Image (Left – Right): Aisha Alli-Balogun and Robin Hickman
We are delighted to announce the launch of DocCritic, a brand new programme for Sheffield DocFest 2026.
DocCritic invites student voices to craft sharp, engaging short reviews and written content, developing the voices of the next generation of film critics.
This programme aims to mentor and develop the students' voice to create written and verbal content to support our filmmakers from the First Feature strand - which champions the future of non-fiction film and celebrates promising new talent.
The students' words will help spotlight their work across our website, newsletters and social media channels - shaping how audiences discover and experience these stories.
Meet our 2026 DocCritics
Aisha Alli-Balogun (She/her)
Aisha is a film critic driven by a fascination with how stories are told on screen - how a single shot, line, or piece of music can stay with you long after the credits roll. What started as a love for late-night rewatches and cinema trips became something deeper: a commitment to thinking carefully about film and the ways it moves us.
Robin Hickman (She/her)
Robin is a second-year Filmmaking student at Nottingham Trent University. Documentaries hold a special place for Robin as a genre, and one day she hopes to produce her own, reaching people far and wide.
Follow their work on the DocCritic blog as reviews go live from 29 April.
