About Doc/Fest
Sheffield Doc/Fest brings the international documentary family together to celebrate the art and business of documentary making for five intense days in November. Doc/Fest is a film festival, industry session programme and market place, offering pitching opportunities, controversial discussion panels and in-depth filmmaker masterclasses, as well as a wealth of inspirational documentary films from across the globe.
Doc/Fest is the only place in the world where you will meet sectors of the whole of the British documentary industry under one roof. Each year, the industry conference attracts the leading names of British documentary makers and executives in British television. The delegate mix of around 1200 includes documentary and factual producers, directors, buyers, commissioners and distributors. It is the perfect place to launch your latest documentary, pitch new ideas, meet future co-production partners and get insider tips from some of the world’s best documentary makers. It is a relaxed and friendly place to hold meetings with producers, commissioners and distributors, learn about the latest trends in production and discover new innovations and emerging talent.
The 15th Doc/Fest will be held in Sheffield from 5-9 November 2008. To coincide with the result of the U.S. presidential elections that should be announced during the festival, Sheffield Doc/Fest will present a number of films and panels around the theme of Regime Change. We’ll be looking at the consequences of changes in government – from the democratic and highly media savvy process that takes place in America – to those countries that live under dictatorships and to whom ‘regime change’ may mean suffering a military coup or civil war. Public and industry can get involved by entering a film, applying to the MeetMarket, Submitting a Session Idea, entering one of the pitching competitions and, of course, simply attending the festival! Delegates can register for the whole festival or for selected days such as DFG Newcomers Day or DocDay Afternoon.
In 2007, the festival attracted record delegate numbers and passes sold out, so for 2008 there will be a registration deadline.
Previous Doc/Fest guests include
Michael Apted
Peter Bazalgette
Lowell Bergman
Nick Broomfield
Joan Churchill
Bob Connolly
Adam Curtis
Molly Dineen
Robert Drew
Alastair Fothergill
Jennifer Fox
Nick Fraser
Daisy Goodwin
Jean-Pierre Gorin
Alex Graham
Olaf Grunert
Mette Hoffman Meyer
Sir Jeremy Isaacs
Richard Klein
William Klein
Peter Kosminsky
Stephen Lambert
Richard Leacock
Jorgen Leth
Richard Life
Kim Longinotto
Angus Macqueen
Michael Moore
Errol Morris
Dennis O’Rourke
Michael Palin
Kim Peat
DA Pennebaker
Norma Percy
Nicolas Philibert
John Smithson
Paul Sowerbutts
Morgan Spurlock
Robert Thirkell
Mark Thompson
Jane Treays
Paul Watson
John Willis
Frederick Wiseman
Alan Yentob