5 days ago
Sheffield DocFest is adding to its programme conscionable a fewer days earlier nan commencement of nan 33rd version of nan UK’s starring nonfiction movie festival.
Announced Friday: Oscar victor Asif Kapadia (Amy, Senna) will return portion successful what DocFest is calling a landmark speech astir nan Up series, which began successful nan 1960s by chronicling 10 boys and 4 girls increasing up successful England. Successive iterations followed nan kids arsenic they grew into adults, into mediate property and now arsenic they attack their aureate years. Kapadia will beryllium joined connected shape by Jo Clinton Davis (Controller of Factual, ITV) and Mike Blair (Creative Director, Multistory Media) nan creators of 70 UP, nan past movie successful nan series.
The Up talk is portion of DocFest’s manufacture program. Also added: Munya Chiwawa will talk his caller documentary Wrestling pinch Trump, which explores nan nexus betwixt nan American president and wrestling. (In a related statement – for those unaware — Trump is having a elephantine shape erected connected nan White House section for “a mixed martial arts tourney celebrating” his 80th day connected June 14).
DocFest, which runs June 10-15, has besides added respective films to nan lineup:
- The world premiere of Obsession: The Beryl Burton Story, “an friendly image of 1 of Britain’s top cyclists” from head Stuart Pollitt.
- The UK Premiere of The Last First: Winter K2 from head Amir Bar-Lev, a harrowing movie that documents an ill-fated effort to acme nan world’s 2nd tallest upland successful wintertime.
Two caller films will beryllium screened arsenic portion of GEN DocFest, nan festival’s caller family programming strand, DocFest reports: Horrible Science: Tim Peake’s Stinky Space Special Exclusive, which sees astronaut Tim Peak subordinate Pipette “to guideline america done what life is statement successful abstraction for astronauts.”
Meanwhile, Toddler Kino x DocFest and CBeebies presents: Hamza Loves Animals features wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin looking “at immoderate of nan astonishing animals which tin beryllium recovered successful Africa.”
The show announced juries for nan 33rd DocFest. Judging nan International Competition will beryllium shaper and broadcaster Mark Edwards; Kiyoko McCraea, filmmaker and programme head astatine Chicken & Egg Films; and Noa Nwande, caput of world income astatine Watermelon Pictures.
International Competition “features a compelling lineup of six World Premieres, 1 International Premiere, and 1 European Premiere, pinch each 8 films besides up for nan Academy Award accredited Grand Jury Award which honors films that show beardown creator imagination and courageous storytelling.”
These are nan jurors announced for nan different 4 title strands:
International First Feature Competition Jury
Jury members are: award-winning filmmaker Paul Sng, Darren Lawford (producer and erstwhile trustee of Sheffield DocFest), and Malikkha Rollins (producer and Director of Industry and Education for DOC NYC)
Shining a spotlight connected nan boldest caller voices successful documentary, nan International First Feature title honors nan early of non-fiction film, celebrating promising talent. This year’s class features 8 debut works, 7 of which are World Premieres and 1 which is an International Premiere. The International First Feature Competition is supported by Netflix.
International Short Film Competition Jury
Jury members for 2026 are: double BAFTA award-winning head Olaide Sadiq (Grenfell: Uncovered, victor of Sheffield DocFest Audience Award 2025) , Joe Hunting (Creative Director astatine Painting Clouds), and filmmaker Laura Warner (The Cranes Call, A Last Big Story)
The class features 9 World Premieres and 1 International Premiere, highlighting acclaimed board alongside unsocial world perspectives successful a definitive showcase of boundary-pushing storytelling. The 10 films successful this year’s title are up for nan Academy Award, BAFTA and BIFA accredited Grand Jury Award which honors nan champion imaginative attack to documentary nether 40 minutes.
Tim Hetherington Award Jury
Jurors are: Brenda Danker (Malaysia Freedom Film Network co-founder), Sam Holland (ex-director of Migration Matters show successful Sheffield) and Andrii Kotliar (Ukrainian producer/filmmaker portion of nan #babylon 13 collective).
Six documentaries will beryllium considered for nan Award this twelvemonth which recognizes a movie and filmmaker that champion reflects nan bequest of photojournalist and filmmaker Tim Hetherington and celebrates outstanding humanitarian storytelling. The grant is presented successful relation pinch Dogwoof.
Youth Jury Award
The Youth Jury Award is presented by 5 of nan UK’s astir passionate young documentary movie enthusiasts aged 18-23 – Julianne Gazzingan, Sadie Coll, Jagraj Singh, Clementine Cunningham and Shae Beckford – who person curated a action of six films that will beryllium considered for this year’s award. The selected films are a divers postulation that return audiences connected a world travel engaging pinch urgent modern issues.
In different Sheffield DocFest news, actors Jason Done, Christine Bottomley, Carla Henry, Eva Scott and Lamin Touray person besides been confirmed for nan typical unrecorded reference of Queens of nan Coal Age written by Guest of Honor Maxine Peake which “details nan existent communicative of 4 miners’ wives—Anne Scargill, Dot Kelly, Elaine Evans, and Lesley Lomas—who occupied Parkside Colliery successful 1993 to protestation pit closures.
