Last year, I attended Sheffield Doc/Fest, one of the largest documentary film festivals in the world and had a few words with Liz McIntyre, CEO & Festival Director, Sheffield Doc/Fest. Ahead of this year's edition on 7-12th June, I had a few words with her on how the edition in 2017 went..
- From your perspective how did this years festival go? This was my first time up here and it was an amazing experience.
I’m delighted you enjoyed Doc/Fest. This was my second edition as Festival Director, and I want the festival to feel welcoming and surprising, with distinct, kooky, and boundary pushing programmes (Films, Alternate Realities and Talks). We’re serious in our intent, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. At the heart of the festival’s aims, it’s important to us that we have Sheffield firsts and onlys: the Doc/Fest programmers (Luke Moody – Director of Film Programming and Dan Tucker – Curator of Alternate Realities) roam the world to identify intriguing, compelling films, immersive stories and live events: for example, we collaborated with the Alexander Whitley Dance Company to bring a special work-in-progress preview of ‘8 Minutes’ ahead of its Sadlers Wells world premiere. This is a captivating multi-media journey into space comprising performance choreographed by Alexander Whitley, against the backdrop of a video wall of Rutherford science image design by Tal Rosner, with original score by Daniel Wohl. Other festival live performance events included the heart stopping ‘Doom Room’ by Denmark’s Makropol, a virtual reality experience in an abandoned Sheffield Woolworth’s, transporting festival goers to an afterlife, and ‘Fright Night’ centred around the film ‘Spookers’, in the city’s Art Deco Abbeydale Picture House. Our programmes reflect the full human condition, from the political, to the satirical to the absurd. We want audiences to be inspired creatively, or inspired to act on what they have seen.
We’re striving to close the gap between public and industry audiences where it makes sense to do so, and be as open and inclusive as possible. For example, with Wellcome’s support, we have created the Doc/Fest Exchange in Tudor Square, with free talks with Q&As, which have proved hugely popular: talks this year included Mim Shaikh in conversation with Elijah Quashie The Chicken Connoisseur about his You Tube series ‘The Pengest Munch’; Yorkshire’s Francis Lee talking about his film ‘God’s Own Country’ and Daisy Asquith on our opening night film ‘Queerama’, including working with John Grant. Doc/Fest Exchange forms part of all Tudor Square activity where public and industry can come together to watch curated shorts on the outdoor Free Screen; we want to pique the interest of the family trying docs for the first time, and at the same time ensure that the needs of the international industry players are served to the highest standards of excellence showing world class films. Our festival tagline is, ‘What’s Your Story?’ and aims to unite audiences and find points of connection, whether that be teenager recording on a smartphone, or the world’s greatest filmmaker. And perhaps inspire young DIY filmmakers to consider the industry for a future career, too.
At the heart of our ambition is to ensure the widest range of audiences and showcase the world class work of the most authentic and relevant documentary makers. Fundamental to this ambition is being a forum to support emerging talent. For example, this year, Reggie Yates hosted his inaugural Doc/Dinner at the festival, where emerging and in particular BAME filmmakers could exchange ideas and converse with high profile industry decision makers. The dinner was all about knowledge share, for mutual business and creative benefit.
- Why do you think Sheff Doc Fest maintains and grows its worldwide popularity as a major documentary film festival?
Crucially for the local and international industry, Doc/Fest is a forum for the world’s best stories, and a place to unlock the opportunities to pitch, make and tell those stories, for the widest range of new, emerging and established voices. We want to be a place not solely to enable filmmakers, but the widest range of industry players including decision makers, creative leaders and production crews, where diversity remains poor, to everyone’s detriment.
The festival provides an important meeting place: in a fractured often freelance business, documentary filmmaking can be a lonely business so Doc/Fest provides a moment for everyone to come together for inspiration, support and connections.
Whatever a delegate’s particular discipline or platform – be that feature length, shorts, series, immersive projects – we encourage delegates to experience all the programmes, to stimulate new ways of thinking.
- How important is it to keep being innovative? I noticed a lot of VR/AR exhibitions.
It’s vital to keep innovating to ensure the festival stays relevant and unmissable. We’re proud to be at the forefront of innovation to pique the interest of both our industry and public audiences. I’ve already talked about the theatrical VR experience Doom Room which became a talking point of the festival. The VR audience award was won by one of the projects exhibited in Dan Tucker and his team’s, including Joe Cutt, beautifully designed exhibition in the Millennium Gallery. The extraordinary VR project Munduruku, The Fight to Defend The Heart of the Amazon invited individual participants to sit in green pod (designed by London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony designer Mark Tildesley) and be transported to the Amazon rainforest not just by the VR film, but also a multi-sensory smell, touch, taste experience provided by The Feelies. Also for the first time this year, the Alternate Realities programme spilled onto the streets: Tudor Square Igloo Vision Dome, and Campfire at Upper Chapel was housed in a distinct teepee.
- There's also a strong musical element with the amount of music docs this year. What are your thoughts on the music element being if such key importance in film?
Doc/Fest is proud of to be part of both Sheffield's musical heritage and its future: music and dance form the core of our Doc/Rhythm strand, including live performances to bring people together. From the opening night with Sheffield’s LGBTQ choir Out Aloud welcoming audiences to City Hall; ‘Queerama’ with John Grant playing live; Michelle John playing tribute to Whitney Houston; the Joe Cocker acoustic set at Sheffield 's iconic music venue the Leadmill, to the Sheffield Socialist Choir singing in Tudor Square as part of our closing night tribe to Jo Cox MP.
And Doc/Festers love to party and socialise! This year’s party goers were treated to live music from Skinny Girl Diet, DJ sets from Cate Le Bon and the legendary Jonny Slut plus at the Saturday Night Resisdance Party the #MakeDocsNotWar Peace bed was hugely popular!
- There wasn't a dry eye in the house for the Jo Cox screening - what can we do to help bridge together communities coming away from this festival?
Stories help us find our place in the world, and find points of connection. We want to create opportunities for us all to listen, learn, influence and act on what we hear and see – so that the films we show are a starting point to continue conversations. Our festival is for everyone who loves a good story: recent world and UK events demonstrate that people are tired of being told what to think and want to tell stories in their own way with their own voices. We want to provide platforms for all stories to be heard, which is what we pride ourselves most on at Doc/Fest.