2023 Sheffield DocFest Festival Report

SHEFFIELD D CFEST 2 23 FESTIVAL REP RT SPARKING SPARKING CURI SITY Looking back on our 30th Edition

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C NTENTS FESTIVAL OVERVIEW....................................................................................3 SPECIAL PROGRAMMES.............................................................................6 FILM PROGRAMME...........................................................................................9 ALTERNATE REALITIES PROGRAMME.............................................11 FESTIVAL AWARDS.........................................................................................13 TALKS & SESSIONS PROGRAMME.....................................................15 INDUSTRY MARKETPLACE.......................................................................18 MARKETPLACE SESSIONS & PITCHES...........................................21 COMMUNITY..........................................................................................................22 FESTIVAL AUDIENCES...................................................................................24 INDUSTRY DELEGATES.................................................................................26 PRESS & MEDIA COVERAGE....................................................................29 FESTIVAL TEAM..................................................................................................31 CONTRIBUTORS..................................................................................................32 FUNDERS, PARTNERS & SPONSORS...............................................33

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FESTIVAL OVERVIEW 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. Our work is underpinned by our core values – creativity, empathy, freedom, inclusivity and internationalism.

For our 30th anniversary edition of Sheffield DocFest, we wanted to spark all of our audiences’ curiosity through a diverse array of events and voices.

Whether discovering the world of deep diving off the coast of Egypt, following the work of brave democracy activists in China, or enjoying an immersive moment in an Estonian sauna, all the films, talks and projects in the programme invited audiences to step into a different environment, or to consider a new perspective on the world.

We are thrilled to report more than 37,821 in-person admissions across the festival with a further 4,724 online views of films in the programme. This boost of more than 25% in in-person audience numbers tells us that audience’s appetite for the live experience is returning post-pandemic. 44% of them watched more than four films and 98% of them had a good, or better, time with us! We were also delighted that our 2023 programme drew 40% of public audiences from outside of South Yorkshire, some even travelling from the US and Europe to attend.

Right Audience at Opening Night Film: Tish Image credit: Tom Ward

We had an emotional opening night with the world premiere of UK-based director Paul Sng’s Tish, screening to a packed audience at the iconic Sheffield City Hall. Telling the posthumous story of an overlooked artist, South Shields’ Tish Murtha, who documented the devastating impact of northern deindustrialisation first-hand, directed by a talent who presented the film at early-development stage in our marketplace in 2021, the film embodied our commitment to original storytelling. Our marketplace and talent programmes are instrumental in supporting many films’ long journey to audiences, and it was joyful to bring together industry delegates, public audiences and invited guests from more than 30 local community groups to celebrate the film and Tish’s legacy.

We know that the past few years have been difficult for everyone – audiences, industry and festivals are all finding their way in a challenging and uncertain political, economic and social landscape. Recognising this, we introduced a new trust-based concession price to broaden access to our public programmes, and partnered with local community and cultural organisations to engage with festival events.

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FESTIVAL OVERVIEW From the 2496 entries we received this year, the film team selected a total of 122 films (86 features and 36 shorts), including 38 World Premieres, 19 International Premieres, 10 European Premieres, 47 UK Premieres and 8 retrospective films, from 52 countries of production with 43 languages represented. 213 screenings took place over 6 days in Sheffield cinemas and venues, and we expanded our programme to include an abridged verbatim theatre piece, live podcast events, premieres of TV series and virtual reality exhibitions, all pushing the boundary of documentary form.

Distilling the programme down to a carefully curated section is a complex process, and the team were rewarded in their care and attention by the extraordinarily high representation of more than 85% films in our programme presented with attending directors, producers and/or subjects.

Below Sheffield DocFest Creative Director Raul Niño Zambrano, Paul Sng director of Tish, Sheffield DocFest Managing Director Annabel Grundy. Image credit: David Chang.

15 projects were exhibited in Alternate Realities, our programme for innovative non-fiction and immersive documentaries; 48 projects were presented in the MeetMarket pitching forum including 6 projects presented as part of our new Rough Cut screenings; we hosted four live pitches from BBC, Channel 4 and The Whickers.

We presented headline talks from a wide range of speakers including our Guest of Honour, Iranian ‘grandmother of documentary filmmaking’ Rakhshan Banietemad, social media satirist Munya Chawawa, and academic and historian David Olusoga; broadcaster talks included interviews with David Harewood, Laura Whitmore and Rose Ayling-Ellis; and headline filmmaker conversations included Award winning filmmakers Chris Smith, Kim Longinotto and Jeanie Finlay with subjects ranging from X-factor winner Dalton Harris, to activist and blogger Aubrey Gordon and 1980s musical icon Andrew Ridgely.

Alongside the Craft Summit and the Alternate Realities Summit were multiple additional talks and sessions covering subjects from mental health & trauma in dealing with sensitive subjects, to the power of youth activism and the inaugural meeting of the new Documentary Film Council, the new peer-led body supporting and advocating for our industry.

Our capacity to deliver Sheffield DocFest each year is due to a range of partners – including over 62 funders and supporters. They invest in our success and their support of the Festival enables everything that we do.

We are hugely grateful for their backing, in particular to those who returned with us, and even increased their support, this year and to the ‘DocHeros’ who donated to our individual fundraising campaign.

PREPARATIONS ARE ALREADY UNDERWAY FOR THE 31ST EDITION OF SHEFFIELD DOCFEST WHICH WILL RUN 12–17 JUNE, 2024.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

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“

FOR THE TOKYO UBER BLUES TEAM, IT WAS NOT ONLY AN HONOUR TO BE SELECTED AND PRESENTED IN THE PROGRAM, BUT SUCH A DELIGHT TO TAKE PART! YOUR AUDIENCES AND FILMMAKERS WERE WARM AND RESPONSIVE IN THE CINEMAS (THEY LAUGHED LOUD, UNLIKE JAPANESE AUDIENCES!) AND ALSO TO TAKU’S PRIMITIVE PROMOTION TACTICS, HIS UBER EATS BAG AND BIKE IN TOW. I LOVED HOW PEOPLE KEPT COMING UP TO HIM ON THE STREET TO CHAT. THE FRIENDLY CITY SHEFFIELD!” Asako Fujioca, Producer of Tokyo Uber Blues

Taku Aoyagi, director of Tokyo Uber Blues.

Image credit: Rachel Coffey

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SPECIAL PR GRAMMES Guest of Honour: Rakhshan Banietemad

Podcast Stories

Our 2023 Guest of Honour was the renowned and pioneering Iranian filmmaker Rakhshan Banietemad. Sheffield DocFest celebrated her career with a retrospective of her documentaries, including the World Premiere of her latest short Narratives ad hominem.

Reflecting the significant growth in podcast production and listenership over the last decade, Sheffield DocFest launched Podcast Stories, a publicfacing programme that explored current documentary audio initiatives, discussing ethical and moral issues and creating a connection to the industry market.

Our first edition encompassed two live events: Witch and Soul Music; and the screening of Citizen Sleuth that reaches into the very heart of one the most popular arenas of podcast production: true crime stories. Alongside these public events, we presented industry events Podcast Pitch and a session offering a route-map to developing a podcast to a documentary feature project.

Banietemad was virtually present in each of the screenings via specially recorded for Sheffield DocFest video introductions. Award-winning producer Elhum Shakerifar and acclaimed academic Maryam Ghorbankarimi reflected on Banietemad’s expansive career to date in a special conversation about her work that made clear that as the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement has increasingly gained currency internationally, this director’s voice and singular vision have become more vital than ever.

Perspectives on Iran Complementing the retrospective of our Guest of Honour, Rakhshan Banietemad, Sheffield DocFest curated a selection of new and vital documentaries that offered different perspectives on Iran. They ranged from female filmmakers surveying the limitations placed on their lives and work and a reassessment of the male gaze in cinema to an account of the insidiousness of censorship, a dark portrait of political interrogation, and a celebration of friendship across two continents. Together, these films explored the challenges of everyday life in Iran, but also hope for change and a brighter future.

Right Rakhshan Banietemad on the set of Gilaneh (2004)

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SPECIAL PR GRAMMES First Impressions

Filmmaker Challenge

In the spirit of celebrating some outstanding cinematic documentary series that will premiere later in the year, Sheffield DocFest offered audiences the opportunity to see the first episodes of three major new series.

Each screening was followed by a discussion with the creative team behind each series, along with some of the exceptional individuals who appear in them.

Celebrating inspiration and creativity, we presented our Filmmaker Challenge programme, inviting six early-career doc filmmakers to respond to Sheffield over the days of the festival. Filmmaker Mentor Kevin Macdonald (Touching the Void, The Last King of Scotland) gave further challenge to our six filmmakers, barring synchronous dialogue and encouraging a poetic approach. Our filmmakers showed us windows on Sheffield, dove into the history and hedonism of Sheffield ski parties, contemplated the connection and safe space of the hair salon and explored the connecting power of bad art.

Previews included: Evacuation, a searing three-part series that charts the 2021 evacuation of Kabul, showcasing unparalleled access and previously unseen footage; The Good Fight Club, which charts the fortunes of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes fighting to make it from their South London gym to Las Vegas and the world championship; and The Greatest Show Never Made, which follows six young people who agreed to appear on a radical new TV show, unaware of the reality of what was actually going on.

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This year’s cohort were: Dhivya Chetty, Dorothy Pickard, Hannah Skolnick, Noemi Varga, Rosie Baldwin and Tom and Theo Tennant

THANK YOU SO VERY VERY MUCH FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF THE FILMMAKER CHALLENGE. IT HAS BEEN SO REWARDING AND SO INTENSE AND HAS, AS I HOPED IT WOULD, REINVIGORATED MY DESIRE TO MAKE STUFF AND NOT GET GROUND DOWN IN THE FUNDING FUG.” Dhivya Chetty, Filmmaker Challenge participant

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SHEFFIELD DOCFEST IS THE PERFECT BLEND OF BUSINESS AND PLEASURE. HAVING ATTENDED FOR THE PAST 14 YEARS, IT FEELS LIKE A FAMILY REUNION EACH SUMMER. THE PROJECTS SELECTED FOR MEETMARKET ARE SO STRONG, WHICH MAKES IT EASY TO DO DEALS.” Sarah Mosses, CEO Together Films (UK/US)

Image Credit: Anh Do

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FILM PR GRAMME

PREMIERES

COUNTRIES

FILMS SELECTED

SUBMISSIONS

RETROSPECTIVE FILMS

LANGUAGES

38 World 19 International 10 European 47 UK

Top 10 Audience Rated Films: Fat Friend 1 Your

Jeanie Finlay / USA, UK / International Premiere / 2023 Audience Award Winner

6 Is There Anybody Out There?

Ella Glendining / UK, USA, Scotland / UK Premiere / 2023

Nanny Black Child 2 White

Andy Mundy-Castle / UK / UK Premiere / 2023

Gullspång Miracle 7 The

Maria Fredriksson / Sweden / European Premiere / 2023

3 20 Days in Mariupol Mstyslav Chernov / Ukraine / UK Premiere / 2023

8 My Friend Lanre Leo Regan / UK / World Premiere / 2023

4 Transition

Jordan Bryon, Monica Villamizar / USA / International Premiere / 2023

Photo, Lovely Life 9 Great

Amanda Mustard, Rachel Beth Anderson / USA / UK Premiere / 2023

Baxter: Not A F***ing Horror Story 5 Otto

Peter Beard, Bruce Fletcher, Otto Baxter / UK / World Premiere / 2023

Body Politic 10 The

Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough / USA / World Premiere / 2023

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TO BRING A FILM HOME TO SHEFFIELD DOCFEST, A FESTIVAL THAT I HAVE BEEN COMING TO AND SHOWING FILMS AT FOR 20 YEARS, HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY EMOTIONAL AND MEANINGFUL. OUR INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE AT THE CRUCIBLE THEATRE WAS AN EXPERIENCE I WILL REMEMBER AND TREASURE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.” Jeanie Finlay, Director and Producer of Your Fat Friend

Your Fat Friend Q&A with Joan Parsons, director Jeanie Finlay, and Aubrey Gordon. Image credit: David Chang

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ALTERNATE REALITIES PR GRAMME ATTENDANCE ARTISTS

COUNTRIES

PROJECTS

Despite our exit from the Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio in 2022, ACE transition funding and the goodwill and patience of our supporters and artists allowed us to present a full exhibition of AR works in Site Gallery. These included the return of a newly developed iteration of the intimate experience Within Touching Distance and immersive works taking us in to the realm of the animal kingdom in Dancing with Dead Animals, an infinite number of intimate AI generated car crash kisses in Kiss Crash and a VR programme that truly demonstrated the sophistication of immersive documentary as this form moves forward.

We presented the Alternate Realities Summit exploring issues in AR from the decolonisation of future histories, the threats and opportunities of AI for storytellers, and how to build new audiences for immersive formats. Finally, our AR Talent Market, connected eight emerging artists to industry peers and commissioners.

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WE ENGAGE WITH THE STORY NOT JUST BECAUSE IT IS SO DEVASTATING, BUT BECAUSE THE SHEER POETRY OF ITS DELIVERY LEAVES US WITH A SEED OF HOPE.” Alternate Realities Jurors Emma Cooper, Derek Richards and Andres Jurado – Regarding The Man Who Couldn’t Leave

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IT WAS TRULY MESMERISING TO WITNESS THE PASSION AND INNOVATION WITHIN THE XR COMMUNITY, AND I’M EAGER TO SEE THE SECTOR FLOURISH WITH GREATER INCLUSIVITY AND REPRESENTATION.” Arpana Nqndakumar, Artist

Image Credit: Anh Do

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FESTIVAL AWARDS International Competition In the Rearview Maciek Hamela / Poland, France, Ukraine / 2023 / International Premiere

Tim Hetherington Award

Presented in association with Dogwoof 20 Days in Mariupol Mstyslav Chernov / Ukraine / 2023 / UK Premiere

Special Mention

Special Mention

Stone Town Jing Guo and Dingding KE / China / 2023 / World Premiere

Total Trust Jialing Zhang / Germany, Netherlands / 2023 / UK Premiere

Jurors Kim Longinotto, Rodrigo Reyes and Vinay Shukla

Jurors Julian Carrington, Bruno Jorge and Katayoon Shahabi

International First Feature Competition

Youth Jury Award

Supported by Netflix

Q Jude Chehab / USA / Lebanon / 2023 / International Premiere Jurors Rosa Ruth Boesten, Sonja Henrici and Anna Higgs

International Short Film Competition The Takeover Anders Hammer / USA, Afghanistan, Norway / 2023 / World Premiere Special Mention A Maiden Sings Max Torrés Altés / Spain / 2023 / International Premiere Jurors Aboozar Amini, Tracie Holder and Rebecca Mark-Lawson

Anhell69 Theo Montoya / Colombia, Romania, France, Germany / 2022 / UK Premiere Special Mention 1001 Days Kethiwe Ngcobo & Chloe White / UK, South Africa / 2023 / International Premiere Jurors Jenny Luisa Barruol, Amanda Daud, Tymofii Donets, Annabel Bai Jackson and Alexandra Judkins

International Alternate Realities Competition The Man Who Couldn’t Leave Singing Chen / Taiwan / 2022 / UK Premiere Special Mentions Surfacing Rosa Rossella Schillaci / Italy, Portugal / 2022 Within Touching Distance ZU-UK / UK / 2023 / World Premiere

Audience Award Your Fat Friend Jeanie Finlay / USA, United Kingdom / 2023 / International Premiere

Jurors Emma Cooper, Andres Jurado and Derek Richards

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I JUST WANTED TO SAY A HUGE THANK YOU FOR MY TIME ON THE YOUTH JURY. IT’S BEEN SUCH AN EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCE. I’VE LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT PROGRAMMING, JURYING, DOCUMENTARY ETHICS, COLLABORATION, NETWORKING, AND PITCHING FROM THE SCHEME, AND HAVE GENUINELY JUST HAD LOADS OF FUN.” 2023 Sheffield DocFest Youth Juror

Amanda Daud presents 2023 Youth Jury Award to Anhell69 directed by Theo Montoya.

Image credit: Anh Do

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TALKS & SESSI NS PR GRAMME Our 2023 programme presented an expanded range of events, talks and ‘in conversations’, spanning subjects from the hands-on technical, to debates around the ethics of presenting trauma and how we can better support mental health in our industry. We were also thrilled to host the inaugural meeting of the Documentary Film Council, bringing our industry together to convene on key issues and actions for the council. Expanding our programme to include audio we presented both an inaugural Podcast Pitch and a session exploring the synergies between podcasts and film, and with the addition of First Impressions TV previews were able to present in-depth panels with subjects and makers. From popular TV talent to game changing commissioners and activists, the programme brought together 160 speakers and facilitators over 49 separate sessions.

The Craft Summit presented sessions ranging from an editing masterclass with award winning editor Maya Daisy Hawke (Navalny, Janis: Little Girl Blue), hands-on sessions on camera skills and music supervision, to the intricacies of finding and developing new talent, and a sold out, warts-and-all panel on the Good, Bad and Ugly side of doc producing.

Other talent-led events included conversation on the power of satire in documentary with Munya Chawawa and Jordan Stephens (Rizzle Kicks); Historian David Olusoga expanding on the UK’s fractured histories in his upcoming doc series Union; actor, author and activist David Harewood speaking to his experience presenting and producing impactful documentary works; and TV star Laura Whitmore as she delved into darker subject matter for an upcoming new series.

Finally, honouring our focus on Iran we welcomed award-winning producer Elhum Shakerifar and academic Maryam Ghorbankarimi for a conversation about the future of Iranian cinema.

SPEAKERS SESSIONS

In the Crucible, Delegates were able to dive into the varied history and mould-breaking work of David Glover, in a headline conversation with Tabitha Jackson, while public events provided deep opportunities for audiences to engage with makers and subjects in extended conversations following screenings of key films. We welcomed a broad range of guest subjects including activist Aubrey Gordon, Musician Dalton Harris and Nobel Prize winner Dmity Muratov to expand on their experiences alongside filmmakers Jeanie Finlay, Kim Longinotto + Franky Murray-Brown and Patrick Forbes. Our TV previews of Evacuation, The Good Fight Club and The Greatest Show Never Told brought guests ranging from UK military to aspiring reality TV stars to the stage for lively conversation with festival audiences.

Recognising that a sustainable industry must also be an inclusive and empathetic industry, we presented sessions including: sharing circle with Documentality, an anti-racism workshop with DAE and sessions + networking around disability inclusion and access with TV Access Project and the IDA, in addition to a headline BBC interview with strictly winning actress and Deaf advocate Rose Ayling Ellis.

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TALKS & SESSI NS PR GRAMME 2023 Pitch Winners BBC Storyville Development Pitch

Top 5 Talks & Sessions rated by DocFest Audiences

Jointly awarded to –

1

Rose Ayling Ellis: Signs for Change

With Woman

By Mia Harvey and Ayo Akinwolere

2

Channel 4 Interview: David Glover

3

DAE Anti-racism Workshop

Kashpirovsky

By Lukasz Konopa Channel 4 First Cut Pitch Winner Catherine Harte Podcast pitch 1st Prize Time, Paper, Bone

By Catherine Boulle and Bongani Kona 2nd Prize Breathing Lyrically

By Taqwa Sadiq Whickers Pitch 1st Prize Women of My Life Directed by Zahraa Ghandour 2nd Prize I Want to Kill My Grandfather Co-directed by Lilyana Torres & Carlos Morales

Right Rose Ayling-Ellis.

Image Credit: David Chang

National Geographic: Putting Premium 4 Documentaries at the Heart of the Brand 5

Podcast Live: Witch

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THE LAUNCH OF THE DOCUMENTARY FILM COUNCIL AT SHEFFIELD DOCFEST ON SATURDAY WAS FLIPPING BRILLIANT. IT SOLD OUT, THE VENUE WAS PERFECT, AND IT WAS PACKED FULL OF ENTHUSIASTIC, TALENTED PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE INDUSTRY DETERMINED TO GET STUCK IN AND BUILD A MORE SUSTAINABLE, INCLUSIVE AND DIVERSE DOCS COMMUNITY IN THE UK.” Steve Presence, Documentary Film Council

Director Patrick Forbes, and Dmitry Muratov subject of The Price of Truth.

Image credit: David Chang

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INDUSTRY MARKETPLACE

Our move to a Wednesday–Friday window for marketplace enabled industry representatives to join us for Opening Night, and networking events that ran into the weekend.

Once again we were in the beautiful Cutlers Hall, where meetmarket projects met face to face with industry representatives from companies such as MUBI, Red Bull Studios, Misfits Entertainment, ARTE/ZDF, Documentary Association of Europe, CBC, Al Jazeera Documentary, Chicken & Egg Pictures, IDA, Nat Geo, Netflix, Sandbox Films, Sundance Institute, The New York Times, The Guardian and industry representatives came from countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, USA.

INDUSTRY REPS

MEETINGS

MEETMARKET PROJECTS

ALTERNATE REALITIES TALENT ARTISTS

AMPLIFY PARTICIPANTS

We also expanded our Rough Cut screenings and returned BFI Doc Society Works in Progress, showcasing 6 DocFest selected projects with countries of production including China, Ecuador, Germany, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Palestine, Spain, UK, Ukraine, and Venezuela, and four WiP screenings of BFI Doc Society projects.

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INDUSTRY MARKETPLACE Talent Schemes Our talent programmes supported 79 early-career makers, crew, artists and critics, across two talent markets, bursary schemes, youth jury and the return of our Filmmaker Challenge, mentored by Academy Award winning director Kevin Macdonald.

Future Producer School 2023 Co-produced by Bungalow Town Productions, We delivered Future Producers School residential workshop to 14 emerging producers in April, before bringing them to the festival for targeted round table networking and meetings and follow up mentoring.

Guest speakers at the residential included Jez Lewis (Bungalow Town), Sonja Henrici (Sonja Henrici Creates) and producer Gannesh Rajah (If the Streets were on Fire).

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Banijay Bursary Programme We partnered with Banijay UK for the second year to deliver a bursary programme aimed at underrepresented, early-career TV talent, welcoming 35 new delegates to the Festival.

Talent Markets Our ‘Amplify’ and Alternate Realities Talent Markets selected and showcased 18 emerging talents in TV production and immersive media. We also removed any pass price from our talent markets, to reduce barriers to access.

I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME AND GIVE YOU ALL A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS ON SUCH A WARM AND WELCOMING FESTIVAL. THE CURATION, THE MEETINGS AND THE OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT WERE ALL EXTRAORDINARY.” Heather Haynes, Hot Docs (Canada)

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SHEFFIELD DOCFEST IS ONE OF THE MOST RICH, DIVERSE, INTELLECTUALLY AND SOCIALLY STIMULATING FESTIVALS I’VE EVER TAKEN PART IN.” David Amiel, France Télévisions (France)

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I AM SO GLAD I MADE THE TRIP. I HAD A NUMBER OF REALLY PROMISING MEETINGS – BOTH AS PART OF MEETMARKET AND INDEPENDENTLY. SHEFFIELD LIVES UP TO ITS WONDERFUL REPUTATION!” Michelle McCree, CBC Docs (Canada)

Tom Tennant, Rosie Baldwin, Theo Tennant, Hannah Skolnick, Kevin Macdonald, Noémi Varga, Dorothy Pickard & Dhivya Kate Chetty.

Image credit: David Chang.

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MARKETPLACE SESSI NS & PITCHES In 2023 we received 519 submissions to the meetmarket, a 42% increase on 2022. We increased our selection to 42 marketplace projects and 6 rough cut projects for industry screenings of early stage material. We also moved our marketplace days to the start of the festival week, starting with introductory networking events on Wednesday 14th, before full marketplace days on the Thursday and Friday. Our industry representatives and participants responded well to the change, which allowed marketplace attendees to join us for opening night and enjoy festival events and special screenings over the weekend. Following overwhelmingly positive feedback, we will keep this structure for 2024.

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New for 2023, we introduced new daytime networking events in the marketplace. In addition to our regular market events: snapchats, industry roundtables and projects – meet – projects. We worked with the IDA to host a breakfast meetup for filmmakers and delegates with disabilities, and partnered with UK Global Screen Fund for a coproduction focused networking breakfast.

Delegations 2023 delegations included Docs Ireland (NI & Ireland) as an IGNITE Talent delegation, Ireland coordinated by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Scotland coordinated by the Scottish Documentary Institute, Wales coordinated

by Ffilm Cymru, Brazil – supported by the British Council and SPCine and coordinated by DocSP, and Palestine co-ordinated by the Palestine Film Institute.

In addition, our focus on Iran welcomed filmmakers in both the public programme and industry sessions.

IT WAS AN HONOUR FOR US TO BE AT THE FESTIVAL PRESENTING THE FILM AND SEE THE GREAT AUDIENCE RECEPTION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORT IN EVERY DETAIL, IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE COULD BRING DIRECTOR MORZANIEL RAMARI FROM HIS VILLAGE IN THE YANOMAMI INDIGENOUS LAND TO THE UK.” Margarida Serrano, Producer of Māri Hi – The Tree of Dream (part of the Brazilian delegation)

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C MMUNITY Local Advisory Group As part of our ongoing mission to make our festival welcoming, accessible and enjoyable to all, we invited six people from across the South Yorkshire region to attend the festival to join our Local Advisory Group.

Attending the festival this year and next, they give us vital feedback on on our programme and plans to ensure we stay relevant and open to public audiences.

We’re grateful to have them: Even Allen, Alaina Briggs, Mubarak Elamin, Najma Heybe, Liz Kettle and Jeremy Twyman

Community Workshops & Outreach For our 30th edition, we set a target to engage with 30 community groups over the course of the festival, including inviting more than 100 people from local Sheffield groups to attend our opening night film.

We delivered workshops related to both our films and public arts programme, kicking off with a public ‘private view’ of our VR selection at Sheffield public library and hosting a women and non-binary XR creators meetup ahead of the Alternate Realities Summit.

Four workshops linked to the public programme were presented: A closed workshop exclusively for QTIPOC (Queer, Trans, and Intersex People of Color), exploring surveillance culture and its impact on diasporic communities prior to the screening of Dalton’s Dream.

Creative Collaging: Health, Contraceptives, and Bodily Autonomy workshop, inspired by the film hormonal and in partnership with the films director Pien van Grinsven and artist Luca Shaw.

A ‘walkshop’ Between Earth and Sky following the short films compilation screening Dreaming Trees, inviting discussion with Between Earth & Sky, director Andrew Nadkarni, followed by a creative writing exercise exploring curiosity and healing through nature.

Inspired by our relaxed screening of short , including the Deaf-led Regard Silence on the final day of the festival, we offered an inclusive BSL dance workshop, combining poetry and movement and led by choreographer Rachel Clarke.

Docs For All Finally, this year, recognising our shared challenges around access, the cost of living and austerity, we introduced a new trust-based concession: Docs For All, allowing anyone in need of a reduced price ticket to access one with no questions asked. We were also delighted to work closely with Sheffield festival Migration Matters to present two events celebrating the migrant experience: Munya Chawawa: Satire in Documentary, and Long Distance Swimmer - Sarah Mardini – inviting MigMat audiences to join us in the Crucible Theatre.

Left Creative Collaging workshop participants.

Image credit: Anh Do

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“

AFTER SIX DAYS AT DOCFEST IT’S CLEAR THAT THE SPIRITED AND CURIOUS CHARACTER OF THE FESTIVAL EXTENDS FURTHER THAN THE PROGRAMME OF FILMS AND TALKS, IT’S IMBUED IN THE STAFF, VOLUNTEERS AND ATTENDEES, AND THROUGH THIS COMMUNITY, SOAKED UP INTO THE CITY ITSELF. I WALKED HOME EVERY DAY BUZZING WITH INSIGHT AND BRIMMING WITH NEW DOCUMENTARY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ANYONE WHO WOULD LISTEN.” Alaina Briggs, Sheffield DocFest Local Advisory Group

Munya Chawawa and Jordan Stephens (Rizzle Kicks).

Image credit: David Chang

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FESTIVAL AUDIENCES

TOTAL FESTIVAL ADMISSIONS*

IN-PERSON

Public Programme

Aged 30 & Under

19%

Female

56%

Non-binary

4%

Ethnically Diverse

16%

*In-person and Online

Industry Only

ONLINE VIEWS

LGBTQI+

32%

With a Disability

11%

From a Disadvantaged Background

10%

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FESTIVAL AUDIENCES

46% First Timers

56% Attended 1–3 Events

to 95% Likely Return

a Very Good 89% Had or Excellent Time

18% Attended 7+ Events

Where Our Public Audiences Came From

55% Sheffield 5% The Rest of Yorkshire 34% The Rest of the UK 6%

Outside the UK

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INDUSTRY DELEGATES 24% INTERNATIONAL DELEGATES FROM 64 COUNTRIES ECONOMIC IMPACT ON THE CITY OF SHEFFIELD Delegates

OUR INDUSTRY AUDIENCES CAME FROM — ARGENTINA AUSTRALIA AUSTRIA BELGIUM BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BRAZIL CANADA CHILE CHINA COLOMBIA CROATIA DENMARK ECUADOR EGYPT ESTONIA FINLAND FRANCE GEORGIA GERMANY GREECE INDIA INDONESIA IRAN IRELAND ISRAEL ITALY JAPAN JORDAN KENYA KURDISTAN KUWAIT LEBANON LUXEMBOURG MEXICO MYANMAR NEPAL NETHERLANDS NICARAGUA NIGERIA NORWAY PAKISTAN PALESTINE PHILIPPINES POLAND PORTUGAL PUERTO RICO QATAR ROMANIA RUSSIA SAUDI ARABIA SINGAPORE SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH KOREA SPAIN SWEDEN SWITZERLAND TAIWAN TURKEY UKRAINE USA YEMEN

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INDUSTRY DELEGATES

40% First Timers

Been 5+ Times 22% Have

49% INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERSOur ORLargest PRODUCERS Segment

Aged 30 & Under

26%

Female

57%

Non-binary

2%

Ethnically Diverse

28%

LGBTQI+

24%

With a Disability

12%

From a Disadvantaged Background

22%

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“

ALL YEAR AROUND YOU WORK AND TRY TO FIND INSPIRATION. SHEFFIELD DOCFEST IS 100% ABOUT INSPIRATION. I COME HERE TO BE REMINDED WHY I DO WHAT I DO.” Industry Delegate

“

DOCFEST IS THE BEST DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL IN THE UK. IT OFFERS ACCESS TO FILM MAKERS, FOSTERS COMMUNITY AND COLLABORATION AND SHOWCASES THE BEST OF THE INDUSTRY’S WORK. IT IS IRREPLACEABLE.” Industry Delegate

“

I WENT BACK TO SHEFFIELD DOCFEST AFTER SENDING EMPLOYEES ON MY BEHALF FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS. IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE, WITH WONDERFUL PROJECTS, PITCHES AND NETWORKING EVENTS. I WILL BE BACK!” Pamela Martinez Martinez, Limonero Films´ CEO

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PRESS & MEDIA C VERAGE

Circulation

News reports ran in industry trades: Broadcast, C21 Media, Deadline, Prolific North, Real Screen, Screen Daily, TBI Vision, Televisual and Variety, plus interviews and reviews in Business Doc Europe.

International Outlets Accredited

Coverage about and ahead of Doc/Fest 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 Guardian, The Observer, The Economist, Guardian Online, BBC News Online; and broadcast including BBC Radio 4 Front Row and BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking. Reviews and reports ran in influential digital outlets including AnOther, Close-Up Film, Eye for Film, Film Carnage, The Upcoming.

Press Clippings

ACCREDITED PRESS ATTENDING Our 2023 edition achieved more than 100% increase of filmmaker/film team interviews, a total of 32 in comparison to 15 in 2022, helping to raise awareness of the films, and the festival, across a variety of outlets. Reviews during the festival ran across key trades and newspaper outlets including Business Doc Europe, Cineuropa, Screen Daily and The Guardian Online,and other online outlets including Close-Up Film, Eye For Film, Eastern Kicks, Film Carnage and HighOn Films.

International coverage appeared in Cineuropa, The Film Verdict, and US outlets Filmmaker Magazine, plus other international countries such as: WNP (Poland), Hindustan Times (India), NewsES Euro (Spain) and Ukrainian outlets Kino 24, 1 News and Suspline Media.

Local coverage appeared in BBC Radio Sheffield, BBC Yorkshire Online, Now Then and Exposed Magazine.

Journalist Guests Nick Bradshaw, Sight & Sound Matt Carey, Deadline (US) Marian McHugh, Screen/Broadcast

Talent Interviews Included Dalton Harris (BBC), Mytslav Chernov (Observer), Chris Smith (Business Doc Europe), David Harewood (Metro), John Battsek, Wham! (Screen Daily) Kit Vincent, Red Herring (Guardian online), Matt Kay, TLC (Dazed Magazine), Paul Sng (BBC Sheffield), Rakhshan Banietemad (MIME News), Rose Morris, My Blond GF (BBC News online), Sara Mardini (The Times Magazine).

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“

EVIDENTLY, THE UK’S MOST IMPORTANT DOCFEST ISN’T LOCATED IN THE VAST MEDIA MEGAPOLIS THAT IS LONDON. RATHER, IT IS TO BE FOUND IN A SMALL CITY IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND BETTER KNOWN FOR COAL MINING, ITS LINKS WITH THE STEEL INDUSTRY AND FOR PRODUCING SOME OF THE BEST POP MUSIC OF THE LAST 40 YEARS, FROM DEF LEPPARD TO PULP TO THE ARCTIC MONKEYS.” Nick Cunningham, Business Doc Europe

Q Director Jude Chehab and Co-producer & Editor Fahd Ahmed, International First Feature Competition Grand Jury Award-winner.

Image Credit: Anh Do.

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FESTIVAL TEAM Jamie Allan Short Film & Community Programmer

Paul Hayes Showroom Production Coordinator

Monique Reid Publicist, Premier PR

Camila Arriaga Torres Film Programme Coordinator

Lieven Heeremans Podcast Stories Programme Producer

Lisa-Marie Russo Industry Consultant

Beccy Ashdown Talks & Sessions Senior Producer Denise Barren Events Manager Nathan Bragg Amplify Talent Coordinator Lisa Brook Festival Marketing & Communications Lead David Chang Festival Photographer Katie Clark Operations Coordinator Lola Coker Industry Programme Assistant Hope Cook Film Programme Assistant Anh Do Festival Photographer Alice Duggan Production Assistant Sophie Duncan Industry Programme Producer Curtis Dunn Box Office Coordinator Jo Godfrey Alternate Realities Programme Coordinator Lucy Gravil Volunteer Assistant Annabel Grundy Managing Director Ella Hackett Hospitality Assistant Ian Haydn Smith Publications Editor

Rae Hesketh Alternate Realities Programme Assistant Rob Jones Events Assistant Asma Kabadeh Community Programme Coordinator Sarah Lee-Liggett Box Office Assistant Corrigan Lowe Partnerships Coordinator James Lowe Graphic Designer Layton Lowther Registration Assistant Alex McGeever Communications Assistant Nora Murray-Smith Publicist, Premier PR Verity Nalley Alternate Realities Programme Consultant Sophie Newing Hospitality Coordinator Raul Niño Zambrano Creative Director Mariam Olayemi Assistant Accountant

Mathy Selvakumaran Alternate Realities Talent Market Coordinator Bijoy Skaria Assistant Accountant Morayo Sodipo Communications Coordinator Eleni Stavrou Communications Coordinator Mat Steel Head of Production & Operations Paul Steele Director of Partnerships & Community Maria Stoneman Head of HR & Participation Anna Stopford Box Office Manager Mita Suri Film Programme Producer Ash Taylor Volunteer Coordinator Elizabeth Taylor Publicist, Premier PR Chim’Di Ugada Filmmaker Challenge Production Coordinator Greg Walker Production Manager

Fiona Outram Finance Manager

Philippa Walusimbi Talks & Sessions Programme Coordinator

Rita Pais Administrative & Executive Assistant

Jim Wraith Film Crew Coordinator

Charlotte Reekers Marketplace & Talent Manager

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C NTRIBUT RS Film Programme Consultants Naziha Karima Arebi

Alternate Realities Advisory Committee Baff Akoto

Trustees Stephen Bowen

Jorge Cabjallero Ramos

Diana Buckley Sheffield City Council Observer

Alex Rühl

Jo Clinton-Davis

MeetMarket Selectors

Alex Cooke Chair

Anam Abbas

Gali Gold

Elçin Bahçeci

Daniel Gordon

Marina Burić

Fozia Khan

Robert Colom

Jennifer Kimber

Manon Euler

Derren Lawford

Hicham Falah

Lucy McDowell

Carlos A. Gutiérrez

Sacha Mirzoeff

Andrea Hock

Zoe Mumba

Rico Johnson-Sinclair

Beejal-Maya Patel

Seggen Mikael

Helen Scott

Jeffrey Winter

Maria Paula Lorgia

Brian Woods Deputy Chair

Festival Assistants

Martijn de Pas

Olivia Allen

Deepthi Pendurty

Ben Butler

Rachel Pronger

We would like to thank Shirani Sabaratnam, Peter Armstrong and Sue Cook who served on the board of trustees until March 2023.

Nelia Gea Cayuela

Nguyễn Quốc Thành

Oceana Wilson

John Badalu Alfredo Mora Manzano Chloë Roddick Carmen Thompson Film Programme Advisors Aderinsola Ajao Clodagh Chapman Mariana Hristova Harry Kalfayan Toni Lee Hannah McHaffie Edwin Mingard Zinha Morgan-Bennett Varadila Nurdin Lesedi Oluko Moche

Joshua Weldon

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FUNDERS, PARTNERS & SP NS RS Principal Funders

Major Funders, Partners & Sponsors

Funders, Partners & Sponsors

THE GRIERSON TRUST

Cinema Partners