Image (L-R) Row 1: Bircan Birol, Carina NicHaouchine, Eloise King, Jack Goessens, Jay Bedwani. Row 2: Joseph A. Adesunloye, Lewis Doherty, Neelu Bhuman, Romain Beck, Steven Fraser
We are delighted to announce the cohort for our inaugural Queer Realities Director’s Lab!
Ten UK-based documentary directors have been selected to take part in this new and in-depth development programme.
Taking place over the next eight months, the programme is designed to encourage exploration of creative possibilities within the documentary realm, to push the boundaries of the format and of queer storytelling, and contribute to the creation of fresh perspectives in authentic and compelling queer non-fiction narratives.
The cohort will be supported by the knowledge and experience of UK and international professionals who will host masterclasses, workshops and mentoring sessions. The directors will also have self-development time supported by a bursary to work on their projects alongside the workshops and mentoring.
Sheffield DocFest is committed to fostering a supportive environment and promoting connections and creative collaborations between industry representatives and the selected talents. The Queer Realities Director’s Lab cohort will have the chance to share their stories at the festival’s next edition from 18-23 June 2025.
Meet the cohort:
Bircan Birol (she/her)
Bircan Birol is a documentary filmmaker based between Scotland and Turkey. Her debut short documentary 'My Name is Anik' (2019) was part of the Bridging the Gap program at the Scottish Documentary Institute, and selected for BAFTA and Oscar-Qualifying festivals. She is currently developing her first feature documentary, 'Your Honour,' with Bombito Productions. Her films frequently explore themes of belonging, personal and communal resilience, and resistance, delving into their complexities and significance. Apart from her creative work, she is involved in social-impact films and participatory filmmaking. She has participated in programs such as the IDFA Academy and Glasgow Film Festival Talent Scheme and is a member of BAFTA Connect.
Carina NicHaouchine (she/her)
Carina is an award-winning Scottish-Algerian filmmaker and writer who has screened at festivals including Edinburgh International Film Festival and Glasgow Short Film Festival. Her first short documentary "Ululation" was made through the Scottish Documentary Institute’s Bridging the Gap scheme in 2018. The film explored her relationship with her Algerian family, screened internationally and won a John Byrne Award. In 2019 she participated in a year-long documentary training scheme with OTOXO Productions in Barcelona. She often self-shoots and edits and has made films collaborating with arts projects and charities from around the U.K. She was selected as a ‘New Voice’ in 2021 by the Scottish Documentary Institute, was a participant in Film in Mind’s supervision group for emerging filmmakers and Reclaim The Frame’s Filmonomics 8. She's working on her first feature documentary “Dungeon Masterhood” with Peabody-nominated documentary producer, Steven Lake, supported by Screen Scotland.
Eloise King (she/her)
Eloise King is a queer, London-born, Caribbean filmmaker who adopts an interdisciplinary approach to telling complex stories that foreground marginalized perspectives within mainstream and popular culture. As Global Executive Producer at VICE and i-D, Eloise led multi-award-winning international documentary teams. Covering subjects spanning arts, social issues and LGBTQ+ subcultures for global audiences, with works being exhibited and, or archived at The Tate Britain, V&A, and MoAD. King is a recipient of the following fellowships: Logan Non-fiction, Netflix inaugural Director and Firelight Media and is a Sheffield DocFest “Future Producer” alumna. Previous titles, as a director and/or producer, include: AMY WINEHOUSE AND ME, THE GATHERINGS and GURLS TALK. King’s debut feature documentary ‘THE SHADOW SCHOLARS’, (Film4/BFI) Executive produced by Sir Steve McQueen will premiere in Autumn 2024.
Jack Goessens (he/him/they/them)
Jack (he/they) is an RTS winning and BAFTA nominated filmmaker and editor. Jack has been supported by some of the industry’s leading talent development programmes including Berlinale Talents 2023, Channel 4 RI:SE with DANC/Triple C 2022, Cinesud's Talent to Cannes 2022, BAFTA BFI Flare 2021 and BFI Network Weekender 2019. Jack is currently in further development with Screen Scotland with their first feature, Boifriend. Three of Jack's shorts screened at BAFTA and Oscar qualifying films around the world, most notably the RTS award winning and Grierson shortlisted Everyman (2021) (developed with the Scottish Documentary Institute). Jack is currently part of the ScreenNETS directors scheme where he shadowed director Alex Holmes and directed 2nd unit (including cast) on Amazon series The Rig. As an editor, Jack has edited shows such as Outlander and Netflix’s Everything Now and is due to cut his first documentary feature next year.
Jay Bedwani (he/him)
Jay is a self taught Welsh filmmaker specialising in character led creative documentaries. His documentary DONNA premiered at Frameline International Film Festival in San Francisco in June 2022 and was long-listed for a BIFA Discovery Award and BAFTA Outstanding Debut by a British Director. DONNA was nominated for Best Documentary at the Welsh BAFTAs in 2023. His short films have played in over 50 international film festivals. MY MOTHER was awarded Best U.K. Short at Europe's largest LGBTQ+ film festival, the Iris Prize. His short film STRETCH premiered at Edinburgh International Film Festival and was awarded Best Short at the Wales International Documentary Festival. He is currently working on his second feature and a queer short documentary, while teaching documentary film to young people for the non-profits Screen Alliance Wales and Media Academy Cymru in Cardiff.
Joseph A. Adesunloye (he/him)
Joseph A. Adesunloye is an award-winning writer-director. He was selected for Locarno Film Festival’s - Locarno Pro First Look on UK Film 2023, for his new feature VANILLA starring Yann Gaël (1899, Saloum) and James Smith (The Favourite, The Thick of It). Joseph was nominated for the BFI IWC Schaffhausen Filmmakers Bursary Award at the 60th BFI London Film Festival. In 2017, Joseph was longlisted ‘Best Debut Screenwriter’ at BIFA. His second feature FACES premiered at the Durban International Film Festival in 2018 and won ‘Best Feature’ at the Durban LGBT Film Festival; the film stars Terry Pheto from Oscar winning Tsotsi. Joseph guest lectures at the University of the Arts London and for the NYU Tisch School of the Arts at the National Film & Television School (NFTS). He has been a trustee at the Film and TV Charity since 2019.
Lewis Doherty (he/him/they/them)
Lewis Doherty is a queer Irish filmmaker whose diverse film and TV credits include ‘Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves’, ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, and over 20 indie projects. Their work explores themes of conflict, liberation, and oppression, often highlighting marginalised communities, particularly queer and ethnic minority groups. Based in Manchester, Lewis is a freelancer across the industry, including as a Video Technician at The Factory International, contributing to international arts exhibitions and events. In 2023, they made their DOP debut with 'When It Rains', which won the Marilyn Hyndman Award for social change and inclusion at Docs Ireland. They then successfully secured funding for two short documentaries on the legacy of conflict and refugees in the UK. Their directorial debut, Pastor Ed, a satirical 3-part miniseries, showcased their ability to explore complex political and cultural issues, garnering media attention and over 20k views in its first month.
Neelu Bhuman (they/he)
Neelu Bhuman is an independent artist whose films playfully delve into nuanced perspectives on race, gender, sexuality, culture, class, and romance. Neelu is the winner of Netflix-backed 2022 Tasveer Film Fund, the prestigious 2023-2024 Firelight Media Doc Lab fellow and 2023 Doc Society Queer Now Lab participant with their first Work-In-Progress feature-length documentary film CHIRAKU (Wing). Neelu is a 2024 IDA Logan Elevate nominee, 2024 and 2023 Sundance Trans Possibilities Intensive nominee, 2022 Sundance Uprise grant nominee and CHIRAKU (Wing) was shortlisted for the 2021 Doc Society New Perspectives Fellowship. Neelu's experimental fiction feature, TRANSFINITE (2019), along with the short films FU377 (2014) and MORE LOVE. LESS PREPACKAGED BULLSHIT (2017), offer abstract interpretations of the challenges created by confining identity to finite categories. Their work creatively intensifies themes of resilience and resistance amid political and personal coercions. TRANSFINITE (2019) was the opening night feature at the 2019 San Francisco Transgender Film Festival, the 2019 TranScreen Audience Winner, and critics' pick at Austin’s aGLIFF. They served on juries for 2020 Boston Wicked Queer Film Festival, 2021 MIX Copenhagen, and 2022 TRANSlations: Seattle Trans Film Festival.
Romain Beck (he/him)
With over a decade of experience as a film editor, Romain has had the privilege of working on notable projects such as the upcoming feature "Mother Vera," which premiered at Vision du Reel 2024 and will be in competition at the Camden International Film Festival. Additionally, Romain was part of the editing team for the award-winning comedy documentary "Much Ado About Dying," which won Best Director at IDFA 2022. In 2024, Romain directed his first short documentary, "The Backstreet," delving into four decades of queer history experienced by members of a leather club. The film was selected to be part of the International Short Film Competition at Sheffield DocFest 2024.
Steven Fraser (he/him)
Steven is an animator, artist and writer who creates documentaries, zines and installation art - stevenfraserart.com. Steven has made several awarding winning short animated documentaries that look at neurodiversity, sexuality and identity. His work is personal, intimate and takes a distinctive approach to animated documentary. Steven's short film Prosopagnosia was developed through the Bridging the Gap scheme at the Scottish Documentary Institute and screened as part of the New York Times Op-Docs series of films. Steven's latest short film, Keith, was developed through the Made of Truth scheme with the Doc Society. His previous films have screened at many international film festivals including International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, BFI Flare and ReelAbilities New York. Steven is currently looking to develop a new long-form project that further explores sexuality and neurodiversity, whilst drawing upon his own personal experiences to present an authentic and distinctive voice.
Queer Realities Director's Lab is delivered by Sheffield DocFest, through the BFI Creative Challenge Fund, made possible with National Lottery funding.
