Sheffield DocFest

We'd just like to say a huge THANK YOU to our Guest of Honour, Maxine Peake, who curated an incredible programme at this year's festival 🥹

Maxine blew us away with a live performance with Sheffield-based band The Eccentronic Research Council, a reading of her play ‘Queens of the Coal Age’, and a talk with filmmaker Paul Sng exploring the representation of working-class voices in the media 💚

Plus, she selected two powerful archival works, The Wanted 18 and Nightcleaners, alongside the world premiere of The Archivist.

Thank you so much, Maxine!

📸 Credits:
Image 1: James Mulkeen
Image 2: James Mulkeen
Image 3: James Mulkeen
Image 4: David Chang
Image 5: David Chang
Image 6: David Chang
Image 7: David Chang

That’s a wrap on DocFest 2026! 🎬

We had six fantastic days filled with tears - and laughter - but most of all we had a festival packed full of exciting events and vital stories, beautifully told.

The festival is one of the biggest showcases for documentaries around the globe and this year featured 107 films from 66 countries and over 200 screenings including 45 World Premieres, 17 International Premieres, 6 European Premieres, and 37 UK Premieres.

Here are just some of our favourite memories - we can’t wait to share more with you very soon. See you in 2027!

📸 Credits:
Image 1: James Mulkeen
Image 2: Calla Cox
Image 3: David Chang
Image 4: James Mulkeen
Image 5: James Mulkeen
Image 6: David Chang
Image 7: David Chang
Image 8: David Chang
Image 9: Calla Cox
Image 10: Calla Cox
Image 11: Calla Cox

We're proud to announce that Stalin Boys has been awarded the Children’s Resilience Award for Short Documentary by Shine Global 👇

Presented for the second year in partnership with Sheffield DocFest, the award honours documentary storytelling that expands understanding of children’s experiences around the world, and the courage they show in confronting extraordinary challenges 💚

In the charming short documentary Stalin Boys, four middle school boys in a tiny Texas border town channel an unlikely obsession with Joseph Stalin into a history fair play about tyranny.

Read more about the award over on our webpage: https://www.sheffdocfest.com/news/announcing-our-2026-sheffield-docfest-award-winners/

This is your LAST CHANCE to have your say and vote for our Audience Award at this year's DocFest before voting closes at 12pm👇

If you have attended an eligible screening and had your ticket scanned, you'll have received a reminder email with a link to vote for your Audience Award winner 💚

You'll be able to watch the winner at a special audience award screening at 8.45pm today over at (tickets at sheffdocfest.com)

Want to see our winning docs? 👀 Come along to our screenings TODAY for Filthy, Magma, and our Audience Award Winner, which we'll be announcing later.

👉Here's what the jury had to say about our International Competition Winner, Filthy:

“Through courageous storytelling and remarkable creative vision, this film transforms personal trauma into a collective reckoning. While rooted in the singularity of the filmmaker’s personal story, the film opens outward, asking larger questions about guilt, shame, power, performance, and the systems that shape our complicity in violence.

Its disciplined and compelling editing weaves together years of artistic creation and legal pursuit, creating a gripping journey that challenges audiences to look inward and examine their own narratives. For its bold artistry, precision of its inquiry, and extraordinary commitment over time, the jury awards Filthy, directed by Barbara Mestanza and Marc Pujolar.”

Speaking about Magma, they said:

"This film is a bold personal-political documentary exploring generational trauma resulting from the wounds of colonialism. We were unanimous in our decision to award this film for its intimate access and a creative and courageous act of storytelling from the filmmaker.”

Get your tickets over on our website or on the app 💚

Following our very special awards ceremony at the Crucible Playhouse this evening, we are thrilled to present the full list of this year’s award winners:

International Competition (Grand Jury Award, supported by Apple Original Films) goes to:

⭐️ Winner: Filthy (Sucia – Per què no vas fer res?) - directed by Bàrbara Mestanza, Marc Pujolar (Spain, 2026)

⚡️ Special Mention: Time Machine Maidan - directed by Roman Liubyi, Volodymyr Tykhyy (Ukraine, Germany, 2026)

International First Feature Competition (supported by Netflix) goes to:

⭐️ Winner: Magma (Le Magma) - directed by Mia Bendrimia (France, Algeria, Qatar, 2026)

⚡️ Special Mention: A City In The Forest - directed by Lev Omelchenko, Nolan Huber (USA, 2026)

International Short Film Competition goes to:

⭐️ Winner: Maybe Tomorrow أغدا ً ألقاك - directed by Waad Al-Kateab, Wafa Mustafa (United Kingdom, Syria, Germany, 2026)

⚡️ Special Mention: Anatomy of a Portrait (Anatomía de un Retrato) - directed by Juan Felipe León (Colombia, 2026)

Youth Jury Award goes to:

⭐️ Winner: Crocodile - directed by The Critics, Pietra Brettkelly (New Zealand, Nigeria, 2026)

⚡️ Special Mention: All Rivers Spill Their Stories To The Sea - directed by Jeanie Finlay (United Kingdom, Germany, 2026)

Tim Hetherington Award goes to:

⭐️ Winner: The Long Cuban Night (Cuba y la Noche) - directed by Sergio Fernandez Borras (Spain, Colombia, Cuba, 2026)

⚡️ Special Mention: Birds of War - directed by Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak (United Kingdom, Syria, 2026)

Read the full list of award winners here: https://www.sheffdocfest.com/news/announcing-our-2026-sheffield-docfest-award-winners 💚

From Miriam Margolyes to Gary Stevenson, and so many more: you don’t want to miss these people at DocFest today 💚

This is your final chance to get your tickets for these incredible events today. You don’t want to miss them!

Head to sheffdocfest.com or our app to secure yours!

We can’t believe it’s almost Sunday at DocFest! If you’re still deciding how to spend it, here’s what not to miss 💚

Secure your tickets over at sheffdocfest.com or through our DocFest app!