Opening Night Film
TISH Wed 14 June, 18:15 Doors open at 17:15 Sheffield City Hall – Oval Hall
Perspectives on Iran We are delighted to open Sheffield DocFest 2023 with the world premiere of Paul Sng’s inspiring documentary portrait of photographer and activist Tish Murtha. Tish Murtha’s photography gave voice to the often unspoken concerns of her subjects, who ranged from children and adolescents to unemployed adults, sex workers and families struggling to live in modern-day Britain. Born in the northern coastal town of South Shields, Tish began her extraordinary career in the late 1970s. Driven by a fierce conviction to record the impact of Thatcher era de-industrialisation upon local communities, her striking black and white images convey a tenderness and intimacy that set her apart from her peers. In Tish, Paul Sng celebrates the vision and profound humanism of this gifted photographer. As the film questions the value placed on art and artists from working class roots, we follow Tish’s daughter Ella, as she fights to preserve her mother’s legacy. No less striking than the work of its subject, Tish is a powerful tribute to a vital artist, activist and social chronicler, and a rallying call to all whose engagement with art questions who gets seen and heard, who doesn’t, and why.
Alternate Realities Exhibition
Sheffield DocFest curates a special focus on Iran, which includes a retrospective of our Guest of Honour Rakhshan Banietemad.
Featured Films
Playing in tandem with Rakhshan Banietemad’s films are a selection of new and vital documentaries. They range from female filmmakers surveying the limitations placed on their lives and work, a reassessment of the male gaze in cinema and an account of the insidiousness of censorship, to a dark portrait of political interrogation and a celebration of friendship across two continents. Together, they explore the challenges of everyday life in Iran, but also hope for change and a brighter future.
How Dare You Have Such a Rubbish Wish
Guest of Honour: Rakhshan Banietemad in Conversation Fri 16 June, 13:30, Crucible Playhouse Our Guest of Honour, Rakhshan Banietemad, will discuss her career, reflecting on her critically acclaimed and award-winning body of work, as well as premiering a short film she created during the pandemic. As a key figure on the landscape of Iranian documentary filmmaking, Rakhshan’s work has undoubtedly shaped and influenced the industry and its creatives in the region. She will be joined on stage by other Iranian documentary filmmakers.
The film is followed by a Q&A with director Paul Sng, alongside special guests.
Shorts: Iran – A Sense of Place Sun 18 June, 12:45, Showroom 3 Mon 19 June, 15:00, Showroom 2
Left Tish Murtha Image courtesy of Ella Murtha All Rights Reserved
Inspired by Wim Wenders’ book A Sense of Place, this anthology project sees a group of Iranian filmmakers develop new work exploring their connection with the world around them.
And, Towards Happy Alleys Between Revolutions My Worst Enemy Profession: Documentarist Where God Is Not
Rakhshan Banietemad Retrospective Angels of the House of Sun Hey, Humans Narratives ad Hominem Our Times See You Tomorrow Elina We are Half of Iran’s Population Below Rakshan Banietemad
EXPL RE THE B UNDARIES F TECHN L GY & ST RYTELLING... ...and experience diverse lives through exciting new formats, from virtual reality to immersive dome screens. Discover unique projects that take us from the experience of mothers and children in incarceration to a playful and provocative immersion in fantasy worlds.
This exhibition highlights the way artists and creators are finding new ways to represent lives and worlds past, present and future. The full exhibition runs throughout the Festival, 14 – 19 June at Site Gallery, 11:00 – 20:00. Free and open to all.
Highlights
Sheffield DocFest is the UK’s leading documentary festival and one of the world’s most influential markets for documentary projects. We champion and present the breadth of documentary form – film, television, immersive and art – in the vibrant city of Sheffield each June. We offer makers and audiences a place for inspiration, debate, development, learning and challenge.
DocLover Ticket Packages
DocLover 5: £40 Standard / £30 Concession
Jews. In Their Own Words. Thu 15 June, 19:30, Crucible Playhouse
Booking Information
DocLover 10: £75 Standard / £55 Concession
A special, one-hour abridged version of Jonathan Freedland’s verbatim play, which exposes the roots and explores the damning legacy of antisemitism throughout our society.
Tickets are available online at sheffdocfest.com or in person at the Showroom Cinema. For enquiries email boxoffice@sheffdocfest.com or call 0330 122 8870. Single Tickets Film screenings at the Showroom, Curzon, and The Light cinemas – £10 Standard / £6.50 Concession DocsForAll: £6.50 Applies to cinema screenings starting before 14:00 on weekdays, and all day on Mon 19 June. Screenings and events at The Crucible Theatre £12 Standard / £8 Concession Opening Night at Sheffield City Hall £18 Standard / £12 Concession plus booking and transaction fees
Sheffield DocFest is made possible thanks to the support of our partners, funders and sponsors, including Principal Funders Sheffield City Council, Arts Council England and BFI
Journey into the story of an indigenous community in Australia (The Galup VR Experience) before discovering how a group of residents from one of Cape Town’s oldest suburbs are finding ways to combat gentrification (No Place But Here). Experience the intimacy created in the confluence of a car crash and a kiss (Kiss/ Crash) or explore how notions of beauty are upended through the reanimation of dead creatures (Dancing with Dead Animals).
Highlights Guide
Visitor Information
Unearth a hidden history in the development of the automobile (Mrs Benz) and witness the way a popular gaming platform is used to learn how The Great Sphinx of Giza was really made (Wonders: The Great Pyramids).
Buy a DocLover package and get discounted tickets for film screenings at the Showroom, Curzon and The Light cinemas. Select up to 4 tickets per screening. Standard DocLover pass holders also receive a £2 discount for screenings and events at The Crucible Theatre.
Access & Affordability Complimentary tickets are available for Personal Assistants, Carers or sign language interpreters, and must be booked in advance. To view up to date details of our services, including BSL interpretation, live captioning, relaxed screenings, subtitled and captioned films, please visit sheffdocfest.com/attend/accessibility Concession tickets are available to claimants, full-time students and over 60’s. Our new DocsForAll concession is available to anyone who cannot afford a full-price ticket. No proof of status is required and we operate this concession on a trust basis. All information is correct at the time of publication. Sheffield DocFest reserves the right to add and remove content and make changes and updates. Please visit sheffdocfest.com for the most up to date information.
Women Like You: Three Films from the Sheffield Film Co-op Thursday 15 June, 18:00, Showroom 3 This programme brings together three films spanning the Co-op’s history, from their early DIY activist work to innovative hybrid experiments and compelling investigative documentaries. A Question of Choice
Podcast Live Events Fri 16 June, 19:00, Crucible Playhouse (Podcast Live: Witch) Sat 17 June, 20:00, Crucible Playhouse (Podcast Live: Soul Music) We present special podcast events of host India Rakusen’s (28ish Days Later) new show Witch and the first live outing for Soul Music, one of BBC’s longest-running documentary audio shows.
The Deepest Breath
Praying for Armageddon
Twice Colonized
Debates
Journeys
Rebellions
Rhythms
Films about the things we need to discuss, ranging from the history of interracial fostering in White Nanny, Black Child to the exploration of issues around intersex identity in Every Body, and the work of fundamentalist Christians promoting the apocalypse in Praying for Armageddon.
From venturing out of the front door to exploring a new world, we take a front seat on a journey of discovery, whether it’s into the ocean’s depths with The Deepest Breath or My Friend Lanre’s intimate account of one person’s life.
Stories of people striving for social change and fighting for what matters, whether it’s the study of India’s changing news media landscape in While We Watched or the portrait of activist Aaju Peter in Twice Colonized.
This dazzling collection of documentaries, where movement, bodies and music take centre stage, celebrates pop icons such as Cyndi Lauper, Wham! and TLC, as well as exploring as the world of female classical conductors in Maestra.
Series – The Greatest Show Never Made Sat 17 June, 12:45, Showroom 4 In the early days of a radical new TV show format, six people agreed to appear on a show, unaware of the reality of what was actually going on. This is their story. This event is an exclusive preview of the first episode of this upcoming new series, followed by a conversation with the creators and special guests. Above Sheffield Film Co-op Left Johnathan Freedland
Maestra
Otto Baxter: Not a F***ing Horror Story
Donyale Luna: Supermodel
Memories
People & Community
How the past informs the present – and future – lies at the heart of films in this section, such as Donyale Luna: Supermodel, which explores the revolutionary life of the pioneering Black icon.
A collection of films, which includes the moving Otto Baxter: Not a F***ing Horror Story, that celebrate togetherness through family, friendship and communities.
Right Between the Rains