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The Sheffield culture guide written by in-the-know locals

Sheffield DocFest picks

Each year, the world of documentary filmmaking gathers in cultural venues across the city for Sheffield DocFest.

DocFest is the UK’s leading documentary festival and one of the world’s most influential markets for nonfiction projects. For its 32nd edition, 18–23 June 2025, it invites audiences to explore Where Perspectives Meet with 116 films from 68 countries of production, podcast series, TV series premieres, talks and their Alternate Reality programme.

The six-day festival aims to use storytelling to inspire change and create an alternate future by sparking conversation, inspiring and opening up new ways of seeing the world. Its film programme is divided into seven strands: Rhythms, Rebellions, People & Community, Memories, Journeys, Debates, and Short Films. Don’t miss the free Alternate Realities programme at Site Gallery plus talks with special guests.

Accessibility details of services, including BSL interpretation, relaxed screenings, and subtitled and captioned films can be found here. For any enquiries email access@sheffdocfest.com.

Scroll down for our top picks from the Sheffield DocFest 2025 programme and book your tickets now.

Written by Rae de Soleil.

Soul of the Desert

Multiple dates

Showroom

Georgina, a transgender Wayúu woman, embarks on a journey across the Colombian desert to reclaim her place in the world. A poetic, moving road movie, capturing the beauty of defiance & asserting ourselves in the struggle against systemic oppression.

Move Ya Body: The Birth of House

Thu. 19 June 2025 — Sat. 21 June 2025

Emerging from the underground clubs of Chicago’s South Side, house music sparked a movement of joy, freedom & radical togetherness. Director Elegance Bratton pays tribute to Vince Lawrence & visionary friends who pioneered the worldwide phenomenon.

And She Didn't Die

Multiple dates

Kethiwe uncovers the extraordinary life of her mother Lauretta Ngcobo, a rural South African storyteller turned revolutionary feminist. Combining archival footage, reenactment & readings of Lauretta’s work to explore the costs of liberatory struggle.

Katwe

Sat. 21 June 2025 — Sun. 22 June 2025

Showroom

Katwe paints the portrait of a salt-mining community in Uganda. Director Nima Shirali follows the transformation of the salt lake in the collective imagination through the eyes of an enthusiastic teacher, a jaded caretaker and a sharp-witted mother.

A History of Sadness

Sat. 21 June 2025 — Sun. 22 June 2025

Showroom

This short film examines the complex mother-daughter bond by focusing on three generations of Iranian women. Their relationship evolves as they navigate migration, political upheaval, displacement, cultural adaptation and generational change.

PARA VIVIR: The Implacable Times of Pablo Milanés

Sat. 21 June 2025 — Sun. 22 June 2025

A striking cinematic portrait of Pablo Milanés, a major voice in Cuba’s revolutionary cultural movement, filmed during his final years in self-imposed exile. Milanés reflects on the Revolution to which he and his generation of artists were devoted.

Our Land

Sat. 21 June 2025 — Mon. 23 June 2025

The Right to Roam movement organised mass trespasses to increase public access to natural resources, specifically the countryside. However, England’s landowners claim to be the stewards of the land. The film challenges age-old beliefs about property.

Writing Hawa

Multiple dates

Afghan journalist/filmmaker Najiba Noori documents her mother Hawa’s dedication to girls’ education. Hawa, a survivor of child marriage, reclaimed her narrative and helped others reclaim theirs by teaching literacy classes and traditional embroidery.

Impulse: Playing with Reality

Wed. 18 June 2025 — Mon. 23 June 2025

Site Gallery

Tilda Swinton narrates this interactive mixed reality experience where intensity, creativity & survival collide. Combining sharp-witted gameplay & first-hand accounts, it explores the complex inner lives of 4 distinctive ADHD-identifying individuals.

DOLLHOUSE for Queer Imaginaries

Wed. 18 June 2025 — Mon. 23 June 2025

Site Gallery

Collective storytelling meets immersive tech in a multi-user VR experience that reimagines home as a shared space where marginalised beings are seen, cared for & belong. Inviting you into a living, breathing space of resistance, joy & transformation.

Collateral Echoes

Wed. 18 June 2025 — Mon. 23 June 2025

Site Gallery

Artist-filmmaker Baff Akoto's immersive installation honouring the lives, memories and potential of Black and immigrant Britons killed after police contact. Combining XR, testimony, poetry from the late Benjamin Zephaniah and prose by Paapa Essiedu.