12/06/2023 - The annual Northern English celebration of documentary is set to provide equally fulsome public and industry offerings

The latest edition of Sheffield DocFest, which this year will see the event held in the North of England celebrate its 30th anniversary from 14-19 June, will once again bring together a packed film programme alongside an industry schedule involving many industry heavy hitters, including the BBC, Netflix, Prime Video and Disney.

The Sheffield DocFest film programme will feature over 120 movies, and includes 37 world, 20 international and ten European premieres. The titles will screen in three competition sections (International Competition, International First Feature Competition and International Short Film Competition) as well as numerous special programmes.

The festival will open with Tish (UK), director Paul Sng’s portrait of photographer Tish Murtha, who recorded the hopes, dreams and struggles of working-class communities in the industrial Northeast of England.

Other film highlights include the world premieres of If Only Night Wouldn't Fall by Marc Schmidt (Netherlands/Norway/USA), a unique perspective on three Western countries’ attempts to grapple with anxiety, depression and psychosis; A Year in a Field [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Christopher Morris (UK), which reflects upon human existence, its relationship to the environment, and the urgent need for compassion and transformation; and Hotel Metalurg by George Varsimashvili and Jeanne Nouchi (France/Georgia), in which survivors of the Abkhaz-Georgian war find themselves under pressure to leave the disused luxury hotel where they have been living for more than 30 years.

Public talks and events will include actor, director, author and activist David Harewood discussing his documentary work, and Sara Mardini, the Syrian swimmer who pulled the boat that carried her and another 18 refugees to Greece, talking about how she copes with the consequences of becoming a famous activist.

The festival’s Industry Programme and Market will feature 21 industry sessions. These will include discussions and panels that will cover topics such as disability inclusion, ten ways to win a commission, pathways for new talent, neurodiversity inclusion, social mobility, journalistic integrity, and creative distribution and exhibition.

Sheffield DocFest will also present the 2023 Filmmaker Challenge, in which six early-career UK directors will make a short documentary in and around Sheffield during the festival, undertaking the challenge of making a film on the fly, with a micro budget and equipment support, as well as mentoring from Oscar- and BAFTA-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald.

There will be four sessions for selected emerging directors to pitch their non-fiction projects to panels of judges: The Whicker’s Pitch, where hopefuls will be vying for the £100,000 Film & TV Funding Award; the Channel 4 First Cut Pitch, granting a commission for a 60-minute film as well as one month of fully paid development and mentorship with an indie; the BBC Storyville Development Pitch, after which the chosen project(s) will get up to £3,000; and the Podcast Pitch, which is the first time the festival will host a podcast-only pitching format, and after which an independent jury will award two prizes of £5,000 and £2,000, supported by The Whickers.

The Sheffield DocFest MeetMarket runs in conjunction with the festival, providing networking opportunities and practical sessions as well as round-tables. The Switchboard offers advice on the people to meet at this year’s market, Snap Chats is the networking mixer, while the DocFest Round Tables are intimate sessions with experts in the fields of series, festivals, distribution and creation.