Sheffield DocFest 2023
Celebrate 30 years of Sheffield DocFest from 14-19 June, across Sheffield and online.
Sheffield DocFest is the UK’s leading documentary festival and one of the world’s most influential markets for documentary projects. The festival champions and presents the breadth of documentary form – film, television, immersive and art – in our vibrant city each June. The festival offers a place for inspiration, debate, development, learning and challenge.
This year’s film programme totals 122 films (86 features and 36 shorts), including 37 World Premieres, 20 International Premieres, 10 European Premieres, 47 UK Premieres and 8 retrospective films, from 52 countries of production with 43 languages represented. Titles screen in three competition sections - International Competition, International First Feature Competition and International Short Film Competition - as well as six strand sections - Rhythms, Debates, People & Community, Memories, Rebellions and Journeys.
DocFest will be taking over the Showroom between 14-19 June as we play host to daily premieres and events. Visit sheffdocfest.com to explore the full programme and see what’s in contention in the prestigious awards categories and explore the films by theme.
Ticket Info
Tickets are available to buy via sheffdocfest.com
Showroom Members can enjoy 10% off of film screenings* - to find out how to access your discount, please contact [email protected].
*The discount code will apply to screenings taking place across all DocFest Cinema Venues: Showroom, Curzon and The Light.
Film screenings across all DocFest cinemas:
Standard: £10
Concession*: £6.50
DocsForAll**: £6.50 - applies to cinema screenings starting before 2pm on weekdays, and all day on Monday 19 June
*Concession tickets are available to claimants, full-time students, and over 60’s.
**DocsForAll concession is available to anyone who cannot afford a full-price ticket - no proof of status is required. This concession is operated on a trust basis.
Visit sheffdocfest.com for more information on ticketing, concessions and access across the festival.
Festival Highlights
Citizen Sleuth + Conversation
A revealing profile of the rise, fall and redemption of a podcaster seeking to make their voice heard across an ever-changing media landscape.
Screening of Citizen Sleuth, followed by a conversation on the ethics of true crime podcasting with director Chris Kasick and special guests.
The Greatest Show Never Made + Conversation
In 2002 one man set out to change reality TV forever. For 30 people, his dream became a nightmare.
An exclusive preview of the first episode of The Greatest Show Never Made, followed by a conversation with the creators and special guests.
Shorts: Working Machine Blues
The world of work is changing rapidly, and not just in the directions you might imagine. These beautifully cinematic films span the full spectrum of labour, from the gentle dedication of a woodcutter to the rise of robot waiters, surveying the past, present and future of work.
Not a Bedtime Story
Lila Penagos has fond childhood memories of her father telling her bedtime stories. She now asks him to tell her real stories about his past as a guerrilla fighter.
Between the Rains
This revealing, visually captivating film, shot over the course of a four-year drought in northern Kenya, offers an original take on the conventional coming-of-age narrative.
Handle with Extreme Care
A frank and often morbidly funny account of daily life for a New York mortuary struggling to provide a resting place for the dead at the height of the Covid crisis.
Hotel Metalurg
Survivors of the Abkhaz-Georgian war find themselves under pressure to leave the disused luxury hotel where they have lived for more than 30 years.
STEPHEN
Stephen is auditioning to play himself in an inventive, cinematic and moving exploration of addiction and mental health.
Bringing the Voice
Visual artist Klaudia Kemper tries to reconnect with her ageing, aphasic father, a psychoanalyst who remained in Brazil after she left for Chile when she was young.
In the Rearview
One country. One minibus. Many journeys. This fly-on-the-wall film captures Ukrainians as they are forced to leave their homes and drive into the unknown.
If only night wouldn’t fall
A unique perspective on three Western countries’ attempts to grapple with anxiety, depression and psychosis.
Wham!
An intimate celebration of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s enduring friendship, from childhood and through their years together as one of the UK’s biggest bands.
Donyale Luna: Supermodel
A moving exploration of the revolutionary life of the pioneering Black supermodel Donyale Luna.
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