Sheffield Doc/Fest
- Text by Alex King
- Photography by We Are Many
If you’ve got a compelling idea for a documentary project, have a finished film you need to get out into the world or just want to see some of the world’s best documentaries before anybody else, then Sheffield International Documentary Festival (Doc/Fest for short) is where you need to be. It’s the biggest festival of documentary film in the UK (and the third largest in the world) and the place where filmmakers, funders and distributors come together in an extravaganza of pitching, schmoozing and roller discos to hammer out the deals that get films made and onto screens. But more important than the movements of the money machine going on in the background are the films themselves, so here is our roundup of the best of the festival so far. To be continued.
Stop At Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story
As far as stories in cycling go, there aren’t any bigger than the monumental rise and sudden fall from grace of Lance Armstrong. To celebrate the start of this year’s Tour de France in Yorkshire, one strand of the festival focusses on cycling docs, but Alex Holmes’ Stop At Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story recalls a dark era in cycling history that the Tour’s organisers would probably prefer to forget. Unfortunately, like Alex Gibney’s The Armstrong Lie (also on show at the festival), for cycling fans or anyone else who has followed the doping saga, Stop At Nothing has very little new to say, apart from a sting in the tale where it points out how few those who enabled and profited from Armstrong’s deception have faced any consequences.
We Are Many
Amir Amirani’s We Are Many tells the story of the largest global protest in history, the world-wide demonstrations against the Iraq war on February 15, 2003. The film expertly pieces together the events of that momentous day, but also looks at its impact on world events in the following decade, from Tahrir Square to the vote against war on Syria. The exceptional film sold out both its screenings at the festival and got standing ovations each time.
Return to Homs
Return to Homs captures the euphoric mood that swept through the city in the early days of the resistance against Assad but was quickly dashed as the dictator’s troops lay siege to the city and disillusionment and bitterness set in. As you would expect from a film that goes right to the heart of the Syrian conflict, this is a harrowing experience to behold but a brave and vital piece of filmmaking from director Talal Derki.
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In Syria’s mountains, climbers are pitching new lines to a freer future
Vertical rebirth — Assad’s fall has opened up huge, previously untouched mountain areas for people to explore. Bushra Alzoubi meets a trio of sibling rock climbers who are building a scene from scratch.
Written by: Bushra Alzoubi
A portrait of the UK’s oldest boxing club
Learning the Ropes — A new documentary by Ryan Pickard chronicles the hard-edged history of Repton Boxing Club in Bethnal Green, while asking poignant questions about the present and future of the sport in the UK.
Written by: Sydney Lobe
New film spotlights London’s Bubble Club, the party by people with learning disabilities
Radically inclusive clubbing — Produced by Muddled Marauders and currently fundraising for completion, the feature documentary focuses on the inclusive night, which has been in operation since 2005.
Written by: Roxana Diba
Confronting America’s history of violence against student protest
Through A Mirror, Darkly — In May 1970, two separate massacres at American college campuses saw deaths at the hands of the state. Naeem Mohaiemen’s new three-channel film memorialises the brutality.
Written by: Miss Rosen
New documentary spotlights Brixton’s community in the face of gentrification
Beyond Brix & Mortar — With property prices rising by 1,700% since the ’80s, the film explores the rich cultural history of the area’s Afro-Caribbean community, and the threat to the area’s soul.
Written by: Sydney Lobe
On the set of ‘La Bamba’, lost Latino legend Ritchie Valens’s biopic
The overnight rockstar — The Chicano rock & roll star exploded overnight in the late ’50s, but just as quickly he was gone, killed in a plane crash along with Buddy Holly. An ’80s biopic saw him immortalised on the big screen, which photographer Merrick Morton captured behind the scenes.
Written by: Miss Rosen
