Our 2026 programme just gets bigger and better!
Our exciting new films, talks and events include:
70 Up: The Final Chapter with Asif Kapadia, Jo Clinton Davis and Mike Blair
Munya Chawawa: Wrestling with Trump
World Premiere: Obsession: The Beryl Burton Story
UK Premiere: The Last First: Winter K2
Queens of the Coal Age: Live Reading written by Guest of Honour Maxine Peake
Plus new speakers, GEN DocFest screenings and more!
We're excited to announce new additions to our 33rd edition, including two new events completing this year's Talks Programme, three new film premieres, two new GEN DocFest screenings and a special event celebrating the World Premiere of The Archivist.
Also announced are new speakers joining the Talks Programme: barrister and broadcaster Rob Rinder MBE (Investigating True Crime), actor Craig Parkinson (Channel 4 Interview with Joe Bullman: Why Documentary Makers Create the Most Powerful Dramas), former diplomat Alexander Dragonetti who appeared on The Traitors S3 (Brexit: How Britain Voted Out), broadcaster and journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy (How to Get Filthy Rich with Gary Stevenson) and BBC Sheffield Radio Presenter, Spoken Word Artist and Creative Producer Sile Sibanda (Behind the Scenes: Educating Yorkshire).
New additions include:
70 Up: The Final Chapter Thursday 11 June / 19:30 / Lyceum Supported by ITV
For more than six decades, the Up series has captured the lives of ordinary Britons and become one of the most influential documentaries ever made. Join the team behind 70 Up for a landmark conversation about the final chapter of television history.
Speakers: Asif Kapadia (Director, Amy, Senna), Jo Clinton Davis (Controller of Factual, ITV), Mike Blair (Creative Director, Multistory Media), 70 Up Cast Members - to be announced Moderator: Charlene White (Broadcaster and Journalist)
Munya Chawawa: Wrestling with Trump Sunday 14 June / 12:30 / Lyceum Supported by Channel 4
Munya Chawawa discusses his latest documentary Wrestling with Trump, exploring the link between the American president and wrestling.
Speakers: Munya Chawawa (Lead Presenter) Moderator: Zing Tsjeng (Journalist, author, presenter of BBC Good Bad Billionaire podcast and former VICE Editor-in-Chief)
Obsession: The Beryl Burton Story (World Premiere) Stuart Pollitt / United Kingdom / 2026
Britain's greatest cyclist. A lifetime of victory. One family's cost. An intimate portrait of obsession, sacrifice and the price of sporting success.
The Last First: Winter K2 (UK Premiere) Amir Bar-Lev / USA, Pakistan, United Kingdom / 2025
A 2021 expedition to be the first to summit K2 in winter left five dead, exposing the fault lines of modern mountaineering.
Weird Walk Presents: DJ Paul Hartnoll's Folk Horror Techno Disco Roadshow Saturday 13 June / 21:00–01:00 / Steamworks
In a special event celebrating the World Premiere of The Archivist, Orbital's Paul Hartnoll presents a specially-created dance set fusing his own unique brand of techno disco with cult British folk horror and folk music, accompanied by Pecsaetan Morris dancers.
Queens of the Coal Age: Live Reading
Actors Jason Done, Christine Bottomley, Carla Henry, Eva Scott and Lamin Touray have been confirmed for the special live reading of Queens of the Coal Age, written by Guest of Honour Maxine Peake. The piece details the true story of four miners' wives, Anne Scargill, Dot Kelly, Elaine Evans and Lesley Lomas, who occupied Parkside Colliery in 1993 to protest pit closures.
GEN DocFest
Horrible Science: Tim Peake's Stinky Space Special Thursday 11 June / 10:00–11:30 / Showroom, Screen 1 / Relaxed Screening
Astronaut Tim Peake joins Pipette to guide us through what life is like in space for astronauts.
Toddler Kino x DocFest and CBeebies presents: Hamza Loves Animals Monday 15 June / 11:15–11:45 / Showroom, Screen 1
Wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin looks at some of the amazing animals which can be found in Africa.
These events are unticketed and free to attend.
Festival Passes are on sale here.
Sheffield DocFest is made possible thanks to the support of our partners, funders and sponsors, including Principal Funders BFI Audience Projects Fund, awarding National Lottery funding, Sheffield City Council and Arts Council England.
