Sheffield DocFest Unveils 2026 Program, Tribute To David Attenborough
Sheffield DocFest, the UK’s leading documentary film festival, will be welcoming some of nonfiction film’s biggest talents to the 33rd edition of the international event.
The full public program announced Wednesday features the latest work from Oscar winners Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tilda Swinton, Oscar nominees Maite Alberdi, Liz Garbus, Sara Dosa, Waad Al-Khateab, Tia Lessin, and Carl Deal, plus appearances by Michael Sheen, Miriam Margolyes, Mark Cousins, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman, guest of honor Maxine Peake and more. The lineup is packed with over 100 world, international, European, and UK premieres.
‘We, The Hated’
Sheffield DocFest
Sheffield DocFest, running June 10-15 in the city in Northern England, “celebrates the best in non-fiction storytelling across multiple platforms, including documentary features, shorts, docuseries, podcast live events, immersive and extended reality exhibitions, talks, masterclasses and more,” according to a release. It will kick off Wednesday, June 10 with the world premiere of We, The Hated, directed by Rich Felgate, a documentary examining the controversial environmental activists behind Just Stop Oil, “one of the most polarizing protest movements in recent memory.”
BBC Studios
Among the program highlights is a 100th birthday tribute to Sir David Attenborough, the great naturalist, conservationist, filmmaker, and author. He celebrates the century mark on May 8. “Sir David Attenborough at 100: A Living Legacy,” a special conversation in his honor, will bring together “leading voices to reflect on his extraordinary legacy and explore how it is shaping the future of environmental storytelling and activism.”
Scroll for details on the DocFest competition lineups.
‘In the Rearview’ director Maciek Hamela (L) with Sheffield DocFest Creative Director Raul Niño Zambrano
Matthew Carey
“In 2026, we are navigating a world defined by both profound uncertainty and constant transformation,” notes Raul Niño Zambrano, DocFest’s creative director. “Our theme, Realities in Motion, captures this momentum, reflecting how our lives are continually reshaped by collective action, from climate advocacy and social activism to the enduring power of music. Whether through features, shorts, TV episodes, podcasts, games, talks, or immersive XR experiences, we have curated a program that celebrates the full spectrum of documentary storytelling. I am deeply grateful to our advisors, consultants, and the entire DocFest team for their tireless work in building a balanced, inclusive program designed to spark deep curiosity and meaningful dialogue. We can’t wait to share it with our international audience.”
Mimi Poskitt, DocFest managing director, comments, “Documentary storytelling has the power to open our eyes to the world and help us make sense of the realities around us which is why Sheffield DocFest, now in its 33rd year, continues to evolve alongside the audiences it serves. We are extremely proud of how this year’s program reflects the dynamic ways people engage with non-fiction storytelling – seeking out immersive, innovative and thought-provoking experiences. It’s also why we decided to launch GEN DocFest, a new strand dedicated to children and families. Not only does this underscore our dedication to welcoming and inspiring the next generation of audiences and creators, but it will also help to ensure the documentary form remains inclusive, accessible and relevant for generations to come.”
Sheffield’s City Hall, adjacent to DocFest’s hub.
Getty Images
Sheffield, which incorporates the bucolic Peak District National Park within its borders, is nestled in South Yorkshire.
“DocFest is a vital part of Sheffield’s cultural life and international reputation as a city that champions culture, creativity, documentary and debate,” states Kate Josephs, chief executive of the Sheffield City Council. “We are proud to support the festival and the opportunities it creates for people in Sheffield, South Yorkshire and beyond to engage with world‑class film, ideas and talent. This year’s program once again demonstrates the ambition, originality and relevance that have made DocFest such an important fixture in the city’s cultural calendar.”
FULL PROGRAM LISTINGS
Opening Night Film
We, The Hated – Rich Felgate / United Kingdom / 2026 / 89mins / World Premiere
An intimate portrait of Just Stop Oil protestors asks what it really costs to take a stand in a supposedly democratic society.
COMPETITIONS
International Competition
Honoring films that best display strong artistic vision and courageous storytelling. This award is Academy Award accredited.
Colors of White Rock – Khoroldorj Choijoovanchig / France, Mongolia / 2026 / 82mins / European Premiere
In Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, Maikhuu is one of the country’s only female truck drivers, hauling coal across treacherous roads to provide for her family.
Disciples – Pankaj Johar, Sunaina Kapoor/ India, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Qatar / 2026 / 81mins / World Premiere
On the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi, two boys enter a revered Hindu school where lessons in ancient scripture blur into something more troubling.
Filthy (Sucia – Per qué no vas fer res?) – Bárbara Mestanza, Marc Pujolar / Spain / 2026 / 82mins / International Premiere
When an actress goes looking for the man who assaulted her, she turns her trauma into art and asks the question nobody wanted her to: why didn’t you do anything?
Lesbian Lines- Cara Holmes / Ireland / 2026 / 77mins / World Premiere
An intimate portrait of a network of underground telephone helplines established by a small community of Irish lesbians in 1979.
MKO – Ose Oyamendan / Nigeria, United Kingdom, Canada, USA / 2026 / 108mins / World Premiere
Moshood Abiola wins Nigeria’s freest election, only for the military to jail him. When U.S. diplomats arrive to negotiate his release, he is served tea, and dies.
The Archivist – Rob Curry, Tim Plester / 2026 / 98mins / World Premiere
David “Doc” Rowe has spent decades preserving Britain’s overlooked folk traditions. Now, with time running short, he faces a race to protect them.
The Apologist – Kristof Bilsen / Belgium, Netherlands, France / 2026 / 82mins / World Premiere
Through the ritual of saying sorry, a bold journey explores how apologies redefine history and what happens to us as witnesses to the act of atonement.
Time Machine Maidan (Машина Часу Майдан) – Roman Liubyi, Volodymyr Tykhyy/ Ukraine, Germany / 2026 / 86mins / World Premiere
In this haunting and visually inventive documentary, a spectral voice drifts through time and memory to trace the Maidan revolution and the roots of resistance in Ukraine.
International First Feature Competition
This competition honors the future of non-fiction film and celebrates promising new talent.
A City in the Forest – Lev Omelchenko, Nolan Huber / USA / 2026 / 98mins / World Premiere
When a police unit in Atlanta moves to raze an urban forest for the country’s largest police training facility, a grassroots movement fights to defend the land.
Hope is a Word – Maria Galliani Dyrvik / Norway, Italy, Nigeria / 2026 / 82mins /
World Premiere
In Nigeria’s Niger Delta, where oil extraction has poisoned the land for decades, poet and activist Nnimmo Bassey nurtures a new generation of writers to fight back.
Magma (Le Magma) – Mia Bendrimia / France, Algeria, Qatar / 2026 / 88mins / World Premiere
Searching for answers about her Algerian family’s ties to both sides of the Independence war, a filmmaker uncovers a tangle of contradicting buried histories.
Matininó – Gabriela Díaz Arp / Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic / 2026 / 87mins / International Premiere
In Puerto Rico, a multi-generational group of women confront violence and abuse through a shared creative fantasy rich in colour, mythology and play.
The Way You See Me (Como tú me ves) – M Sin Título / Mexico, Argentina / 2026 / 85mins / World Premiere
An intimate story about the construction of identity and the consequences of defying gender norms within Mexico’s conservative upper-middle- class society.
The Wind’s Thirst (La Sed del viento) – Alejandro Valbuena / Canada, Colombia / 2026 / 84mins / World Premiere
In Colombia’s La Guajira desert, three Wayuu guardians resist as a reservoir and wind turbines built on their ancestral land serve corporate interests, not their community.
The Wolf – Wancheng Gu, Prasad Shetty / India, France / 2026 / 89mins / World Premiere
Yuan, a 60 year old former village mayor in Shanghai, seeks freedom through heartbreak, marriage and LGBTQ+ repression in modern China.
WOLF – Christian Cargill / United Kingdom / 2026 / 88mins / World Premiere
Tilda Swinton guides us through the life of cult British musician Patrick Wolf, weaving together archive and animation to illuminate a singular artistic journey.
International Short Film Competition
This Academy Award, BAFTA and BIFA-accredited award honours the best creative approaches in documentaries under 40 minutes.
3 Lost In Towers
跳房子 – Jingyuan Liang, Shizhao Ye / China / 2026 / 17mins / World Premiere
After a real estate collapse in a small Chinese city, a man who took his own life lingers as a ghostly presence among the unfinished buildings.
all that appears solid is built on blood – Izdihar Afoyuni, Gelare Khoshgozaran / United Kingdom, Palestine / 2026 / 11mins / World Premiere
Footage documenting the making of a mass grave in Khan Younis, Gaza is slowed frame by frame, re-shot on film and soaked in human blood.
Anatomy of a Portrait (Anatomía de un Retrato) – Juan Felipe León / Colombia / 2026 / 23mins / World Premiere
A rural Colombian woman plans to donate her body to science and commissions her own posthumous portrait, in a tender, inventive meditation on life, death and the human body.
Do You Know That I’m With You
بىلھمسھن مھن سھن بىلھن بىللھ – Darya Andijan / Netherlands / 2026 / 23mins / World Premiere
A forgotten goddess of carpet weaving is summoned back to life as a filmmaker pieces together lost memories across the Uyghur diaspora.
Maybe Tomorrow
أغدا ً ألقاك – Waad Al-Kateab, Wafa Mustafa / United Kingdom, Syria, Germany / 2026 / 40mins / World Premiere
When activist Wafa Mustafa’s father disappears under Assad’s regime, her search for answers becomes a story of memory, identity and resilience.
Pelo Lindo – Josue Garcia Prado / Guatemala / 2026 / 24mins / World Premiere
A 90-year-old Guatemalan mother reflects on four decades of waiting for her forcibly disappeared son, and the chapel she built in his name.
Red Elephant – Iqran Rasheed / Pakistan, Belgium, Hungary, Portugal / 2026 / 22mins / World Premiere
LGBTQ+ asylum seekers in Belgium face an impossible ask: prove their identity by reliving the worst things that have happened to them.
Relic – Sam Howard / Northern Ireland / 2026 / 13mins / World Premiere
High above Belfast, an 85-year-old man holds a holy relic linked to Padre Pio. Every 13th night, devoted locals journey up the mountain seeking a sacred cure.
Stalin Boys – Bianca Giaever, Ora DeKornfeld / USA / 2026 / 22mins / International Premiere
Four middle school boys in a tiny Texas border town channel an unlikely obsession with Joseph Stalin into a history fair play about tyranny.
Wild East – Maia Wikler / Romania, Sweden, Austria / 2026 / 36mins / World Premiere
A Romanian environmentalist risks everything to expose IKEA’s destruction of ancient forest, in an urgent, gripping portrait of one person’s fight against powerful corporate interests.
Youth Jury Award
This award is selected by some of the UK’s most passionate young documentary lovers.
All Rivers Spill Their Stories To The Sea – Jeanie Finlay / United Kingdom, Germany / 2026 / 99mins / UK Premiere
When thousands of dead crabs wash ashore along England’s North East coast, fisherman Stan Rennie finds himself leading a grassroots fight for answers and a future.
Crocodile – The Critics, Pietra Brettkelly / New Zealand, Nigeria / 2026 / 100mins / UK Premiere
A group of young filmmakers in Nigeria form a homemade collective with smartphones and recycled materials. Over thirteen years, it becomes a story of creativity, ambition and growing up together.
Landscapes of Memory – Leah Galant / USA, Germany / 2026 / 79mins / International Premiere
An American filmmaker travels to Berlin to confront her family’s Holocaust history, only to be detained at a pro-Palestinian demonstration and charged with antisemitism.
Past Future Continuous – Morteza Ahmadvand, Firouzeh Khosrovani / Iran, Italy, Norway / 2025 / 76mins / UK Premiere
After years of living in exile from Iran, Maryam installs CCTV cameras in her family’s Tehran home and creates a lifeline to the parents she left behind.
Replica – Chouwa Liang / Australia, France / 2026 / 90mins / UK Premiere
Three women in China turn to AI lovers to fill the emotional gaps left by loneliness, unfulfilling marriages and the pursuit of independence.
The Way We Move – Vanessa Joo Dumont, Nicolas Davanel / France, USA / 2026 / 95mins / European Premiere
Amber Galloway has spent her career making live music visible for Deaf audiences. Now she’s training two new interpreters for the ultimate high-stakes debut at Austin City Limits.
Tim Hetherington Award
Photojournalist and filmmaker Tim Hetherington was committed to humanitarian and social concerns throughout the world. This award recognizes films that best reflect his legacy.
Birds of War – Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak / United Kingdom, Syria, Lebanon / 2026 / 85mins / UK Premiere
Over thirteen years of revolution, war and exile, a Lebanese journalist and a Syrian activist document their love story through text messages, voice notes and footage from the front lines.
Life Support – Daniele Rugo / United Kingdom / 2026 / 93mins / World Premiere
A group of international doctors breach the blockade of Gaza. What they find is the calculated dismantling of life itself.
The Long Cuban Night (Cuba y la Noche) – Sergio Fernandez Borras / Spain, Colombia, Cuba / 2026 / 100mins / European Premiere
Captured entirely on phone footage, a group of Cuban artists risk everything to document their uprising against a government trying to silence them.
Saigon Story: Two Shootings in the Forest Kingdom – Kim Nguyen / Canada / 2026 / 91mins / International Premiere
Two families, one photograph. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Kim Nguyen unpicks the wartime secrets hidden behind Eddie Adams’ infamous Saigon Execution image.
TCB – The Toni Cade Bambara School of Organizing – Louis Massiah, Monica Henriquez/ USA, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Senegal / 2025 / 105mins / European Premiere
Friends of Black feminist writer, filmmaker and cultural worker Toni Cade Bambara come together to share her lessons on art, community and resistance.
GUEST OF HONOR PROGRAM
Maxine Peake in Conversation with Paul Sng
Actor Maxine Peake and filmmaker Paul Sng discuss how working class voices are represented in the media and on screen in the age of populism.
The Eccentronic Research Council Live with Maxine Peake
The Eccentronic Research Council perform The Dreamcatcher Tapes, an album soundtracked by people’s recalled dreams live, with Maxine Peake.
Queens of the Coal Age: A Live Reading with Maxine Peake
Maxine Peake and guests perform a live reading from her play, on the 1993 Parkside Colliery occupation, revisiting working-class resistance and its relevance today.
The Archivist – Rob Curry, Tim Plester / 2026 / 98mins / World Premiere
David “Doc” Rowe has spent decades preserving Britain’s overlooked folk traditions. Now, with time running short, he faces a race to protect them.
Nightcleaners
Marc Karlin, Mary Kelly, James Scott / United Kingdom / 1975 / 90mins
A groundbreaking record of the early 1970s campaign to unionize the women who cleaned London’s office blocks at night, exploited and invisible.
The Wanted 18
Paul Cowan, Amer Shomali / Canada, France / 2014 / 75mins A Palestinian village buys eighteen cows to produce its own milk. The Israeli army declares them a threat to national security.
