Image (Left-Right): Daisy Carter, Freya Ward-Lowery, Olivia Tomkinson, Sara Sanderson, Stuart Robinson, Tracey Schawsmidth
We are delighted to announce our Local Advisory Group participants for our 2025 and 2026 festivals!
As part of our on-going mission to make our festival welcoming, accessible and enjoyable to all, our Local Advisory Group scheme invites people from across South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire to attend the festival in June and provide feedback on their experience. The six participants will join us for both the 2025 and 2026 festival, and their feedback will inform planning for future festival editions and will help us shape what Sheffield DocFest can be!
Meet our Local Advisors
Daisy Carter
She/Her
I'm Daisy, a queer northerner who works as a psychotherapist across the NHS and private practice, with a passion for supporting mental health in working-class and LGBTQ+ communities. When not in the therapy room, I can be found reluctantly running (more of a slow jog!) or experimenting with gluten-free baking. I'm a proud dog mum who lives in Doncaster with her wife.
Freya Ward-Lowery
They/Them
I’m Freya, a digital anthropologist, cultural consultant and documentary enthusiast living just off Bramall Lane in Highfield. I’ve joined the Local Advisory Group to champion Sheffield’s DIY and queer scenes and bring a thoughtful, culturally rigorous lens to the festival. I’m here for the films that challenge dominant narratives, and representation done right: stories that champion Palestine, queer and trans narratives, and documentaries that focus outside dominant culture. I’m excited to delve into alternative documentary formats like VR and podcasts.
Olivia Tomkinson
She/Her
Hi, my name is Olivia (she/her) and I am based in Sheffield. I applied to be part of the local advisory group as I have lived in Sheffield my whole life, attending the documentary festival regularly, and hoped I may be able to positively contribute to the growing success of the festival by sharing my thoughts on accessibility and championing voices from marginalised communities. A highlight of the festival for me is learning more about different international political economies and their histories. I am personally looking forward to Juanjo Pereira’s ‘Under the Flags, the Sun,’ as it explores Paraguay’s authoritarian history, and considers how it has informed their politics today. As Mark Twain said “history does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”
Sara Sanderson
She/Her
I’m Sara, based in Sheffield, with a background in the arts, including roles at Arts Council England and as a former Trustee of the Showroom, when Doc Fest was a subsidiary. Although I’m not a practising creative, I’m closely connected to the arts through my musical family and creative friends, and I deeply value how creativity helps us understand ourselves and the world. I’ve always loved documentaries for their ability to spotlight unheard voices, reveal hidden truths, and connect us through real-life storytelling. I applied to join the Local Advisory Group to immerse myself more fully in this world. In the past, I’ve found the scale of the festival a little overwhelming and wasn’t sure how to access it as someone outside the industry. I’m excited to experience the festival in a more integrated way, to see how accessible it really is, and to feel the creative energy of the event. I’m particularly interested in what happens behind the camera—the process, the people, and the inspirations that shape what we see on screen.
Stuart Robinson
He/Him
Hi there, I'm Stuart and I've lived in Chesterfield for the past 23 years, having moved away from Derbyshire as a young adult and then returned. I'm in my early 60s and have a background in working with people, previously having been a local authority social worker and manager in Children's Services and for the past 20 years, working as a counsellor. I've worked in the Sheffield and East Midlands areas and my parents, grandparents and their predecessors originated from the city.
My interest in applying to be a member of the DocFest Advisory Panel was influenced by the fact that I regularly attend film screenings at the Showroom Cinema - often twice weekly - and am generally interested in the arts and especially supporting new, independent releases that may not be typically screened at larger, corporate cinemas. I'm keen to view 'relational' stories about people's lives (whether individually/ collectively) and also enjoy films from other counties and cultures, which helps expand my knowledge and helps me gain insight.
I have also sung with choirs for many years and have a love of walking and open spaces, and am supported by a faith belief and spiritual values. I like to keep up to date with current affairs and social issues.
This year's Programme looks exciting and I'm particularly looking forward to the films focusing on mental health (Heston: My life with Bipolar), and exploring nature and our sense of wholeness (Lost for Words), as well as LGBTQIA+ themed ones, (Murder in Glitterball City and Tomorrow's Too Late).
Tracey Schawsmidth
She/Her
Born and raised in Pitsmoor, Sheffield, I’ve been a proud delegate at Sheffield DocFest since 1999—attending regularly and watching it evolve into a world-renowned celebration of documentary storytelling.
I am an accomplished television Line Producer with nearly three decades of production experience and over 100 broadcast credits on acclaimed documentaries that include commissions for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and National Geographic. I’m also the Founder and Chair of Black Production Management UK (BPM UK), a community-led organisation advocating for greater representation and visibility of Black professionals in production management.
It’s an honour to serve on the Sheffield DocFest Local Advisory Group for 2025/2026. As a local ambassador with deep roots in the city and a passion for impactful storytelling, I’m committed to helping ensure the festival remains inclusive and opens doors for underrepresented communities across Sheffield and South Yorkshire. I’m also especially keen to highlight the vital contribution of production management roles in bringing powerful documentary and unscripted content to life.
This year’s festival programme is already shaping up to be more diverse than ever, offering a rich mix of voices, perspectives, and formats that reflect the world around us. I’m excited to be part of it.
