ReConnectwithDocumentary Festival Report sheffdocfest.com @SheffDocFest #SheffDocFest2022
p.2Contents Festival Overview ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ p.3 Special Programmes p.5 Film Programme p.7 Alternate Realities Programme ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� p.9 Festival Awards p.11 Talks & Sessions Programme p.13 Industry Marketplace �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� p.15 Marketplace Sessions & Pitches ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ p.17 Community p.18 Festival Audiences p.22 Industry Delegates �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������p.24 Press & Media Coverage p.27 Festival Team & Trustees p.28 Funders, Sponsors & Supporters ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� p.29
The Festival kicked-off with an unforgettable screening of Brett Morgen’s cinematic odyssey Moonage Daydream in Sheffield’s City Hall. Over the course of the Festival we screened 135 films from 55 countries; 29 projects were exhibited in Alternate Realities, our programme for innovative non-fiction and immersive documentaries; 39 projects were presented in the MeetMarket pitching forum; we hosted three live pitches; 9 new projects were presented in works-in-progress screenings; we presented headline talks from Guest Curator Asif Kapadia with Chris King, Brett Morgen, Pratibha Parmar and David Olusoga; broadcaster talks included interviews with Clive Myrie, Will Young, and Ellie Simmonds; we returned the Craft Summit and the Alternate Realities Summit as well as presenting multiple additional talks and sessions; and we delivered a range of new talent initiatives including Amplify: Broadcast Talent, Focus: Filmmaker Talent, and the Youth Jury.
Opening Night Film: Moonage Daydream Photographer: David Chang Brett Morgen Photographer: David Chang
Sheffield DocFest has an extraordinary legacy of making connections. We bridge the global with the local, connecting the international documentary ecosystem with the people of Sheffield and South Yorkshire. This year we proudly presented 38 World premieres, amongst them two Yorkshire productions – from Sheffield A Film about Studio Electrophonique, and from Bradford A Bunch of Amateurs, which went on to win our Audience Award. Our capacity to deliver Sheffield DocFest each year is due to a range of partners – including over 60 funders and sponsors. They invest in our success and their support of the Festival enables everything that we do. We are hugely grateful for their backing and look forward to working with them again as we start preparations for the 30th edition of Sheffield DocFest which will run 14–19 June, with the MeetMarket taking place on Thursday 15th and Friday 16th June, 2023.
Our overall focus this year was to return the Festival to a predominantly in-person event after two years of significant pandemic impact. The imperative to ‘reconnect’ was high on everyone’s agenda –filmmakers and artists were excited to be back in cinemas and galleries with people appreciating their work in real life; industry delegates took meetings and did pitching sessions face-to-face for the first time since 2019; and the Sheffield DocFest team were energised by the reward that comes with bringing community together. It is also true that the pandemic isn’t over. We were working with a prevailing sense of uncertainty about how audiences would respond and juggling the unexpected impact of significant train strikes on two days (Opening Night and Saturday!) of our six-day event.
So we are thrilled that the 29th edition of Sheffield DocFest attracted 25,424 in-person admissions, with 4,899 online admissions. We welcomed public audiences from Sheffield (61%), Yorkshire (12%) and across the UK (27%) as well as 2,188 industry delegates from 69 countries. Public representation was similar in profile to our last fully in-person edition in 2019, and we continue to make strides in diversifying our industry audiences.
Festival Overview
p.3 Sheffield DocFest is one of the world’s leading documentary festivals, and the UK’s most impactful film and TV 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, talks and sessions.
p.4Festival Overview “ “ Greattoreconnectwithmy tribe.Ithoughtthisfestivalwas reallyspecialasitwaskind, inclusive,andexpressedthe powerofthecinemaandthe collectiveexperienceofdoing stufftogether.” Kim Hopkins (Director: A Bunch of Amateurs) WhiletheFestivalwillcontinue itsvitalroleprovidinganannual showcaseof contribtodocumentaryoutstandingwork,Iamexcitedbemakingacuratorialutiontotheprogram,sharingfilmsandbringingfilmmakersIlovetotheevent,whileworkingwithClareandtheDocFestteamontheoverallshapeofthefestival.” Asif Kapadia via Deadline.com
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Three exceptional collaborations shaped this year’s Sheffield DocFest programme. Guest Curator Asif Kapadia Asif Kapadia, the Academy Award and BAFTA-winning filmmaker whose acclaimed documentaries include Senna (2010), Amy (2015) and Diego Maradona (2019), was our 2022 Guest Curator. Kapadia’s programme contribution was a testimony to how great documentaries of the past can shape the creative imaginations of the future. ‘A Documentary Journey with Asif Kapadia’ featured a selection of films that had significant impact for Kapadia, inspiring his own style and creative choices as a filmmaker. He introduced screenings of Dark Days, Fourteen Days in May, A Great Day in Harlem, Italianamerican, La Jetée, London, Rendezvous, and When We Were Kings
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Photographer: David Chang
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The British Council and Ukrainian Institute’s ‘UK/ Ukraine Season of Culture’ launched at a special reception with a recorded speech from Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska and was attended by colleagues from DocuDays and visiting Ukrainian filmmakers and artists. British Council Reception: UK/Ukraine Season of Culture
Working with the DocFest team, Kapadia spearheaded the Focus: Filmmaker Talent initiative, inviting six filmmakers - Ibrahim Ahmed, Tamana Ayazi, Sema Basharan, Paul Daly, Jessi Gutch and Laura Wadha – to make a short documentary – in and around Sheffield – during the Festival. He ran workshops with the participants, gave notes on rough cuts, and launched the finished films in a special screening on the last day of the Festival. Kapadia also participated in a talk with frequent collaborator, editor Chris King, hosted by Jason Wood (BFI Executive Director of Public Programmes and Audiences) discussing and presenting, for the first-time, scenes they’d left out of Senna, Amy and Diego Maradona. Kapadia also hosted a virtual Q&A with Werner Herzog for the World Premiere of The Fire Within; and participated in a session with the Youth Jury.
Ukraine. Password Palianytsia In solidarity with Ukraine, we presented a Ukraine focus: ‘Password: Palianytsia’ a collaborative documentary programme with our respected colleagues at Docudays UA, who started working with us when their own Festival could not go ahead in March due to the Russian invasion. The programme launched 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. The film went on to receive a Special Mention in our Official Competition. The Ukraine focus included work across our Film programme, Alternate Realities exhibition, Marketplace and Talent programmes and Talks & Sessions with: • 4 feature documentaries in our Official Selection 4 feature documentaries from Docudays UA Official Competition • 1 Docudays curated screening with talk VR, art and TikTok works in our Alternate Realities exhibition 5 projects in development selected for our MeetMarket 3 projects in Works-in-Progress in partnership with Ukrainian Institute Ukrainian delegation of 24 visiting filmmakers and artists supported by the British Council
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Special Programmes
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In addition to works in our screening programme and exhibition, Kat Cizek gave an inspirational keynote on the principles of Co-Creation, followed by a talk with artists Renata Ferraz (director of Rising Sun Blues), Gregory Herbert and Katie Field (directors of Making With) and Mandy Roberts from Feminist Exchange Network (the makers of our 2022 Alternate Realities commission). Composer Hannah Conway – whose new work The Sound Voice Project would go on to win our Alternate Realities Award – participated in a talk with Brian Hill whose 2006 film Songbirds also featured as part of the programme. whole festival I heard nothing but words of encouragement that I give to those at home [in Ukraine]… I am so grateful for the opportunity to see our documentaries, these meetings are so necessary and important…”
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Co-Creation: Changing our World While selecting films and immersive works for this year’s Sheffield DocFest, we witnessed an increase in collective filmmaking and more work emerging from interdisciplinary practices. We approached our colleague Katerina Cizek at MIT Open Documentary Lab’s Co-Creation Studio with an invitation to cocurate a programme that would explore the practice of Co-Creation. The intention was not only to give context to the new work, but also to revisit vanguard works and appreciate them anew through the study of co-creation. We matched new works premiering in our Film and Alternate Realities programmes, with emblematic works from the past that ‘emerge out of process, and evolve from within communities and with people, rather than being made for or about them’.
Special Programmes
Dar’ya Averchenko, Docudays, How great it was to be back at Sheffield DocFest, and how buzzy and busy it felt.” Hill, Filmmaker
p.7 Top 10 Films Rated by the Sheffield DocFest Audience 1 A Bunch of Amateurs Kim Hopkins / UK / World Premiere / 2022 Audience Award winner 2 Lyra Alison Millar / UK / UK Premiere / 2021 3 The Territory Alex Pritz / Brazil, Denmark, USA / UK Premiere / 2022 4 8 Bar – The Evolution of Grime Ewen Spencer, Aleksandra Bilic, and David Upshal / UK / World Premiere / 2022 5 A film about Studio Electrophonique James Taylor / UK / World Premiere / 2022 6 Nelly & Nadine Magnus Gertten / Sweden, Belgium, Norway / UK Premiere / 2022 7 One Day at a Time Paul Chambers / UK / World Premiere / 2022 8 Master of Light Rosa Ruth Boesten / USA, Netherlands / International Premiere / 2022 9 Man on Earth Amiel Courtin-Wilson / Australia / World Premiere / 2022 10 A S tory of Bones Joseph Curran and Dominic de Vere / UK / UK Premiere / 2022 Film 2264Programme1355558SubmissionsFilmsCountriesRepresentedLanguagesRepresented117Premieres38World22International11European46UK
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Film Programme
In an age when we are inundated with images, documentaries continue to play an essential role in the way we interact with the world. They not only show us the realities of life across the globe, they forge a connection between audience and subject, as the rich and diverse programme of features and shorts in this year’s festival showed. The selected films spanned the full spectrum of documentary production, from investigative journalism to experimental/hybrid works – and everything in between. Each film invited audiences to engage with them; to be inspired and even challenged by the stories they tell. The year’s programme featured 135 films from 55 countries. 117 were recent productions, with a selection of 18 archive films playing across the various strands and special focus sections. Of the new films, 38 were world premieres. There were 22 international premieres and 11 European premieres. And 46 films enjoyed their UK premiere across the course of the festival.
Following an unforgettable opening film, the people’s premiere of Moonage Daydream by Brett Morgen, the festival quickly became the stage of important world premieres such as Werner Herzog’s The Fire Within: Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft and Emma Davie’s The Oil Machine. Our venues welcomed the many directors and protagonists that attended the festival such as the Bradford Movie Makers club from A Bunch of Amateurs (Audience Award winner); artist George Morton, the main character of Master of Light (First Feature Award winner) and a big delegation of Ukrainian Audiencesfilmmakers.hadthechance to engage in deep conversations about the damage of benzodiazepines (As Prescribed ) and the courageous work of indigenous leaders in Brazil (The Territory) as well as they had the chance to enjoy a live music performance by North Circular and a surprise queer tango act after the screening of Before We Move Together, these films not only add up to an exciting, wide-ranging, provocative, engaging and entertaining programme, they were a barometer of the importance of documentary film upon the world stage. And after two years of uncertainty, the films and the many terrific audience responses showed that Sheffield DocFest is back – stronger and more vital than ever. rom the get go we felt completely supported by you, and in addition to our incredible screenings, we loved helping shape the Friday night party. Everyone we encountered at the festival was incredibly helpful and kind… Sheffield will always be a very special place to us.”
Mirissa Neff (Director: This is National Wake) Asif Kapadia hosting Q&A with Werner Herzog, The Fire Within Photographer: Anastasia Yules
Francesca Panetta, Alternate Realities Curator says, “The artists we featured 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 selected are important in topic, but also fun to engage with, and all importantly, bring audiences together digitally and in person to ReConnect.”
Audience member experiencing On the Morning You Wake (To the End of The World)
The Alternate Realities programme at Sheffield DocFest 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 presented 29 works at exhibition spaces that were predominately free and open to the public, supported by Arts Council England.
Photographer: David Chang
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Site Studio offered a space for rest, dedicated to projects that encourage recuperation and wellbeing – including Recharge (World Premiere) by Dries Deporter, which, through the magic of AI, powers your mobile phone when you close your eyes, and Black Power Naps who reclaim laziness and idleness as power as they explain in a video about their work.
Sheffield DocFest’s main exhibition space was Site Gallery where festival-goers could experience multiplayer virtual reality pieces, webdocs, digital games, a poetic room-scale VR experience, and single-screen work. Also shown were interactive works including Only Bans, a digital game that critically examines the online policing of sex workers and marginalised bodies, and Ravi and Emma, a world-first experience made possible using artificial intelligence and gesture recognition technology.
4365PremieresWorldInternationalEuropeanUK
Alternate Realities 29ProgrammeProjects18
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Alternate Realities Programme
Commissioned by Sheffield DocFest with Site Gallery, Feminist Economics Football: A Cooperative Game for Sheffield was a live three-sided match, played on a hexagonal pitch during the festival and open to the public. The game was filmed and edited into a work shown at Site Gallery – the Festival’s main exhibition space, which extended this year so that audiences could continue to enjoy it in the weeks after the Festival.
Nienke Huitenga (Alternate Realities Artist: ROZSYPNE)
VR works sat in multiple venues across the city and included the multiplayer Gondwana, which allowed audiences to roam the world’s oldest tropical rainforest with fellow audience members; and the full room installation Kubo Walks the City where you could explore 1930s Seoul in the footsteps of the Korean writer, Kubo.
Wewanttothankyouforthe greattime,warm-hearted welcomeandprogramming ROZSYPNEinsuchabeautiful program.Thiswastrulyan enormoushonour.”
An immersive installation, Escaping Gravity, filled the entirety of Event Space, highlighting human desire for progress through the story of Britain’s Imperial Airship programme. As part of the Ukraine focus, audiences could scroll through TikTok reportage, analysis and charactuature explaining the war to a younger generation, whilst Rozspyne immersed viewers in 360 virtual reality as war breaks out in the small village of Rozspyne in 2014. For more on the Alternate Realities Summit and Talent Market, see p.15
Several large-scale installations were presented across the city, including The Sound Voice Project –the winner of the AR Award – a piece of new cocreated music by Hannah Conway who worked with medical professionals and people who experienced voice loss. While in the Town Hall, The Acquisition Panel (World Premiere) placed you inside a committee where you collectively decide if a controversial colonial object will be allowed into the local museum.
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A Bunch of Amateurs Kim Hopkins Alternate Realities Audience Award Santa Barbara Diana Markosian
The DocFest Awards recognise great films, filmmakers and project creators. This year’s winners were chosen by an exciting and diverse group of local, national and international jurors.
First Feature Award Master of Light Rosa Ruth Boesten / USA, Netherlands / International Premiere / 2022 Special Mention: Julie on Line Mia Ma / France / International Premiere / 2021
*The winner is eligible for Academy Award® consideration. **The Short Film Award is Academy, BAFTA and BIFA accredited
The Sound Voice Project Hannah Conway Special Mention: The Acquisitions Panel Rachel Briscoe
XaymacaJurors: Awoyungbo Esme Haddrill Selman Hannah Jackson Emma Morgan-Bennett Mie Murasa Short Doc Award** Fawley Chu-Li Shewring and Adam Gutch / UK / World Premiere / 2022 Special Mention: Calling Cabral Welket Bungué / Guinea-Bissau, Portugal, Brazil / World Premiere / 2022
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ZaynepJurors: Güzel Cherish Oteka Saskia Wilson Alternate Realities Award
International Competition* Sansòn and Me Rodrigo Reyes / Mexico, USA / International Premiere / 2022 Special Mentions: One Day in Ukraine Volodymyr Tykhyy / Ukraine, Poland / World Premiere / 2022 After the End of the World Nadim Mishlawi / Lebanon / World Premiere / 2022
Festival Awards
Youth Jury Award Alis Nicolas van Hemelryck and Clare Weiskopf / Colombia, Romania, Chile / UK Premiere / 2022 Special Mention: Four Journeys Louis Hothothot / Netherlands, China / European Premiere / 2021
Dr.Jurors:Rob IriniShehaniEagleFernandoPapadimitriou Audience Award
RomanJurors: Bondarchuk Nainita NatashaDesaiGadd
Tim Hetherington Award Lyra Alison Millar / UK / UK Premiere / 2021 Special Mention: The Territory Alex Pritz / Brazil, Denmark, USA / UK Premiere / 2022
PhilippeAkuolElenaJurors:CosentinodeMabiorSandsQC
RaymondIkeEmmaJurors:DavieNnaebuePhathanavirangoon
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Film
Director: The Oil Machine) “ Audience Award winner: A Bunch of Amateurs Photographer: David Chang First Feature Award winner: Master of Light Photographer: Sarah Mosses
seeing the selection of films which felt very reflective of important diverse visions of the world and documentary form.” Emma Davie
AwardsReallyenjoyed (Feature Juror;
The Craft Summit included sessions exploring cinematography, editing, directing, producing, composition and sound design. Featured speakers included Jonny Taylor, Sema Basharan, Andy Warboys, Elisa Iannacone, Jack Weisman, Rob Alexander, Gabriela Osio Vanden and Zágon Nagy. Highlights included a composing masterclass with Nainita Desai, who shared her process developing the score for 2019 DocFestfavourite For Sama, as well as Craft Masterclass with Brett Morgen, who’s new film Moonage Daydream opened the festival. Our Talks programme welcomed some of the world’s leading voices in film, immersive media and activism to Sheffield, to discuss their expansive careers. All guest speakers who are pushing the boundaries of storytelling, with their unique approaches to form and Highlightstyle.Talks included globally recognised filmmaker and human rights activist Pratibha Parmar in conversation, discussing her in depth career, with a focus on festival title My Name is Andrea; Cutting the Fame Trilogy where director Asif Kapadia and editor Chris King opened up the archives and revisited unused material from Senna, Amy and Diego Maradona; Will Young gave a moving talk about the making of Channel 4 documentary Will Young: Losing My Twin Rupert and his hopes for the impact the documentary will have in reducing the stigma around addiction; Ellie Simmonds discussed her upcoming ITV documentary investigating the relationship between adoption and disability, and BBC journalist, newsreader and presenter Clive Myrie gave an indepth talk, discussing his expansive and varied career; including recent BBC coverage of Russia’s military escalation in Ukraine, as well as extensive reporting on the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Talks & Sessions Programme
New Talent on the Rise, Working with Nat Geo, Does Doc Length Matter? – Making Short Docs that matter, Journalism and Creative Documentary, Star Power – How to Position Unknown Talent, Beyond Centres of Power, and How ScreenSkills is Boosting Skills in an Unscripted TV Boom. Key sponsors included: BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Paramount+, Canon, The Grierson Trust, BAFTA, WaterBear, National Geographic, Sky Documentaries, UKTV, The Guardian and DocSociety.
In 2022 the DocFest Talks and Session programme explored the full spectrum of the documentary world - including conversations with exciting emerging filmmakers on the rise, masterclasses with world renowned filmmakers, interviews with popular onscreen talent and panel sessions exploring a wide range of industry topics. Over 150 speakers shared their experiences and inspirations, as well as offering advice and guidance. We celebrated Trans-led stories and the importance of representation, as well as exploring the ways in which crews can reduce the environmental impact of their productions. We continued a dialogue about the problem of bullying and harassment in the industry, and highlighted some of the initiatives that have been launched in response. We also showcased a range of new funding opportunities for filmmakers, and explored the question, have we reached the peak in celebrity issue
2022 Pitch winners: Channel 4 First Cut Pitch: Ben Cheetham The Whickers Pitch: Our Hoolocks co-directors Chinmoy Sonowal & Ragini Nath (Liminal Picture Production - India) BBC Three Northern Docs Pitch: Winner to be announced at a later date
Highlightdocumentaries?sessionsincluded
We hosted three pitching opportunities for upcoming filmmakers, including Channel 4 First Cut Pitch, the BBC Three Northern Docs Pitch and The Whickers Pitch.
Top 5 Talks & Sessions Rated by DocFest Audiences 1 Cutting the ‘Fame’ Trilogy: Asif Kapadia and Chris King 2 Brett Morgen in Conversation 3 RepresentationStoriesTransCelebratingLedand 4 Bullying Harassment& in the Industry 5 BBC CliveInterview:Myrie
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ITV Presents Fresh Cuts Photographer: Tayyib Sulaiman
Talks & Sessions Programme
Audience member at ITV Presents Fresh Cuts Photographer: David Chang
For the Alternate Realities Talent Market participants met with artists from the exhibition, and the Alternate Realities Summit and Think Tank to give space for artists, programmers, and professionals to discuss the state of the industry in constructive ways and to provide meaningful opportunities for artistic and industry development at the festival. This year’s Alternate Realities Talent cohort were: Anya Gleizer & Faye Belsey, Baff Akoto, Emma Morgan-Bennett & Valeria Salina Toros, Timo Wright, Anghelo Taylor & Beatriz Martinelli, Claire Levy, Dr. Sandra Gaudenzi, Emilka Bojanczyk & Sandra Tabares Duque, Jameisha Prescod, Ronald Baez.
195 Decision Makers and experts from 30+ countries participated in the MeetMarket, including executives from NETFLIX, ARTE, BBC, Channel 4, Doc Society, Hulu, Dogwoof, SVT, Field of Vision, SBS, ESPN, National Geographic, POV, The Guardian, Met Film, Fremantle, along with many international and UK broadcast commissioners, sales agents, distributors, film funds, foundations, equity financiers, festival programmers and NGOs.
This edition, we expanded our offerings for our two talent programmes: Alternate Realities Talent Market and Amplify: Production Talent. The aim was not only to arrange meetings for the selected talents but also to provide more networking opportunities and resources.
Amplify: Production Talent is an initiative for entrylevel production professionals to evaluate their careers and offers the opportunity to connect with UK production company executives. Creating a cohort of production talents from around the United Kingdom and introducing them to companies like Channel 4, The Guardian and Tate. This year’s Amplify: Production Talent cohort were: Christie Allanson, Zain Mohsin, Arsalan Motavali, Lily Ahree Siegel, Emma Norton, Bryn Thomas, Natasha Hawthornthwaite, Fatima Ali Omar.
p.15Industry 891951095Marketplace39Match-madeMeetingsDecisionMakersAlternateRealitiesTalentMarketProjectsMeetMarketProjectsAmplify:ProductionTalents
The MeetMarket was in its pre-pandemic form again in Cutlers’ Hall with project teams and company representatives in one venue. This gave the opportunity to meet spontaneously and make further connections in addition to the 850 pre-arranged meetings for the 39 teams from 29 countries. In particular, sales agents and distributors could again do business with commissioning editors and platforms in a face-to-face setting. 245 online meetings were also provided for teams and decision makers who couldn’t make the trip to Sheffield and still used the festival platform to connect.
Lindsay Dryden, MeetMarket Participant
“ MeetMarket meetings in Cutlers’ Hall
an absolutely
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Photographer: David Chang
ThankMarketplaceyoufor wonderful few days – your hard work and thoughtfulness made so many amazing things happen, and I think everyone left Sheffield with a renewed sense of love for our field, community, optimism and energy.”
The seminar Pitch Your Short gave an inside look into short platforms and included representatives from The Guardian, The New York Times, New Yorker/Conde Nast, Lyfta, Doc Society, Sky Documentaries and Channel 4. In addition, we brought back the very popular workshop on film budgeting.
Marketplace Sessions & Pitches
We were delighted to host 3 live pitch events across the Festival where delegates could watch filmmakers present new proposals for feedback and/or an immediate commission to a panel of industry Decision Makers and Industry Experts, including The Whickers Pitch, BBC Northern Docs Pitch and The Channel 4 First Cut Pitch. See p.13 for winners. We welcomed 10 delegation groups to DocFest which included filmmakers, producers, creatives and industry representatives from around the world and UK who came to Sheffield to network and spark collaborations. International and national delegations were represented from Chile, Cornwall, Europe, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Northern Norway, Scotland, UAE, Ukraine and Wales. It was a really good opportunity to connect with filmmaking talent and to re-connect with friends and colleagues I haven’t seen for several years. I’m hoping that a couple of deals may come out of the meetings, but as always, the biggest value is the longer-term relationships that the meetings help to engender.”
Ian Davis, Noah Media Group
The Marketplace at Cutlers’ Hall is an open and democratic space dedicated to unlocking funding, finding partners and establishing peer-to-peer working relationships through sessions. The offerings are tailored to both emerging and established film professionals to make long-lasting relationships. This year the focus was on reconnecting as the Marketplace had only been online for the last two years and was missing the bustle of an in-person market. Several networking sessions, the 10-Minute Meets, Meet the Festivals, and Producers Meet Producers, provided an informal setting for people to make new connections. These well attended sessions kicked off the Marketplace that set the tone for further Marketplace days. Industry delegates could then set up their own meetings in the Marketplace Cafe or book a slot with a consultant to explore further pathways for their projects.
The sessions How to Co-produce with the UK and Who’s Who gave necessary access to commissioners and funders to learn about different funding schemes.
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The Community programme features stories and ideas with a strong focus on what happens when people come together. It’s about making connections in and to our city and is produced in partnership with people, artists and organisations based in Sheffield and the South Yorkshire Region. The programme makes links across Film, Alternate Realities and Industry programmes to collaborate with local audiences, make deeper connections across the festival and broaden access for the programme and as well as strengthen industry opportunities for first time and independent filmmakers in Sheffield.
The programme also featured a live performance by local folk musicians, creating connections between the trad music scene and Irish community in Sheffield and the community of Dublin musicians in North Circular ’s Cobblestone. The workshops were all free of charge and all films had free places for people on a low income or who might benefit from support to attend – all with a focus on tackling social isolation and bringing people together. This year we focused on supporting organisations that specialise in fair food and housing and groups that aim to break down barriers of access to the Peak District to support health and wellbeing. We also worked with the Alternate Realities team to bring local female and non-binary football players to join the Feminist Economic Football project reaching out to organisations that support young people in Sheffield through football projects some of whom had previously attended through the Community Programme. We supported 12 first time filmmakers to receive free industry accreditation through our collaboration with Sheffield’s Diaspora Multimedia Hub.
Right to Roam Ramble with Terry Howard and Maxwell Ayamba
Our three Community workshops were: A Right to Roam Ramble group walk and discussion, addressing access to the countryside, the right to roam, and the UK’s radical history of trespass.
p.18Community
Exploring Masculinity – One Day at a Time centred on building confidence and self-esteem, and creating connection with others through photography and poetry. Meet the Movie Makers – drop in filmmaking and informal chats with the Bradford based protagonists from A Bunch of Amateurs
We included a selection of films from across the shorts and feature film strands telling local and international stories and presented three Relaxed Screenings and a special screening for people aged 55 and over.
Photographer: Laura Hegarty
Paul
at A Time “ With thanks to our Venue Partners: Showroom Cinema The Light Cinema Curzon Cinema ODEON Luxe Sheffield Sheffield City Hall Town ChanningHall Hall Cutlers’ Hall The Workstation Site SheffieldGalleryHallam University The EventKuriousSpace Crystal KollectiveBarCoffee & Kitchen TamperKommuneSellers Wheel Sheffield Winter Garden Birdhouse Tea Bar & Kitchen The Furnace Bar & Restaurant The NetworkSidneyAmbuloMillenniumLeadmillGallery&Matilda
p.19Community
Asadirectresultofthearttherapy classthatyouorganisedaspart ofthefestival,twomencame forwardtoSamanddecidedthey neededhelp,bothhavejoined theAAfellowshipandoneis consideringmovingtoDJKHouse totacklehisissueswithaddiction headon.Soitreallydidhavea realimpact,sothanks,wewould liketocontinuewiththismodelof workshopsatfuturescreenings.” Chambers, Director: One Day
ITV ModeratorInterviewShani Dhanda with Ellie Photographer:SimmondsOliver Ibbotson
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Pratibha Parmar In Conversation Photographer: Oliver Ibbotson
Channel 4 Interview with Will Young Photographer: David Chang Cutting the ‘Fame’ Trilogy: Moderator Jason Woods with Asif Photographer:KapadiaDavid Chang
p.22Festival 30,323Audiences 4,89925,424 Festival Admissions VirtualIn-person Aged 30 & Under Ethnically1%Non-binary46%Female22%Diverse Audiences From13%With18%LGBTQI+14%aDisabilityaDisadvantaged Background 13%
p.23Festival Audiences Where our public audiences came from of47%public acrossattendingof70%theattendingaudiencesDocFestforfirsttimeaudiences1-3eventsthefestival attending7% 10+ events across the festival of83%public audiences rated their festival experience as excellent or very good Audiencesfrom61%AudiencesSheffield12%from the rest of theAudiences27%YorkshirefromrestoftheUK
p.24Industry 2188Delegates£1.4m25%InternationalDelegatesfrom69countriesEconomicImpactontheCityofSheffieldWhereourindustryaudiencescamefrom Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, Yemen.
p.25Industry Delegates For 38% of industry delegates, the 2022 was their first Festival 27% had been to the Festival five or more times previously 46% of industry delegates are independent filmmakers and producers: the largest sector in attendance Aged 30 & under Ethnically1%Non-binary57%Female26%diverse audiences Audiences22%LGBTQI+27% with a disability Audiences11% from a disadvantaged background20%38% 27% 46%
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DocFest
The return of Sheffield DocFest 2022 to being an in-person event attracted UK, international and trade media attention, with journalists welcoming the opportunity to return to Sheffield to engage with the whole programme, while others participated remotely and made use of the DocPlayer.
p.27Press & Media Coverage
Coverage about DocFest appeared in outlets representing traditional media across print, broadcast and online, as well as more specialist outlets. Previews and features ran in national news including: The Sunday Times Culture, The Observer New Review, Guardian Saturday, Guardian Online, Independent Online, BBC News Online; and broadcast including: BBC Radio 4 Front Row, BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, Times Radio. Reviews and reports ran in influential digital outlets including: AnOther, Backseat Mafia, Cinamore, CloseUp Film, Ecologist, Eye for Film, Film Carnage, gal-dem, The NewsQuietus.reports ran in industry trades, ATV Today, Broadcast, C21Media, Deadline, Prolific North, Real Screen, Screen Daily, TBI Vision, Televisual, Variety and World Screen, plus interviews and reviews in Business Doc LocalEurope.coverage appeared in Big Issue North, Yorkshire Post, Sheffield Star, BBC Radio Sheffield, ITV Calendar, Now Then, Exposed Magazine, Reel Steel and Our Fave Places as well as Derbyshire Times, Huddersfield Times and Hull Daily Mail. International coverage appears in Cineuropa, The Film Verdict and Modern Times Review, as well as US outlets Filmmaker Magazine, and SPIN, plus other international countries such as: Desist Film (LatAm), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), La Prensa (Nicaragua), MIME.News, See NL (Netherlands) and Ukrainian outlets Kinowar, Odessa Journal and Prostir.
143 Numberofaccreditedpress Afestivalthatactsasa launchpadforthebuzziest documentaries oftheyear.” i-D Magazine “
Journalists have highlighted the festival’s programme and guests, among them Asif Kapadia, Brett Morgen and Pratibha Parmar, while films from Yorkshire filmmakers also garnered positive attention for interview features and reviews. National coverage ahead of the Festival included articles that explored documentary filmmaking such as The Sunday Times Culture ‘Best Docs’ cover feature and an Observer New Review Q+A with Asif Kapadia. Local media spoke to Festival programmers and representatives in the lead up to the event promoting the film and Alternate Realities programmes to local communities. Reviews and roundup reports ran during and immediately following the Festival across a range of digital outlets, while Talks and Sessions garnered reports and news in the trades.
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Sheffield City Council Observer Fozia Khan Gali
Camila Arriaga Torres International Delegations Assistant, Session Producer Cassie Fletcher Assistant Accountant Charlie Phillips Executive Producer, Industry Participation
Arts Council England Observer Team Abena Taylor-Smith Production Coordinator | Focus: Filmmaker Talent Aglaia Gelpe Hospitality Coordinator Alice Gale Events Coordinator Anna Kime Alternate Realities Commission Producer Anna Stopford Box Office Manager Anna Titov Alternate Realities Programme Assistant Anthea Okereke Community Programme Coordinator Ash Taylor Volunteer Assistant Asif Kapadia Guest Curator
Eleni Stavrou Communications Coordinator
Laura Hegarty Community Programme Producer Lee Bentham Operations and Admin Coordinator
Charlotte Reekers Senior Industry Producer Clare Stewart Interim CEO Corrigan Lowe Partnerships & Executive Assistant David Chang Photographer Davis McLeavy Alternate Realities Exhibition Designer
Francesca Panetta Alternate Realities Curator
Lex Greer Assistant Publicist, Premier Mae Roberts Film Programme Assistant Maria Stoneman Head of HR and Participation Mat Steel Head of Productions and Operations Maya Sfakianaki Hospitality Assistant
Asma Kabadeh Film Programme Coordinator Beccy Ashdown Talks and Sessions Senior Producer
Oliver Kibblewhite Alternate Realities Technical Architect Oliver Roberts Volunteer Coordinator Paul Hayes Showroom Production Manager Paul Stapleton Designer Philippa Walusimbi Talks & Sessions Programme Coordinator Raul Niño Zambrano Head of Film Programmes
Sophie Duncan Industry Programme Coordinator Sylvia Bednarz Partnerships and Operations Director
Trustees Alex Cooke Chair Beejal-Maya Patel Brian Woods Deputy Chair Daniel DianaDerrenGordonLawfordBuckley
Festival Team & Trustees
Tash Rajan Digital Engagement, Together Films Programme Consultants
Rita Pais Registration Assistant Rose-Marie Jhuboo Industry Programme Assistant Rupert Goodwin Publicist, Premier Sarah Dunn Box Office Assistant Sarah Mosses Head of Marketing & Audiences, Together Films Saziso Phisi Production Assistant Scott Marshall Box Office Coordinator
Carmen Thompson Alfredo Mora Manzano Thierno Ibrahima Dia Naziha Karima Arebi Varadila Nurdin Programme Advisors
Charlie NosaTeodosiaJohnDeepthiEdwinMariaLesediLazaEliseRoisinMarianaMartijnHarryHannahClodaghPhillipsChapmanMcHaffieKalfayantePasHristovaTapponiHassanOlukoMochePaulaLorgiaMingardPendurtyBadaluDobriyanovaEke
Ian Haydn Smith Publications Editor
CommitteeMarketplaceMembers
John Rose-Adams Summit Producer XR Stories Juliet Ellis Alternate Realities Commission Filmmaker Juliet Moore Amplify Talent Coordinator
Alexis TinySimonReiRajeshNosaManonMandyLindseyLindsayGalfasPoultonDrydenChangEulerEkeThindGarcíaLeeMungwe
Gaia Campanelli Events Assistant Greg Walker Production Manager Harry Løvstrøm Alternate Realities Talent Market Producer Hannah Campbell Alternate Realities Programme Producer Hannah Gauntlett Digital Producer, Together Films
SueShiraniSachaPeterJoJenniferHelenGoldScottKimberClinton-DavisArmstrongMirzoeffSabaratnamCook
John-Paul Pierrot Digital Marketing & Partnerships,Together Films
Melodie Ash Summit Producer XR Stories Melissa Minshull Mita Suri Film Programme Producer Monique Reid Publicist, Premier Nikki Stearman Summit Producer XR Stories
Jack Rutherford Alternate Realities Production Coordinator Jamie Allan Special Projects and Short Film Programmer James Mullighan Partnerships Executive James Lowe Designer Jessica Cohen Events Manager
Elizabeth Dexter Alternate Realities Programme Assistant Ellie Irwin Operations Support Fiona Outram Finance Manager
p.29Funders, Sponsors & Supporters Principal Funders Major Funders, Partners & Sponsors Funders, Partners & Sponsors
