Sheffield DocFest celebrates its 32nd edition 18-23 June 2025, and today reveals its full Film Programme and public Talks.
As the UK’s leading documentary festival and one of the world’s most influential markets for documentary projects DocFest champions and presents the breadth of documentary form – film, television, immersive and art – made possible with the huge support of partners, funders and sponsors, including Principal Funders BFI Audience Projects Fund, awarding National Lottery funding, Sheffield City Council and Arts Council England.
- 51 World Premieres, 16 International Premieres, 8 European Premieres, and 39 UK Premieres from 68 countries of production
- Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato are this year’s Guests of Honour, the co-founders of the pioneering media company World of Wonder (WOW)
- The first solo exhibition in the Alternate Realities Programme features Baff Akoto’s cutting-edge immersive work, Collateral Echoes
- Talks include BBC Interview: A conversation with Professor Brian Cox, a Channel 4 Masterclass with Oobah Butler and David Blaine x Nat Geo: Bringing the Magic to Factual
- Talks with the likes of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ronan Farrow and National Geographic Explorer Alice Aedy
- Podcasts live range from Bad Gays to Here We Go! The Art of the Football Chant
As previously announced, the world premiere of Kim Hopkins’ Still Pushing Pineapples will open Sheffield DocFest 2025 offering audiences a melancholic yet heartfelt look into the story of Dene Michael, the former singer of Black Lace and pop band behind the novelty Brit party favourite ‘Agadoo’. The film follows the lead singer’s journey on the road with his aging mother and his partner, as he aims for a comeback – see previous announcement here.
Mimi Poskitt, Sheffield DocFest Managing Director says: “At Sheffield DocFest, we believe in the power of storytelling to inspire change and create an alternate future. And this is what DocFest 2025’s programme is all about: coming together to learn and be inspired to take action. In planning this year’s edition, we reflected deeply on where we can make a real difference — how, in an environment where filmmakers are facing ever greater challenges, our festival can be a place where documentaries thrive. Thank you to all our funders and partners, old and new for joining us in this endeavour. I’m very proud of the team for shaping this 32nd Edition as one that centres the voices of filmmakers and invites everyone to connect, participate, and feel part of something bigger.”
Councillor Martin Smith, Chair of the Economic Development and Skills Committee at Sheffield City Council, says: “Sheffield DocFest is one of Sheffield’s flagship events and a key date in our cultural calendar. The event proudly puts the city on the world stage. We hope that audiences to the festival are inspired by what Sheffield has to offer through another exciting programme from DocFest – we are incredibly proud to support this globally renowned event in our city.”
Sarah-Jane Meredith, BFI Senior Manager for Audiences Projects, says: “Sheffield DocFest is a hugely important UK festival of international standing which showcases and celebrates the best new documentary films from around the world. For the audiences and industry, it is a unique offer and we are proud to support the Festival to further extend its reach.”
Film Programme
Sheffield DocFest 2025 film programme totals 116 films (82 features and 34 shorts), drawn from over 2753 entries, including 51 World Premieres, 16 International Premieres, 8 European Premieres, 39 UK Premieres from 68 countries of production.
Titles screen in three competition sections – International Competition, International First Feature Competition and International Short Film Competition. In addition to the previously announced Guests of Honour Programme, the festival once again presents its Podcast Stories strand and previews of television series episodes in its First Impressions strand. Further out of competition films screen in six strand sections: Rhythms, Debates, People & Community, Memories, Rebellions and Journeys.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the DocFest MeetMarket, with eight films in the programme having participated in prior MeetMarkets. Drawn from a record number of 610 submissions, the 49 projects in the 2025 selection include new works from renowned directors such as Mila Turajlic, Carola Fuentes, Kathryn Ferguson and Lindsey Dryden, alongside emerging and young talents. This year’s slate includes 17 promising works produced or co-produced in the UK – see previous announcement here.
Raul Niño Zambrano, Sheffield DocFest Creative Director, says: “This year, we’ve brought together some of the most powerful shorts, documentary features, series, podcasts, talks, and immersive works from across the globe to transform the city of Sheffield into a truly unique space where perspectives meet, just as our tagline proudly proclaims. Our 2025 programme delves into urgent, creative, and cutting-edge stories — from activism and climate justice, to queer perspectives and powerful journeys through archival treasures.There’s something for everyone. Join us in Sheffield and let the programme spark conversation, ignite inspiration, and open up new ways of seeing the world.”
Films in Competition & Awards
The line-up for this years’ International Competition comprises eight films, up for the Grand Jury Award for the International Competition, eight films in International First Feature Competition supported by Netflix, and nine films in International Short Film Competition; six documentaries will be considered for the Tim Hetherington Award; six films will be considered by the Youth Jury, and the International Virtual Reality Competition will honour the best virtual reality non-fiction work. Winners will be revealed during an awards ceremony at Crucible Playhouse on Sunday 22 June.
Highlights here and the full programme listings can be found below.
- International Competition – includes Cuba & Alaska (World premiere), in which two female field medics serving on the frontlines of the Ukrainian conflict, codenamed Cuba and Alaska, captures the absurdity of war with a combination of grit, humour and hope; and North South Man Woman (World premiere) a fascinating and often surprising look at love, business and geopolitics as North Korean women meet South Korean men.
- International First Feature Competition – includes Redlight to Limelight (World premiere) in which a high-spirited group of Indian sex workers begin making short films to realise their ultimate dream: to transform the red-light district into a professional film hub in a post-pandemic world; and Comparsa (World premiere) in which two fiery sisters in a Guatemalan town channel their grief and anger into a local street performance to protest against gender-based violence.
Strands
Rhythms focuses on music documentaries and performances; Debates features films on wide-ranging important topics which need to be discussed; People & Community includes stories that celebrates togetherness through family, friendship and communities; Journeys includes transformations and explorations. Memories explores how the past informs the present; and Rebellions focuses on stories of people striving for social change and fighting for what matters.
Highlights here and the full programme listings can be found below.
- Rhythms highlights – include PARA VIVIR: The Implacable Time of Pablo Milanés (World Premiere) a deeply personal portrait of Cuban music icon Pablo Milanés. Billy Idol Should Be Dead (International Premiere) features Idol’s family, friends and collaborators as the film reflects on Idol’s tumultuous career, personal life and lasting impact on global popular culture. Directed by Swedish filmmaker and musician Jonas Åkerlun.
- Debates highlights – include Grenfell: Uncovered (World premiere) an investigation into the Grenfell Tower fire, exposing the corruption and failures that turned neglect into a national tragedy, attended by survivors and families; and by renowned filmmaker Marcelo GomesCreatures of the Mind (International premiere), an hypnotic cinematic journey through dreams, sleep and the unconscious, science meets myth and ancient rituals illuminate the mysteries of the mind.
- People & Community highlights – include Thomas Balmès À demain sur la Lune a poetic reflection on life’s fleeting beauty, a terminally ill woman finds solace in an unlikely companion – a horse that senses the nearness of death; and The Dating Game, while the set-up might sound like a reality game show Violet Du Feng’s portrait of three Chinese bachelors seeking a relationship is a startling account of gender imbalance.
- Journeys highlights – include Alex Craig’s The Loneliest Race (International Premiere) only six sailors have ever completed the Golden Globe Race, Craig’s film thrillingly documents 16 amateur racers navigating the world’s most challenging competition; and Irish video-artist Myrid Carten’s haunting feature debut A Want in Her presents a complex and unflinchingly honest portrait of her relationship with her alcoholic mother.
- Rebellions highlights – include POWER STATION (World Premiere) inspired by the success of lockdown mutual aid initiatives the film tells the story of how artist-activists Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn decided to take their London street off the grid; and Mr. Nobody Against Putin in which a primary school teacher in Russia becomes an unlikely whistleblower as he goes undercover to document propaganda and militarisation inside Russia’s school system.
- Memories highlights – include Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror in which director Linus O’Brien, son of The Rocky Horror Picture Show creator Richard O’Brien charts the journey of the sing-along cultural phenomenon, executive produced by Guests of Honour Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato; and directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, Rock Out (World Premiere) which explores what space exists for Queer in the uncompromising and deeply masculine worlds of heavy metal, punk, and rock & roll.
Films and Conversations
Throughout the festival, seventeen screenings will be followed by extended conversations with special guests. Including:
Heston Blumenthal, one of the world’s greatest chefs will participate in a post-screening Q&A after the World premiere of Heston: My Life with Bipolar, the film follows Heston as he rebuilds his life after being sectioned and diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2023.
Stage and screen star Billy Porter attends as executive producer of I Was Born This Way two Oscar and Emmy-award winning filmmakers Sam Pollard and Daniel Junge celebrate the life of Carl Bean, from his tough childhood through to his musical success and queer rights advocacy.
There’s nowhere on earth quite like Sheffield – Sheffield on Film celebrates the proud history and unique cultural identity of our city. Presented by Graham Relton from the Yorkshire Film Archive.
Films throughout the festival will aim to bring environmental and social issues to the forefront in stories from across the globe. Trailblazer of Indigenous cinema Alanis Obomsawin will present her landmark film Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, documenting the Kanien’kéhaka resistance to the development of sacred land into a golf course. YANUNI (International premiere) explores a love story and urgent call to action as an Indigenous couple risk everything to defend the Amazon and their unborn child’s future. Our Land (World premiere) pulls two disparate worlds together – as the Right to Roam movement campaigning to increase public access to nature, as 90% of National Parks are under private ownership, finds itself in conflict with England’s aristocratic landowners. Director Hannah Papacek Harper developed Lost For Words in close collaboration with authors Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris, a poetic journey through language and landscape that explores how reconnecting with nature’s vanishing vocabulary can help us reimagine our future with hope. Rock Out (World premiere) explores whether there is, or ever was, a home for Queer in the hyper-masculine, black painted worlds of heavy metal, punk and rock & roll. Tomorrow’s Too Late (World premiere)in which British singer Dylan Holloway’s identity – and voice – transform in this raw and musical journey through gender transition, loss and self-discovery, followed by a Q&A with director Terry Loane and protagonist Dylan Holloway, who will also perform.
Other film highlights include:
Mystyslav Chernov, the Oscar-winning director of 20 Days in Mariupol, will bring 2000 Meters To Andriivka to Sheffield as the film follows a young Ukrainian platoon as they attempt to liberate a strategically vital location from Russian forces. World Premieres include Gaza Sound Man, which is a story told through the lens of sound engineer Mohamed Yaghi, aiming to capture the realities of life on the ground in Palestine before and after 7 October 2023. A Little Gray Wolf Will Come will see journalist Zhanna Agalakova, whose daughter questions her political beliefs, confront her role in Russia’s propaganda campaign and her notions of national pride and identity. The International Premiere of The Panama Canal Treaties – Son of Tiger and Mule is a gripping documentary uncovering the 14-year struggle behind Panama’s reclaiming of its canal and the legacy still shaping global power and national identity.
Podcast Stories
The festival is proud to support and celebrate all mediums of documentary and this year the programme again includes presentations of two live podcast events, welcoming creators for an in-person exploration of essential non-fiction audio narratives.
Podcast Live: Here We Go! The Art of the Football Chant – Sociologist and a lifelong football supporter Les Back reflects on the making of his audio documentary series on football chants for BBC’s Archive on 4.
Podcast Live: Bad Gays – A special live recording of Bad Gays, a podcast all about evil and complicated queer people in history.
TV Series premieres – First Impressions
The festival is thrilled to host four exclusive (World premiere) previews of the first episodes for new documentary series. All events will include a conversation with the creators and special guests.
7/7 Homegrown Terror – On 7 July 2005, terrorist attacks shook London. Twenty years on, this series reveals not just what happened on 7/7, but how and why.
Inside the Jesus Army – It began as a dream of community life, but a 1970s Christian commune soon became a nightmare of abuse, the scale of which is only just coming to light.
Murder in Glitterball City – upcoming HBO series directed by Guests of Honour Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato – A body is found in a mansion in Kentucky. What follows is an exploration of a troubled relationship in a town filled with secrets.
Poisoned – A gripping investigation into the death of a young British man sparks a global hunt for the individual selling hundreds of young people lethal poison.
Alternate Realities Programme
The Alternate Realities exhibition programme at Sheffield DocFest showcases innovative non-fiction and immersive documentaries in all forms, breaking the boundaries of traditional documentary practice and using cutting edge technology – including virtual reality, use of artificial intelligence, video gaming platforms, augmented reality, and interactive web documentaries.
From artist and filmmaker Baff Akoto, this powerful new installation commemorates the potential, personalities and memories of Black and immigrant Britons disproportionately killed after police contact since 1969 Collateral Echoes combines XR, moving image and immersive sound design to present first person testimonies, archival imagery and performance. Including spoken prose from Paapa Essiedu and poetry by the late, great Benjamin Zephania, the exhibition memorialises those killed – and gives voice to the communities who survive them – in this exploration of nostalgia, loss, grievance and joy – see previous announcement here.
In the VR Cinema, Sheffield DocFest brings an international programme of immersive works to Site Gallery for the festival. Selected works include:
DOLLHOUSE for Queer Imaginaries [Queer.Space, Electric South | South Africa 2024]
DOLLHOUSE for Queer Imaginaries reimagines home as a playful, shared VR space where queer communities reshape belonging through creativity, care, and collective imagination.
Speechless Witness of a Wandering Tree [Aphra Taghizadeh, Kyoto Arts Center | Iran, Netherlands 2024]
A haunting VR journey into state violence in Iran, told through the eyes and memories of a protester deliberately blinded during a demonstration.
Impulse: Playing with Reality [Anagram | UK & France 2024]
Narrated by Tilda Swinton, Impulse plunges you into the chaotic brilliance of ADHD—where intensity, creativity, and survival collide in a transformative mixed reality experience.
Walking Alone, Text You When I’m Home [Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf | Germany | 2024]
A visceral 360° journey into the everyday reality of sexual harassment, told through personal stories and hauntingly abstract visuals.
Space for Action [Big Anxiety Research Centre UNSW | Australia 2024]
An immersive journey into the hidden reality of domestic abuse, Space for Action gives voice to survivors and the silent systems that failed them.
Talks
Sheffield DocFest will present twelve public talks which will all be held across the city.
Emily Copley, Talks & Sessions Senior Producer, said: “This year’s Talks programme brings together storytellers, cultural icons, and bold new voices who are reshaping how we see the world. From global phenomena and political truth-tellers to activists and artists driving change, these conversations reflect the urgency, diversity, and creativity at the heart of our industry today. We are deeply grateful to all our guests and partners for helping us share these vital perspectives with audiences from around the world who join us in Sheffield.”
Guests of Honour this year are Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, the co-founders of the pioneering media company World of Wonder (WOW) and award-winning producers and directors of trailblazing films and TV series will attend the festival and present a selection of talks throughout – see previous announcement here.
Bailey and Barbato will participate in four special talks: A Night with Adam and Joe – Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish reunite with Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato to revisit their TV origin story; The Adam and Joe Show. Ronan Farrow: From Podcast to Screen will also see the pair host Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Ronan Farrow in a virtual talk for a rare and revealing conversation. From the World of Wonder Werq Room – Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato lift the lid on their development process—sharing pitches, sizzles, and the challenges of turning bold ideas into commissioned series as well as The WOW Factor: Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato in Conversation where the World of Wonder founders reflect on a trailblazing career in storytelling, queer culture, and the creation of global pop phenomena.
Broadcaster supported talks include the previously announced BBC Interview with legendary physicist Professor Brian Cox as he reflects on a remarkable career that has seen him bring the wonders of science to millions through television, books, podcasts and live shows. Channel 4 Masterclass will see Oobah Butler discuss his transition from YouTube sensation to acclaimed TV documentarian and what changed, what stayed the same – and whether other creators can follow suit. Award-winning documentary producers Norma Percy and Lucy Hetherington will also talk to journalist and presenter Nina Hossain, sharing insights into how they bring world-shaping political stories to life on screen.
Hosted by renowned filmmaker, campaigner and National Geographic Explorer, Alice Aedy, attendees will meet the visionary women driving real-world change — using storytelling as a tool for activism and community mobilisation. Elsewhere, National Geographic’s Tom McDonald and magician David Blaine will discuss their hit series David Blaine Do Not Attempt and how it reflects National Geographic’s factual strategy.
Actor and documentary director Nyle DiMarco will lead a panel of filmmakers discussing the recent surge of content celebrating deaf experiences and the importance of deaf allies. Also from the award-winning team behind one of the world’s most celebrated radio shows, This American Life, Producer Emmanuel Dzotsi explores how to tell stories about race and immigration in a post-Trump, post-truth America. Finally, there’ll be an evening of comedy and conversation with the Palestine Comedy Club exploring how humour can challenge power, shift narratives, and hold space for difficult truths.
