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, podcast, 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. Our programming represents our core values – creativity, empathy, freedom, inclusivity and internationalism.
We celebrated our 32nd edition festival from 18 - 22 June 2025
Highlights included...
- 53 World Premieres, 17 International Premieres, 8 European Premieres, and 37 UK Premieres from 68 countries of production with 40 languages represented across 201 screenings in Sheffield cinemas and venues.
- A collaborative offering which, in addition to films, included a programme of interconnected live conversations, live podcast events, premieres of TV series, a VR cinema and an immersive exhibition
- We opened the festival with the World Premiere of Kim Hopkins’ Still Pushing Pineapples, a tragicomic heartfelt story of the former singer of pop band Black Lace and his journey on the road with his aging mother and his partner, as he aims for a comeback.
- Our 2025 Guests of Honour, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, co-founders of the ground breaking production company, World of Wonder, curated an exclusive programme celebrating their work across documentary and entertainment.
- The International Competition consisted of eight World premieres, including the Grand Jury winner ‘Welded Together’ by filmmaker Anastasiya Miroshnichenko, as well as notable mentions ‘North South Man Woman’ by Morten Traavik and Sun Kim, and ‘Cuba & Alaska’ by Yegor Troyanovsky.
- Our Alternate Realities exhibition included Collateral Echoes, an immersive installation by artist Baff Akoto that serves as a powerful memorial to Black and immigrant Britons killed after police contact since 1969.
- The 2025 Talks and Sessions programme featured discussions on important themes including the creation and preservation of archives; climate change and the environmental crisis, authorship, accessibility, and the risks and responsibilities of telling difficult stories. It also offered Craft Focus sessions on Artificial Intelligence and music rights. Our talks showcased world-class talent such as Professor Brian Cox, David Blaine, Norma Pearcy and more.
- The third edition of Sheffield DocFest’s Podcast Stories featured an insightful Bad Gays recording with Ben Miller and Huw Lemmey; sociologist Les Back’s Here We Go! The Art of the Football Chant, reframing chants as folk music and cultural commentary; a conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winner Ronan Farrow on adapting investigative podcasts for screen; and This American Life producer Emmanuel Dzotsi’s candid reflections on reporting race and immigration in a post-truth America.
- The First Impressions strand offered audiences an exclusive look at the future of documentary television, presenting five world-premiere previews of compelling new series. These ranged from 7/7 Homegrown Terror, a powerful re-examination of the 2005 London terrorist attacks, to Inside the Jesus Army, which delved into the disturbing legacy of a 1970s Christian commune. Each screening was followed by in-depth conversations with creators and special guests, giving insight into the storytelling process behind these highly anticipated projects.
The 2026 festival is set to run from Wednesday 10 June - Monday 15 June 2026.
As we look forward to our 2026 edition, check out some of our highlights from across the 2025 festival!
Film Programme
Our Film Programme offers filmmakers a place for inspiration, debate and challenge, and an international platform to launch their work. It engages audiences with a multitude of forms, ideas, ways of doing and thinking, through World, International, European and UK premieres and through curated retrospective programmes.
Sheffield DocFest looks to question the boundaries of documentary through a programme that challenges trends, brings diversity and enriches debate. The festival invites audiences to engage with experiences and stories from different parts of the world and to join makers in inspiring moments.
Alternate Realities Programme
Alternate Realities is Sheffield DocFest's programme for exhibiting and showcasing innovative non-fiction and immersive documentary in all forms.
Whether using new technologies or creative techniques which break the boundaries of traditional documentary practice, the Alternate Realities programme highlights the bravest developments in non-fiction by artists, technologists and documentarians.
Platforms considered for exhibition include virtual (VR), augmented (AR) and mixed reality (MR), 360 video, moving image, sound art, web interactives, artificial intelligence, games and performance.
Industry Programme
The Industry Programme is the space within the festival for supporting the creation of new work, and discussing together the ways in which new work is made. Our flagship pitching forum, the MeetMarket, connects selected teams with a vast network of international industry representatives to present new projects (features and series). The Alternate Realities Talent Market runs in parallel to facilitate partnerships for teams presenting non-fiction new-media projects. The Amplify: Production Talent initiative is for entry-level production professionals to elevate their careers, and connect with UK-based production company execs.
We also host several live pitches where filmmakers can gain funding and constructive feedback from industry experts. We also host an array of panel discussions on key topics relevant to industry delegates. We welcome delegates from all levels of experience and all territories to engage with our Industry Programme. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need any help navigating it.
Click here to find out more about our Industry Marketplace and initiatives.
Community Programme
The Community programme features stories and ideas with a strong focus on what happens when people come together. The programme focuses on making connections in and to our city and is produced in partnership with people, artists and organisations based in Sheffield and the South Yorkshire Region.
The programme makes links across Film, Alternate Realities and Industry programmes to collaborate with local audiences, make deeper connections across the festival and broaden access for the programme, as well as strengthen industry opportunities for first time and independent filmmakers in Sheffield.
Sheffield DocFest is run by International Documentary Festival Sheffield, an independent registered charity (no.1184849), whose purpose is to advance the art of film, education and training in documentary filmmaking. Our core values as a charity centre around empathy, inclusiveness, social engagement, freedom and internationalism.
