Sheffield International Documentary Festival, or – if you’re into the whole brevity thing – DocFest, is 20 years old.
To mark the anniversary of one of the most dynamic and interesting festivals in the world, the organisers have pulled out all the stops. Kicking things off this year are 3 stunning opening night events; The Big Melt – a film celebrating the Sheffield Steel Industry with a live score written by the Steel City’s favourite son Jarvis Cocker and performed by Cocker, Richard Hawley and The Sheffield Brass Band (among others) promises to be quite something; The Summit – a film about the perils of climbing K2 is being screened deep underground in the Peak District’s most evocatively named cave, The Devil’s Arse and finally, a screening of Sundance World Cinema Documentary Award Winner Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, which – tantalisingly – features a Q&A with the non-incarcerated band members.
side from that trio of events, there is a breathtaking array of events and films. Editing legend Walter Murch (The Godfather, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now) comes to deliver an editing master class along with his new documentary Particle Fever. He’ll also be introducing and Q&A-ing an epic double bill of Apocalypse Now and Hearts of Darkness, which is part of DocFest’s Films Behind The Films thread, which also features double bills of The Exorcist and The Fear of God (introduced by Mark Kermode), Female Trouble and I Am Devine and Aguirre, the Wrath of God and My Best Fiend.
Other special guests include This American Life host Ira Glass, who makes a rare UK appearance, acclaimed author Jonathan Franzen (The Corrections, Freedom) will be on hand to Q&A his passion project Emptying The Skies and Adam Buxton presents the very best of his BUG live show. Northumberland’s finest folk combo and Mercury Award nominees present a live score to new film Songs from the Shipyards whilst last year’s festival openers British Sea Power return to once again perform their spellbinding live score of From the Sea to The Land Beyond for anyone who missed it first time around.
The selection of films screening over the festival’s five days are no less mouth watering. Seventy-seven features make up the programme with killer whale doc Blackfish, startling genocide recreation film The Act of Killing and Muscle Shoals – about the world-renowned Fame Recording Studios –amongst the ten films fighting out for the Special Jury Award. There are simply too many amazing films screening this year to effectively surmise in a short preview and I haven’t even begun to list the dozens of industry sessions, talks and master classes, nor have I touched on DocFest’s legendary after hours parties, such perennial festival favourite The DocFest Roller Disco.
The festival has been quietly growing year upon year, and with DocFest’s 20th incarnation looking mind bogglingly exciting, it promises to deliver at least another 20 years of being the finest god damn documentary showcase on the planet.
Sheffield International Documnetary Festival runs from 12-16 June 2013 and you can find a full programme, book tickets right here.
Joe Gastineau co-hosts the Shot/Reverse Shot podcast and is a sometime blogger at The Wooden Kimono and on Twitter @thewoodenkimono
