The Spirit of Independence Film Festival is back for its sixth year at the Showroom Cinema, showcasing top independent films from around the world.

When I started the festival, my goal was to create a platform for filmmakers with limited resources, celebrating raw talent over polished production. We began at the historic Abbeydale Picturehouse, which helped establish our identity as a home for films unlikely to receive wide distribution. After the Picturehouse closed, the Showroom provided crucial support that allowed us to grow into a nationally recognised festival.

Over the years, we’ve screened films from across all corners of the globe including Australia, Canada, Mexico through to lesser known filmmaking countries such as Venezuela and Iran and especially the U.K. Recently, we’ve focused on our roots with the ‘Northern Spirit’ strand, showcasing short films from northern England.

We also wanted to support local filmmakers further, so we introduced talks and workshops aimed at emerging talent. This year’s lineup includes a screen fight choreography workshop and a talk from Jo Kissack, a costume designer with credits like ‘La La Land’ and ‘Oppenheimer.’ To take our support further, we launched a script competition a few years ago, providing winners with funding and resources to produce their films, which premiere at the festival. The first two films we supported, ‘Dead Skin’ and ‘Black Dog,’ achieved significant success on the festival circuit.

This year’s festival is our biggest yet, featuring eight full-length films, including a Taiwanese documentary on making a zombie film with pensioners, a German single-take horror movie, and a gritty crime drama from Lancashire. We're also holding our first live podcast, which is free to attend, with acclaimed broadcasters, ‘The Director’s Take’. From a short film perspective we’re screening over 20 shorts, from student projects in collaboration with Screen Yorkshire to BFI-funded films that have won multiple awards worldwide. Ultimately, our aim is to represent every stage of a filmmaker’s journey, from student beginnings to global acclaim, and I think this year’s lineup reflects that perfectly.

The Spirit of Independence Film Festival will take place at Showroom Cinema, Sheffield from 27th – 29th September. Find out more about the festival at https://www.soifilmfestival.com/ or purchase a ticket pass at /spiritofindependence2024