John Webster (UK Premiere). John Webster explores how the workplace has transformed to the point where the very idea of productive work appears to be the last thing on people’s minds.
• Ithaka – Australia – 2021 – Ben Lawrence (International Premiere). Julian Assange’s wife and father battle the British establishment on behalf of the WikiLeaks founder, who faces a 175-year prison sentence if extradited to the US.
• The New Greatness Case – Finland, Croatia, Norway – 2022 – Anna Shishova-Bogolyubova (European Premiere). The story of Anya Pavlikova, found guilty of being a member of a subversive terrorist organisation, emphasises Russia’s emergence as a state of fear and coercion.

• The Oil Machine – UK – 2022 – Emma Davie (World Premiere). Emma Davie’s urgent documentary explores our complex relationship with the oil industry, set against the backdrop of the ongoing fight for North Sea reserves.
• Rising Sun Blues – Portugal, Brazil – 2022 – Renata Ferraz, Maria Roxo (European Premiere). An actress asks a prostitute to help her create a film in which they share secrets of their professions, and they become both filmmakers and characters. 

Strand: Journeys

Whether climbing a mountain, biking a city or digging inside personal issues these films bring us closer to the character’s quests. A transformation is happening and we are invited to join the process. Join the ride and enjoy the company.

• Adam Ondra: Pushing the Limits – Czech Republic, Italy – 2022 – Jan Šimánek, Petr Záruba (UK Premiere). A thrilling record of the legendary Czech rock climber’s career and his preparations for the debut of the climbing competition at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
• Beba – USA – 2021 – Rebecca Huntt (UK Premiere). A raw coming-of-age self-portrait in which the Afro-Latina filmmaker stares down historical, societal and inter-generational trauma with unflinching courage.
• Bike Life Extreme – UK – 2021 – Martin Read (World Premiere). A different perspective on life in lockdown is presented through Go-Pro and mobile phone footage, detailing how bike culture exploded during the pandemic.
• Four Journeys – Netherlands, China – 2021 – Louis Hothothot (European Premiere). A second-born child during the height of China’s one-child policy, Louis Hothothot returns home to reconcile decades of guilt and familial discord.
• I Didn’t See You There – USA – 2022 – Reid Davenport (UK Premiere). This unflinching first-person journey, seen from the perspective of disabled filmmaker Reid Davenport, highlights how differently the world appears to him.
• Ladies Only – India, Germany – 2021 – Rebana Liz John (UK Premiere). In the women-only compartments of Mumbai’s complex local train network, passengers share their anger, aspirations and stories of womanhood. 
• My Paper Life – Belgium, France – 2022 – Vida Dena (UK Premiere). An Iranian filmmaker befriends a Syrian family in Belgium, and they communicate past traumas and future dreams through drawings.
• No Simple Way Home – South Africa, Kenya – 2022 – Akuol de Mabior (UK Premiere). The daughter of Rebecca and John Garang returns to South Sudan in order to document her mother’s attempts to forge peace on the political stage.
• No U-Turn – Nigeria, South Africa, France, Germany – 2022 – Ike Nnaebue (UK Premiere). For his documentary feature debut acclaimed filmmaker Ike Nnaebue retraces a journey he attempted as a young man.
• Off the Rails – UK – 2022 – Peter Day (UK Premiere). Two urbex and parkour-obsessed teenagers face-up to reality following the death of their friend, in Peter Day’s riveting portrait of urban life 

Strand: Memories

Looking back to understand the present and redesign the future. These films bring new light to artifacts of the past such as photographs, bones, films, magazines and literary works, and reposition them in the present, questioning their influences and celebrating their essence.

• 1341 Frames of Love and War – Isreal – 2022 – Ran Tal (UK Premiere). Israeli photographer Micha Bar-Am recalls his journey from Berlin to Palestine, the birth of the state of Israel and its subsequent history, in this compelling film.
• ALL MAN: The International Male Story – USA – 2022 – Bryan Darling, Jesse Finley Reed, Bryan Darling, Jesse Finley Reed (European Premiere). For three decades, one fashion catalogue helped define masculinity and male fashions in the US. This entertaining film charts the story of International Male.
• Exposing Muybridge – USA – 2021 – Marc Shaffer (International Premiere). Eadweard Muybridge, pioneering photographer and early filmmaker, was a man of many lives, as this engaging and thrillingly told documentary reveals.
• The Fire Within: Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft – France – 2022 – Werner Herzog (World Premiere). Drawing from the personal film archive of two ill-fated volcanologists, Werner Herzog explores humanity’s fascination with one of our planet’s most elemental forces.
• Fragile Memory – Ukraine, Slovakia – 2022 – Igor Ivanko (UK Premiere). Ihor Ivanko sheds light on the life of his grandfather, Leonid Burlaka, a cinematographer from the glory days of Odesa Film Studio, who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
• Goodbye, Captain – Brazil – 2022 – Vincent Carelli, Tita (Tatiana Soares de Almeida) (International Premiere). The story of ‘captain’ Krohokrenhum, leader of the Gavião indigenous people, from Pará state in northern Brazil, who died in 2016.
• Jane – USA – 2017 – Brett Morgen. Brett Morgen employs unseen archive personal footage and an intimate recent interview tell the extraordinary story of renowned British primatologist Jane Goodall. 
• Love, Deutschmarks and Death – Germany – 2022 – Cem Kaya (UK Premiere). This vibrant film details the vast body of music produced by and for the Turkish diaspora in Germany from the 1960s to 1980s, and its influence on subsequent generations.
• MUTZENBACHER – Austria – 2022 – Ruth Beckermann (UK Premiere). Responding to a casting call ad, one hundred men are confronted with and respond to excerpts from a notorious pornographic text.
• Nelly & Nadine – Sweden, Belgium, Norway – 2022 – Magnus Gertten (UK Premiere). An extraordinary story of two women who fell in love whilst imprisoned in Ravensbrück concentration camp and whose relationship continued for decades.
• A Story of Bones – UK – 2022 – Joesph Curran, Dominic Aubrey de Vere (UK Premiere). What begins as a simple formality in the construction of an airport transforms into a campaign to pay honour to thousands lost through the transatlantic slave trade.
• TS Eliot: Into the Waste Land – UK – 2022 – Susanna White (World Premiere). The hidden history behind a landmark in modernism and one of the most acclaimed 20th century poems details a correspondence that was to prove inspirational to TS Eliot.

Strand: People & Community

Generations, ancestors, family, community, friendship – this collection of documentaries celebrates togetherness. Exploring the threads that bind us together, the rituals that sustain community, and the outstanding individuals who open their hearts, minds, and homes to the camera.

• Alis – Colombia, Romania, Chile – 2022 – Nicolas van Hemelryck, Clare Weiskopf (UK Premiere). Teenagers in Colombia conjure up a classmate named Alis, who manifests their concerns and desire to break the cultural cycle of violence and hope for a brighter future.
• Beauty of the Beast – Hungary – 2022 – Anna Nemes (World Premiere). A fascinating journey into the world of the female bodybuilder, with Hungarian artist-filmmaker Anna Nemes casting her eye over four driven competitors.
• Eat Your Catfish – USA, Spain, Turkey – 2021 – Adam Isenberg, Noah Amir Arjomand, Senem Tüzen (UK Premiere). This uncompromising portrait of co-director Noah Amir Arjomand’s mother, who has ALS, shows a woman who has chosen to live a challenging life on her terms
• Electric Malady – UK – 2021 – Marie Liden (UK Premiere). From within a cocoon of layered blankets, William copes with a life consumed by electrosensitivity, in this touching experiential portrait of isolation and survival.
• MCENROE – UK, USA – 2022 – Barney Douglas (International Premiere). An intimate portrait of one of the most explosive and compelling sporting icons of all time.
• Midwives – Myanmar, Germany, Canada – 2022 – Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing (UK Premiere). Against the backdrop of the Myanmar conflict, midwives Hla and Nyo Nyo’s relationship is both caring and playful, bridging the divide between Buddhists and Muslims. 
• New Pigs on the Block – Belgium 2022 – Jimmy Kets (International Premiere). Three pigs live a seemingly care-free life as part of an urban community project, unaware of what lies ahead.
• No Place for You in Our Town – Bulgaria – 2022 – Nikolay Stefanov (UK Premiere). Nikolay Stefanov’s debut feature offers unfiltered access to the football hooligan community in one of Bulgaria’s roughest cities.
• One Day at a Time – UK – 2021 – Paul Chambers (World Premiere). Paul Chambers’ uncompromising yet uplifting film looks at the work of a Liverpool-based recovery living centre that uses art and sport to combat addiction.
• North Circular – Ireland – 2022 – Luke McManus (International Premiere). Luke McManus’ documentary musical journeys along Dublin’s North Circular Road, encountering its inhabitants, and hearing their stories and songs. 

Strand: Rebellions

Listen to the stories of those striving for social change, standing up, and protesting for what matters. Whether it is political change, gender equality, human rights, or the climate crisis, these films illuminate cinema’s role as both a witness, and as a tool in the fight for change. Rebellions strand is supported by Bertha Foundation.

• Breaking the Brick – Chile – 2022 – Carola Fuentes, Rafael Valdeavellano (World Premiere). Two Chileans, on opposing sides of the political spectrum, experience a year of turmoil as protests give way to transformation. 
• Marwan – Tomorrow’s Freedom – UK, Palestine, Israel – 2022 – Sophia Scott, Georgia Scott (World Premiere). Marwan Barghouti, often described as the ‘Palestinian Nelson Mandela’, is serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison. This is his story.
• Nothing Compares – Ireland, UK – 2022 – Kathryn Ferguson (UK Premiere). Kathryn Ferguson’s riveting portrait of Sinéad O’Connor charts the iconic singer’s phenomenal rise and subsequent exile from the pop mainstream.
• Our Bodies Are Your Battlefields – France, Argentina – 2021 – Isabel Solas (UK Premiere). Isabelle Solas’ film is a powerful, moving and urgent spotlight on the fight for trans rights across Argentina’s polarised political landscape. 
• Outside – Ukraine, Netherlands, Denmark – 2022 – Olha Zhurba (UK Premiere). Ukrainian filmmaker Olha Zhurba’s debut feature tells the story of Roma, who at the age of 13 became the poster child of the 2014 revolution.
• Pongo Calling – Czech Republic, Slovakia, UK – 2022 – Tomáš Kratochvíl (World Premiere). From his truck, rising online star Štefan Pongo streams his political rants and creates social media movements that go viral, in support of Romani people across Europe.

Strand: Rhythms

A dazzling collection of documentaries in which movement, bodies and songs take the main stage. Tango, folk music, punk rock meet with rap battles, modern dance and popular music contests. 

• AGE OF RAGE – The Australian Punk Revolution – Australia – 2022 – Jennifer Ross (World Premiere). A playful journey through the early days of the punk scene in Australia, as told by former band members and fans.
• And Still I Sing – Canada – 2021 – Fazila Amiri (European Premiere). Two singers competing for the winning spot on talent TV show //Afghan Star// come to terms with what life will be like with the return of the Taliban.
• Before We Move – Belgium – 2022 – Aleksandr M. Vinogradov (World Premiere). The story of Queer Tango dancers in St. Petersburg, dancing in the face of prejudice and towards the hope of greater acceptance towards LGBTQIA+ people.
• Cesária Évora – Portugal – 2022 – Ana Sofia Fonseca (UK Premiere). An intimate portrait of world-renowned Morna singer Cesária Évora, whose talent took her from abject poverty to stardom and the concert halls of the world.
• Dancing Pina – Germany – 2022 – Florian Heinzen-Ziob (International Premiere). Two of Pina Bausch’s most famous works are rehearsed in Germany and Senegal, championing the choreographer’s legacy through a younger generation of dancers.
• Dust & Metal – Vietnam, UK – 2022 – Esther Johnson (World Premiere). Esther Johnson’s film brings together a trove of archive and contemporary footage, set to a live score by Xo Xinh, for a thrilling, unorthodox portrait of Vietnam.
• El Arena – Lebanon, UAE – 2022 – Jay B. Jammal (World Premiere). Unfolding against the backdrop of a turbulent political climate, the finest rappers in the Arab-speaking world gather in Beirut, hoping to be crowned King of the Battle.
• A Film About Studio Electrophonique – UK – 2022 – James Taylor (World Premiere). A euphoric record of Sheffield-based Studio Electrophonique, which nurtured a generation of nascent superstars such as ABC, The Human League, Heaven 17, Clock DVA and Pulp.
• In the Court of the Crimson King – UK – 2021 – Toby Amies (European Premiere). Robert Fripp and the members of prog-rock giants King Crimson look back on 50 years of art, discipline and transcendence in this fascinating, funny and moving film.
• Karaoke Paradise – Finland – 2022 – Einari Paakkanen (UK Premiere). From the land that introduced us to a screaming male voice choir comes Einari Paakkanen’s feel-good film about Finland’s passion for karaoke.  

Shorts – Medium-length and Shorts Playing with Features

Good Intentions – Spain, UK – 2021 – Andres Villasenor (UK Premiere).Shot mostly by its protagonist over the course of ten years, this is an intimate and devastating portrait of one man’s struggle with methamphetamine addiction.

• Night Shift – Sweden – 2022 – Lia Hietala, Hannah Reinikainen, Melissa Miss Lindgren (International Premiere). From sunset to sunrise. A bold ‘day in the life’ portrait of two women at their workplace: a strip club in Gothenburg.
• The Unofficial Countryside – UK – 2022 – Nick Jordan, Jacob Cartwright (World Premiere) (ReConnect). On the outskirts of Manchester, between the urban and the rural we find liminal spaces: forgotten, ignored and passed-by, but teaming with abundant life. 

Shorts – Between One World and the Next

Mirrors – UK – 2022 – Paul Daly (World Premiere). A cathartic celluloid journey through six unprecedented years in England – from Brexit and the Grenfell fire to Black Lives Matter protests and Covid-19.

• The Great Abandonment – India – 2021 – Shirley Abraham, Amit Madheshiya (UK Premiere). Trapped without work, wages or food and facing the world’s strictest lockdown, 140 million migrant labourers begin to leave Mumbai, the city they toiled to build.
• Letter From Eusapia – Belgium – 2021 – Andrés Cornejo Pinto (UK Premiere) (ReConnect). An Ecuadorian filmmaker investigates Brussels’ subterranean world. Meanwhile, phone conversations with his surgeon father reveal that a deadly pandemic is sweeping both countries. 

Shorts – Choosing to be Seen

• The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone – Australia – 2022 – Maya Newell (European Premiere). Spanning 19 years in the life of transgender teen Georgie Stone. We follow her as she affirms her gender, finds her voice and fights to change Australia’s unjust laws.
• The Score – UK, Bosnia and Herzegovina – 2022 – Aleksandra Bilic (World Premiere) (ReConnect). For 30 years Maja’s piano has sat silent. Now she is returning to the dream she lost when, fleeing the conflict that consumed Sarajevo, she stopped composing.
• Prairie Flowers (Flores de la llanura) – Mexico – 2021 – Mariana X. Rivera (UK Premiere) (ReConnect). After one of their community is killed by her husband, the cotton weavers of the Prairie Flowers co-operative come together to mourn, heal, dream and resist.

Shorts – Electric Animal

• The Stone Bridge – Spain – 2022 – Artur-Pol Camprubí (UK Premiere).A woman witnesses the birth of a horse in the stable where she works – an image so strong that it continues to haunt her.                                   
• Nuisance Bear – Canada – 2021 – Jack Weisman, Gabriela Osio Vanden (UK Premiere). Each year thousands of polar bears migrate through the town of Churchill, Manitoba. Thousands of tourists flock to see them. Who is the real nuisance?

Shorts – I Am Your Sister

• Lend Me Your Voice – Rwanda, South Africa – 2022 – Claudine (Shenge) Ndimbira (UK Premiere). Akili, a young refugee in Rwanda who has endured a long and painful journey, sits with strangers and invites them to read her story.

Shorts – Myths of Objectivity

• The Good News Day – Brazil – 2021 – Lucas Zacarias, João Paulo Vicente (International Premiere). A Brazilian news website plans a day where they will only post good news and feel-good articles. The day they choose is 11 September 2001.
• Happiness is £4 Million – China, USA – 2022 – Weixi Chen, Kai Wei (World Premiere). An idealistic, young journalist is tasked with profiling China’s biggest real estate speculator. But how can she write a profile about a man whose money-obsessed worldview she despises?
• British Boys – Brazil – 2022 – Marcus Curvelo (International Premiere) (ReConnect). Two men in Bahia, Brazil, try to prove their UK ancestry to qualify for a small plot of land in the city’s finest location: the British Cemetery. 

Shorts – Learning from the Living, Learning from the Dead

• Hearts – France – 2022 – François Barbier (World Premiere). While studying Rossini’s 1816 opera //The Barber of Seville//, a group of teenagers in Paris reflect on what love means to them.
• Laboratory No. 2 – Kurdistan – 2021 – Edris Abdi, Awara Omer (UK Premiere) (ReConnect). Having worked in the autopsy training department for 14 years and now nearing retirement, Hama reflects on his own mortality.

Shorts – This Land is Our Land

• When the Mountain Rumbles – Spain – 2021 – Alba Bresolí Aliberch UK Premiere). The quiet lives of three ageing brothers, the last inhabitants of a once vibrant Spanish village, are about to change thanks to the construction of a new motorway.
• The Rightful – Brazil – 2022 – Ana Galizia (European Premiere). For decades the landless workers of Guapiaçu, Brazil have been fighting for their right to farm the land. Now they must fight a dam project that threatens to flood their entire community.
• Ramble On – UK – 2022 – Charlie Thorne (World Premiere) (ReConnect). Right to Roam campaigner Terry Howard journeys across the Sheffield moorlands in this gentle cinematic ramble, which tells the story of the fight to reclaim England’s stolen ground. 

Shorts – Unknown Natures

• Geamăna – Germany – 2021 – Matthäus Wörle (UK Premiere). Geamăna village, once home to 1000 people, lies buried beneath a copper mine’s toxic waste. Only the church spire rises from the poisoned lake.
• Five Scenes From the War in Afghanistan as They Appear in East Sussex – UK – 2021 – Frank Martin (UK Premiere). In five powerful scenes, Afghanistan veteran Clement Boland recalls how the cruelty and strangeness of war has followed him back to his idyllic English home.
• The Visible Spectrum – Canada – 2022 – Sarah Seené, Maxime Corbeil-Perron (World Premiere). On a film reel electrified by static charges, we meet five people who survived the impact of lightning. 
• Ikebana – Canada, USA – 2021 – Rita Fernando, Lily Jue Sheng (UK Premiere) (Reconnect). This tranquil and inventive cinematic essay, focussing on the Japanese art of flower arranging, regards plants as a language of expression, channelling the past, present and future.

Roger Graef Tribute

• A Complaint of Rape – Charles Stewart – 1982. This episode, from the 1982 BBC fly-on-the-wall series //Police//, became controversial for insensitive handling of a case by officers.

Co-Creation

Co-Creation is a collective process – making films and projects from within communities and with people, rather than being made for or about them. An alternative to a single authored vision.

• Making-With – UK – 2021 – Gregory Herbert. Amidst the rubble of broken symbionts, traces of a resurgence appear, flora pushing through. Multi-species assemblages signalling, exchanging, building. The fungus that facilitated life on earth, again inspiring new worlds. As we spiral further into climate catastrophe, how do we break away from these capitalist cycles. How do we channel this energy into cycles of reciprocity?
• Earth Swimmers – UK – 2021 – Hermione Spriggs. This film attends to the tricks and techniques that mole catchers use to access the underground world of the mole. Using tools as portals into the mole’s vibratory world, probes, feet, noses and rain-making instruments lead the viewer into alternative ways of sensing and knowing the earth.
• TR333 – UK – 2021 – April Lin. Artist-filmmaker April Lin 林森 presents TR333, a speculative construction of a new species of tree developed in conversation with ecologist Dr. Nalini Nadkarni. Using 3D animation, found footage, and a musical score based on data sonification, //TR333// recasts the ecological crisis from a multispecies and affective gaze.
• These Are My People – Canada – 1969 – Roy Daniels, Willie Dunn, Michael Mitchell, Barbara Wilson. One of the first Canadian documentaries to foreground an Indigenous perspective on the history of Indigenous-settler relations.
• You Are on Indian Land – Canada – 1969 – Michael Mitchell, Mort Ransen, Michael Kanentakeron Mitchell. A group of Native Americans near the Canadian border attempt to blockade a road that runs through their land, resulting in a clash with Canadian police.
• Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography – Canada – 1981 – Bonnie Sherr Klein. In the early 1980s, director Bonnie Sherr Klein and professional stripper Lindalee Tracey set off to examine the pornography industry and its effects on society.
• Songbirds – UK – 2006 – Brian Hill. This documentary musical, filmed in a female prison, was created and produced in collaboration with inmates, and based on their life experiences.
• Conversations with Bina48: Fragments 7, 6, 5, 2. A quest for friendship with a humanoid turned into a rabbit-hole of questions regarding the future, at the intersection of technology, race, gender and social equity.
• America a.k.a. Amerika (Newsreel #?). This ‘guerrilla’ newsreel documentary portrays reactions to the Vietnam by anti-war teenagers and African American militants, who talk tough and battle the police.

Ukraine Focus

Boney Piles – Ukraine – 2022 – Taras Tomenko (UK Premiere). A moving portrait of life for a group of children in east Ukraine, eking a living amidst the detritus of conflict, just prior to the recent Russian invasion.

• Infinity According to Florian – Ukraine – 2022 – Oleksiy Radynski (UK Premiere) (Ukraine. Password: Palianytsia). As this riveting portrait of the multi-hyphenate artist Florìan Jur’jev unfurls, the acclaimed architect is facing one of the greatest challenges of his storied career.
• Mountains and Heaven in Between – Ukraine – 2022 – Dmytro Hreshko (International Premiere). An intimate portrait of life in a remote mountain village, seen through the eyes of four paramedics, as the spectre of COVID-19 looms over it.
• Peace and Tranquility – Ukraine – 2022 – Myro Klochko. As Russian troops were crossing into Ukraine, playwright Andrii Bondarenko wrote a play that looks back on a life bookended by conflict.
• Plai. A Mountain Path – Ukraine – 2021 – Eva Dzhyshyashvili (UK Premiere). Eva Dzhyshyashvili’s contemplative film details rural life for a couple whose world is irrevocably impacted by conflict but whose resilience perseveres.
• Pryvoz – Ukraine – 2021 – Eva Neymann (UK Premiere). Eva Neymann documents everyday life in Odessa’s vast market, recording the thoughts of its traders and visitors, and highlighting its role as a vital artery in the city. 

A Documentary Journey with Asif Kapadia

C’était un Rendez-Vous – France – 1976 – Claude Lelouch. Claude Lelouch takes us on a high-velocity thrill ride through the streets of Paris, speeding past cars and ignoring traffic signs, just to be on time for a date.

• Dark Days – USA – 200 – Mark Singer. First time filmmaker Marc Singer creates a powerful, visually striking account of a large homeless community leaving beneath the streets of New York.
• Fourteen Days in May – UK – 1987 – Paul Hamann. This account of a US convict’s final days on death row is an uncompromising portrait of the country’s legal system and an indictment of capital punishment.
• A Great Day in Harlem – USA – 1994 – Jean Bach. Some 40 years after many of the greatest US jazz musicians posed for a photograph in Harlem, Jean Bach’s film lovingly gathers together the stories of their lives.
• Italianamerican – USA – 1974 – Martin Scorsese. Martin Scorsese’s portrait of his parents is warm, funny and affectionate – a simple film whose depth lies in the openness between subjects and maker
• La Jetée – France – 1962 – Chris Marker. Chris Marker’s legendary sci-fi short presents a past world and dystopian future through a series of still images, told from the perspective of a narrator.
• London – UK – 1994 – Patrick Keiller. Patrick Keillor’s wholly original journey through the UK capital is both a paean to the city and a critique of what it has come to represent.
• When We Were Kings – USA – 1996 – Leon Gast. Muhammad Ali’s legendary heavyweight encounter with George Foreman is the centrepiece of Leon Gast’s celebrated, Oscar-winning sports film. 

Alternate Realities 

after Hours – Artists: Claire Meekel, Bahiyya Khan (European Premiere). A full-motion video game that allows players a glimpse into the life of someone with borderline personality disorder. 

• Feminist Economics Football: A Cooperative Game for Sheffield– Artists: Feminist Exchange Network (International Premiere). A cooperative three-sided feminist football match playing on a hexagonal pitch illustrates intersecting themes in Feminist Economics.
• Gondwana – Director: Ben Joseph Andrews (UK Premiere). This VR project allows you to roam through Australia’s ancient Daintree rainforest as it simulates 100 year of climate change impact.
• KidzWorks – Creator: Creator: Ian Chillag (World Premiere). An interactive story told through the customer service line of a deeply dysfunctional toy company. 
• OnlyBans – Artist: Lena Chen (International Premiere). A digital game that critically examines the online policing of sex workers and marginalised bodies. 
• On the Morning You Wake – Creators: Mike Brett, Steve Jamison, Arnaud Colinart, Pierre Zandrowicz  (European Premiere). Through the voices of people who experienced the 2018 ballistic missile alert in Hawaii, this VR experience explores the real and imminent threat of nuclear weapons.
• Out of Body Experience – Artists: Photinus Studio (International Premiere). During lockdown, Ukrainian artists Photinus Studio created a performative space for collaboration, where all participants become one malleable body.
• Ravi and Emma – Artists: Kylie Boltin, Ella Rubeli (UK Premiere). A world-first interactive experience that celebrates diversity and inclusiveness through humour and a unique take on love.  
• Rozsypne – Artists / Directors: Nienke Huitenga, Lisa Weeda  (International Premiere). As war rages around the otherwise peaceful rural village of Rozsypne, in east Ukraine, elderly Nina tries to preserve her everyday life.   
• Safe Space – Artist: Mirelle Borra  (International Premiere). A film illustrating the digital and physical resistance of ballroom cultures over the last thirty years showing their plight and resilience.
• Santa Barbara – Director: Diana Markosian (European Premiere). Inspired by the artist’s mother, who travelled to the US in search of the American Dream, this single-screen work is an exploration of sacrifice and aspiration.
• A TikTok War – Production: Sheffield DocFest, Ella Musaieva. From sheltering in bunkers to traveling across Europe as refugees, TikTok has been appropriated to chronicle and explain the horror of the Ukraine war.
• Black Power Naps – Artists: Navild Acosta, Fannie Sosa. A sculptural installation, vibrational device and curatorial initiative that reclaims laziness and idleness as power. 
• Goodnight, Sleep Tight (Pilot) – Artist: Persis Jadé Maravala. ZU-UK explores the intimate and the epic, the interface between live and digital experiences with this work that exists between physical and virtual worlds
• Nocturnes – Artist: Jad Abumrad (World Premiere). Every night we fall asleep. The ‘story of us’ dissolves away. These new musical works explore the idea of self-disintegration.
• Recharge – Artist: Dries Depoorter  (World Premiere). An interactive installation where your phone will only charge when your eyes are closed. Charge your phone while charging yourself.
• A Rest Guide for a Tired Nigerian Artist (Again, repetition) – Artists: Rahima Gambo, Innocent Ekejiuba  (UK Premiere). What happens when we shift attention from the artwork to the people for whom art is their work? This work is the first step on that journey.
• Child of Empire – Artists: Sparsh Ahuja, rfan Saadati. This animated VR docu-drama immerses viewers in one of the largest forced migrations in human history: the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan.
• Disarmed – Artists: Alexandra Barancová, Jae Perris, Roel Wouters, Luna Maurer  (International Premiere). A playful virtual reality piece whose protagonists are your own arms: first in control then, then not, illustrating the commodification of movement.
• Monoliths – Artist: Lucy Hammond (World Premiere). An exploration of landscapes as radical spaces for expression and reflection, presenting the English landscape in VR through the eyes of three northern women.
• The Acquisitions Panel – Researcher & Writer: Rachel Briscoe – Director: Dan Barnard  (World Premiere). An interactive artwork about the legacies of European colonialism and who gets to choose the stories we tell.
• Common Good #3: Senses of belonging (Pilot) – Director: Nadja van der Weide. Enter a temporary society called ‘Senses of Belonging’, in this location-based audio walk.
• Escaping Gravity – Lead Artist: Mike Stubbs. Britain’s Imperial Airship programme is the topic of this full room immersive installation, revealing the human desire for progress, adventure and the unknown.
• Kubo Walks the City – Artist: Hayoun Kwon  (UK Premiere). Follow the footsteps of Kubo, a Korean urban flaneur, through an exquisitely illustrated three dimensional 1930s Seoul.
• The Sound Voice Project – Artist: Hannah Conway. A unique performance installation exploring powerful stories of voice-loss and identity that features immersive, surround-sound and audio-visual settings. 

Talks & Sessions: Talks

• Cutting the ‘Fame’ Trilogy: Asif Kapadia and Chris King. Chaired by Jason Wood (Executive Director of Public Programmes and Audiences, BFI), with speakers Asif Kapadia and Chris King. Asif Kapadia will participate in a conversation with frequent collaborator, editor Chris King. This will be the first occasion in which Kapadia and King come together to discuss their decision-making regarding the scenes and sequences they chose to leave out of Senna, Amy and Diego Maradona. During the exclusive session, they will open up the archives and revisit unused material, in a frank and insightful discussion. 
• Co-Creation: Collective Dreams, Co-Created Realities. Chaired by Francesca Panetta (DocFest), with speakers Katerina Cizek (Artistic Director, Research Scientist and Co-Founder Co-Creation Studio, MIT Open Documentary Lab), Renata Ferraz (Dir. Rising Sun Blues), Gregory Herbert & Professor Katie Field (Dirs. Making With), Mandy Roberts (Feminist Exchange Network). This year we have partnered with the Co-Creation Studio at the MIT Open Documentary Lab for one of the festival’s key themes: Co-Creation. We are delighted to be joined by Katerina Cizek, Artistic Director, Research Scientist and Co-Founder Co-Creation Studio, who will give a keynote presentation. She will outline the practices and philosophies of co-creation, according to the studio’s manifesto, and some of the artists whose works feature in the Co-Creation strand. Supported by Arts Council England. 
• BBC Interview: Clive Myrie. Chaired by Krupa Padhy, with BBC journalist, newsreader and presenter Clive Myrie, for an in depth interview into his career. Most recently, he travelled to Ukraine where he was the anchor for BBC coverage of Russia’s military escalation. He also reported extensively on the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic. Clive will discuss his extensive and varied career, inspirations and journalistic practices. Supported by BBC. 
• Brett Morgen in Conversation. Chair TBC, with speaker Brett Morgen. Acclaimed documentary film director, producer, writer and editor Brett Morgen joins us for a deep dive discussion into his expansive career. His latest film and festival opener, Moonage Daydream, presents never-before-seen concert footage of David Bowie in a stunning and immersive portrait of the icon. With an impressive portfolio of documentaries, including Jane, Cobain: Montage of Heck and Crossfire Hurricane, Brett will discuss his career, his motivations and what inspires him.
• David Olusoga: Storytrails – A Journey Through Time and Space. With speakers David Olusoga (Executive Producer, StoryTrails), Sile Sibanda (Producer StoryTrails),  Gemma Thorpe (Producer StoryTrails), Ben Luxford (Head of Audiences, BFI) Angela Chan (Head of Inclusion, StoryTrails) and session producer Will Saunders. StoryTrails is a unique, immersive storytelling experience, using the latest multimedia technologies to bring untold stories to life where they happened, allowing audiences to see their hometown differently. StoryTrails Executive Producer David Olusoga will launch this project at Sheffield DocFest before it begins a UK wide summer tour, and he will be joined by local StoryTrails creatives to preview the UK’s largest immersive storytelling project to date. Supported by UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK. 
• Peace and Tranquillity & Boney Piles + Discussion: When it Comes to Ukraine, What Should One Know? Chaired by Volodymyr Sheiko (General Director, Ukrainian Institute) with speakers Taras Tomenko (Dir, Boney Piles), Myro Klochko (Dir, Peace and Tranquility), and session producer Victoria Leshchenko (Program Director, Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival). An extended discussion on the impact of war and the very real challenges both the Ukraine and the wider world currently face will follow the screening of two films. Supported by British Council, Ukraine Institute and DocuDays UA.
• Pratibha Parmar in Conversation. Chair TBC, with speaker Pratibha Parmar. Globally recognised filmmaker and human rights activist director Pratibha Parmar joins us for an in-depth conversation about her prolific career. Pratibha’s documentaries such as A Place of Rage have showcased the work of iconic women throughout history, as well as contributing to the visibility of marginalized LGBTQIA+ communities. Pratibha will discuss the making of in Competition title My Name is Andrea – about Andrea Dworkin – her creative approach to filmmaking and her inspirations. 
• Channel 4 Interview: Will Young. Chair TBC, with speaker Will Young, and session producer Jonny Ashton. In the recent Channel 4 broadcast Will Young: Losing My Twin Rupert, singer Will Young discusses his twin brother’s alcohol addiction, which lasted over twenty years until his death in 2020. Will joins us at Sheffield DocFest to discuss making the documentary, and his hopes for the impact it can have in reducing the stigma surrounding addiction. Supported by Channel 4
• ITV Interview: Ellie Simmonds. Chair TBC, with speaker Ellie Simmonds. We are delighted to welcome Ellie Simmonds to Sheffield DocFest to speak about her upcoming ITV documentary exploring the link between disability and adoption. The number of disabled children in the care system with a disability is highly disproportionate to the rest of the population and Ellie has been investigating why. Supported by ITV

Talks & Sessions: Sessions

• New Talent on the Rise. Chaired by Anna Hall (Candour Productions), with speakers Ashley Francis-Roy, Lyttana Shannon, Mirissa Neff (Dir. National Wake) and additional speakers TBC. A panel of Film and TV professionals on the rise, featuring BAFTA Breakthrough Brits as well as international filmmakers’ whose work features in this years’ programme. During this session, they will discuss their professions, addressing the successes and challenges that they have experienced at their differing levels of career, and how they helped to pave their way into the industry. Supported by BAFTA. 
• Sustainable Film Production for a Sustainable Future.Speakers Andrea Walji (Head of WaterBear Studios), Katy Tallon (Sustainability Consultant, Albert), Jack Wylson. A discussion about the environmental impact of film production. As an industry, we must now champion cost-effectiveness, minimal travel, archive content, local talent deployment and focus on unearthing untold stories. WaterBear strives to make all WaterBear Originals Albert-certified. Albert supports the global Film and TV industry in reducing the environmental impact of production and to create content that supports a vision for a sustainable future. Supported by WaterBear. 
• Celebrating Trans-Led Stories and Representation. Speaker to be confirmed. This session will celebrate the trans-led films and filmmakers featured in this year’s festival programme. Visibility isn’t always easy, safe or even possible for many trans people. However, visibility is not just about being seen, but seeing authentic and expansive representations of trans lives. Join us for a discussion around authorship, accountability, ethics and representation. 
• Journalism and Creative Documentary. Speaker to be confirmed. Presented by The Guardian, this session assembles filmmakers and funders to discuss the ways in which journalism and creative documentary can fruitfully intersect. What are the broad bounds of journalism and how does the field approach storytelling in contrast to the pursuit of a cinematic language within creative documentary? What are the values within each field? And what are the outcomes of combining these practices? Supported by The Guardian. 
• How ScreenSkills is boosting skills in an Unscripted TV boom. Speaker to be confirmed. There’s plenty of good news in unscripted, with commissions on the rise across the UK. However, this has led to a shortage of talent in a range of off-screen roles, at all career stages. ScreenSkills executive Sarah Joyce, Head of Unscripted and Children’s Television, will be joined by industry colleagues to discuss the ScreenSkills Unscripted TV Skills Fund, and what is available to help production companies and freelancers meet the skills demands of the sector. Supported by ScreenSkills 
• Beyond Centres of Power. Chaired by Shanida Scotland (Doc Society), with session producer Kate Moore (Doc Society) Speaker to be confirmed. Join BFI Doc Society, and organisations supported by its Ripple Effect Fund, to discuss the importance of deliberately moving toward models of funding that support sustainable local initiatives and peer learning, which have the potential to ignite and deliver long lasting impact for the field. Inspired by community-led networks and initiatives, the fund amplifies the work of grassroots non-fiction champions and distributes power to those working at the heart of their communities. Supported by BFI Doc Society 
• Bullying & Harassment in the Industry. Chaired by Mia Bays (BFI), and speaker Brian Hill (Director), Rebecca Day (Film in Mind), Anthony Andrews (We Are Parable), Lucy Tallon (Film & TV Charity). Research reveals that bullying and harassment is widespread across the film and TV industry. Join us for a conversation about the problem. It’s an opportunity to hear from some of the mental health experts working in the industry, who are spearheading support initiatives in response. This session will begin with a screening of Brian Hill’s short film Toxic, featuring real testimonies from individuals who have been bullied in the industry. 
• Does Length Matter? Making Short Docs that Count. Speakers Poppy Dixon (Sky), Elena Andreicheva, Cherish Otkea, with session producer Emma Bullimore. Sky Documentaries, the home of world-class, real-life stories from award-winning and emerging filmmakers, has launched its first rolling documentary shorts fund, in partnership with APEX, aimed at filmmakers from underrepresented backgrounds. In this session, panelists will share insights on the key markers of a compelling short documentary, explore how form and length can elevate innovative storytelling, and how shorts can propel filmmakers into a breadth of opportunities in the industry. Supported by Sky Documentaries. 
• ITV Presents Fresh Cuts. Speaker to be confirmed. Join us as ITV reveals the five filmmakers who have been commissioned to make five films as part of their newest initiative, ITV Presents Fresh Cuts. Each filmmaker represents the very best of new, Black talent and all five films will be shown on ITV as part of its Black History Month programming in October 2022. Supported by ITV. 
• Star Power: Is Talent Vital for Factual Success? Chaired by Dan Neal (Managing Director, Harbar 8), with speakers Hilary Rosen (Head of Factual and Factual Entertainment, UKTV), Helen Nightingale (Senior Commissioning Editor). Can you ever expect to create a hit show without household name talent? Award-winning broadcaster UKTV’s Deputy Director of Commissioning Hilary Rosen and Senior Commissioning Editor Helen Nightingale return to Sheffield DocFest to discuss whether it’s talent or bust. Hilary and Helen are ready to share their insights on the link between star power and ratings success for factual content, and how they create successful shows for popular factual channels W, Yesterday and Gold. Supported by UKTV. 
• The Rise of the Celebrity Documentary. Chaired by Mobeen Azhar, with speakers Roman Kemp, Anton Ferdinand, Christine McGuiness, Tash Gaunt (Director), Max Gogarty (BBC Commissioner), and session producer Angela Byrne. Some of the highest-rating and most impactful single docs in recent times have been authored by celebrities. But now, with seemingly all the channels commissioning these films, have we reached the peak in celebrity issue documentaries? And are these films here to stay? We hear from a panel of filmmakers, commissioners and celebrities themselves, who talk about their experience of working on these films and what the future might hold for the authored single doc. Supported by BBC. 
• Working with Nat Geo. Chaired by Dinah Lord (Caravan Films, with speakers Carolyn Payne (Nat Geo), Simon Raikes (Nat Geo), Ben Noot (Nat Geo), Tim Beudel (Nat Geo), Carlo Massarella (Windfall Films). Ever wondered how to develop and pitch to Nat Geo International? In this session, the UK-based commissioning team share insights into the development and production of exceptional content that supports the National Geographic Society’s core mission of science, exploration, conservation and education. In this session, we will take a deep dive into two series currently in production, to reveal the secrets of just how to make a hit Nat Geo show. Supported by Nat Geo. 
• Channel 4: Pride at 50. Chair and speakers TBC, and session producer Naomi Rose. As we celebrate 50 years of pride, we will look back on how LGBTQ+ in television has progressed on and off screen. From the first ever on screen lesbian kiss and Out on a Tuesday, Channel 4 has been a forerunner for LGBTQ+ representation on and off screen for the past 40 years. It’s a chance to see how far we’ve come and how far we have to go. Supported by Channel 4. 
• Meet the Commissioners. Speakers to be confirmed. Leading commissioners talk about forthcoming commissioning opportunities as they take part in our own version of Question Time. Commenting on recent successes, they discuss the changing landscape and how producers can keep innovating for their channels. With a spotlight on relationships, and with audience questions throughout, this is a chance to really get to know some of the UK’s most prolific commissioners.
• Paramount+ Factual: UK Commissioning for a New Global Streamer. Speakers Guy Davies (VP, Commissioning Editor, Factual, Channel 5/Paramount+), Lucy Wills (VP, Commissioning Editor, Non Scripted UK Originals, Channel 5/Paramount+), Daniel Pearl (VP, Unscripted Originals, Paramount+), Fatima Salaria (MD, Naked), Camilla Lewis (Founder, Curve Media), Bridget Bosely (Creative Director, Wag Entertainment), Adam Hopkins (Story Films). New global streamer Paramount+ begins airing in the UK on 22 June. As it goes live, this session offers a chance to explore how it works, who commissions what in factual there, and what are their wants and must haves when it comes to commissioning. With a focus on high-end content,  commissions for Paramount+ Factual will include box sets and feature length documentaries. Supported by Paramount+.

Pitches

• The Whicker’s Pitch. Chaired by Jane Ray (The Whickers) and Krishnan Arora (SBS), with speakers Jo Lapping (BBC), Kate Townsend (Netflix), Oli Harbottle (DogWoof), Mak CK (Award-Winning Filmmaker), Jane Mote (The Whickers). Who will be awarded the coveted £100,000 Film & TV Funding Award to make their first feature length documentary? The Whickers Pitch brings together five emerging directors to pitch their non-fiction projects to a panel of industry judges. Come and support the finalists, be your own armchair judge, and bear witness as the legacy of pioneering broadcaster Alan Whicker brings another exceptional documentary idea to life. Supported by The Whickers. 
• Channel 4 First Cut Pitch. Chaired by Will Rowson (Channel 4), with speakers Rita Daniels (Channel 4), Kira Phillips, Arthur Cary, and session producer Simon Lee (Channel 4) & Stef More (Channel 4). Once again, Channel 4 will be offering five new directors the chance to pitch in front of some of its documentary commissioning team, and a live audience. Our winner will walk away with a commission from Channel 4 for their first 60-minute film, and one month of fully-paid development and mentorship with an indie to support the development of their idea. You won’t want to miss this fun and playful session. Supported by Channel 4. 
• BBC Three Northern Docs Pitch. Judges Yasemin Rashit (Channel Executive, BBC Three), Carl Callam (Commissioner, BBC Documentaries), Emma Loach (Commissioner, BBC Documentaries), with producer/mentor TBC. Emerging filmmakers from the North have been invited to pitch their idea to a panel of BBC commissioners and a BBC Three Channel Executive, for the prize of a documentary commission for BBC Three. The live pitch will be preceded by a Q&A with previous pitch winners Rebecca Southworth and Dan Harrison (Can Sex Offenders Change), on idea development, the making of the film and how it helped their careers. Supported by BBC Three. 

Craft Summit

• Breaking Into Craft Editing: A Call to Action. Chaired by Andy Worboys (Grierson Trustee) with speakers Kate Townsend (Netflix), Sema Basharan (Editor), Nse Asuquo (Editor), and session producer Yen Yau. The Grierson Trust, in partnership with Netflix, has developed Grierson DocLab In Focus: Editing, a training scheme to address one of many skills shortages in the screen industries. This session will discuss some of the issues the editing sector currently faces and how to ensure we have a resilient future workforce equipped to deal with the difficult topics that documentaries often present. Supported by The Grierson Trust. 
• Cinematography Masterclass. Speaker to be confirmed. Documentary cinematographers shape the tone and style of a film. They know how to respond quickly to capture what we see in the frame and can incorporate the latest technologies into their production. During this craft summit session, we will showcase cinematographers on the rise, including those whose work features in this year’s festival programme. Supported by Canon. 
• Composing Masterclass: Nainita Desai. Speaker Nainita Desai. Award winning composer and sound designer Nainita Desai will join us to discuss her career and experiences scoring for documentaries such as the award-winning For Sama and The Reason I Jump, as well as the immersive film-game Telling Lies.
• Craft Masterclass: Brett Morgen. Speaker Brett Morgen. We are honoured to welcome Brett Morgen to this years’ craft summit, following the UK Premiere and Opening Night screening of Moonage Daydream. Having produced, directed, written and edited the film, he will discuss the art of navigating between roles to achieve his unique creative vision.

Alternate Realities Summit

• Immersive Trends. Chaired by John Rose Adams, with speakers Sam King (HTC Vive Arts), Mark Atkin (XO Labs), Emma Cooper, Zillah Watson. What has a pandemic done to change the form of immersive and interactive documentaries? Are they the same as they were before the pandemic, or has a locked down world of creators and audiences shifted the content? Leaders from the industry tell us the trends they are seeing in the immersive and interactive industry, and what they are personally most excited about.
• The Art of Connection. Chaired by Emma Cooper, with speakers Nadja Van De Weide, Persis Jade Maravala, Rachel Briscoe. Do interactive works have the potential to connect people more strongly? If so, what are the techniques? Alternate Realities has brought three artists to the festival this year who use very different techniques. Nadja van der Weide uses location-based audio in her work Common Good 3. Persis Jade Maravala’s VR focuses on touch in Goodnight, Sleep Tight (pilot). And Rachel Briscoe asks her audiences to participate thought discussion in The Acquisitions Panel. The artists discuss these different approaches.
• Using VR to Warn Against Natural Disaster. Chaired by Zillah Watson, with speakers Mike Brett and Steve Jamison. Directors Mike Brett and Steve Jamison pull back the curtain on the process behind their award winning work on the 2018 ballistic missile alert in Hawai’i. The work uses first-person audio testimonies and performances recorded using cutting-edge volumetric video capture technology, to provide a visual metaphor for the chaos and panic in the immediate aftermath of the event, illustrating to audiences the very real and imminent threat of nuclear weapons.
• Co-Creation: Finding Your Voice. Chaired by Francesca Panetta, with speakers Hannah Conway, Brian Hill. Composer Hannah Conway’s The Sound Voice Project examines voice loss through opera. She worked with biomedical researchers, healthcare professionals, academics and technology entrepreneurs, as well as those who have experienced voice loss. Filmmaker Brian Hill’s Songbirds collaborated with women in Downview Prison in Sutton to create this musical documentary. The women sing their stories in musical styles ranging from hip hop to lullaby. The two artists talk about the practicalities of cocreating musical works.
• The Non-Fiction Multiverse. Chaired by Verity McIntosh, with speakers Ben Joseph Andrews, Emma Roberts, David Gochfeld (XR Stories), Ben Carlin (Megaverse), Sam King (HTC Live Arts). The ‘Metaverse’ is usually described as a kind of social virtual reality, where people can come together and interact in real time. Do documentaries have a place in the metaverse? Can social VR work as a medium for non-fiction narrative? In an environment where everything is computer generated, and where social presence is entirely mediated, how do you address reality? Looking at examples of immersive narrative experiences in real and virtual spaces, we will explore possible futures for non-fiction narratives within it.
• David Olusoga: StoryTrails – A Journey Through Time and Space. StoryTrails is a unique immersive storytelling experience, using the latest multimedia technologies to bring untold stories to life where they happened. StoryTrails Executive Producer David Olusoga will launch the project at Sheffield DocFest, before it begins a UK wide tour this Summer. David will also be joined by some of the project’s emerging talent and cutting-edge creative companies, to preview the UK’s largest immersive storytelling project to date.