James R | On 23, Jun 2022

Sheffield DocFest returns this week for its 2022 edition, and it will be once again playing both online and in cinemas.

The festival, which runs from 23rd to 28th June, will present a selection of films from this year’s programme online, so that audiences and doc-lovers have the opportunity to join in the celebration of documentaries.

Highlights from the festival overall include A Film About Studio Electrophonique, the Sheffield-based recording studio which nurtured a generation of synth-pop musicians, Adam Ondra: Pushing the Limits, a thrilling record of the legendary Czech rock-climber, Nothing Compares, a portrait of Sinead O’Connor, Off the Rails, which follows two parkour-obsessed friends facing up to reality following the death of their friend, and Karaoke Paradise, a feel-good film about Finland’s passion for karaoke.

How it works

A selection of films and artworks will be available online for UK public to book. Digital audiences can purchase tickets individually for £5, or purchase a collection of tickets in a DocLover bundle – 10 films for £70 (£50 concession) or 5 tickets for £40 (£30 concession).

Titles will be streamed online on DocFest’s own platform, DocFest Selects. Films are available to watch for 72 hours and appear online the morning after the film’s premiere at the festival in Sheffield. Alternate Realities projects are also available for free for the duration of the festival.

What’s streaming

Here’s the rundown of films playing online during the festival – for more details see here.

Films

1341 Frames of Love and War
Israel – 2022 – Ran Tal (UK Premiere)

Israeli photographer Micha Bar-Am recalls his journey from Berlin to Palestine, the birth of the state of Israel and its subsequent history in this compelling film.

A Film About Studio Electrophonique
UK – 2022 – James Taylor (World Premiere)

A euphoric record of Sheffield-based Studio Electrophonique, which nurtured a generation of nascent superstars such as ABC, The Human League, Heaven 17, Clock DVA and Pulp.

Adam Ondra: Pushing the Limits
Czech Republic, Italy – 2022 – Jan Šimánek, Petr Záruba (UK Premiere)

A thrilling record of the legendary Czech rock climber’s career and his preparations for the debut of the climbing competition at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

AGE OF RAGE – The Australian Punk Revolution
Australia – 2022 – Jennifer Ross (World Premiere)

A playful journey through the early days of the punk scene in Australia, as told by former band members and fans.

British Boys
Brazil – 2022 – Marcus Curvelo (International Premiere)

Two men in Bahia, Brazil, try to prove their UK ancestry to qualify for a small plot of land in the city’s finest location: the British Cemetery.

Cesária Évora
Portugal – 2022 – Ana Sofia Fonseca (UK Premiere)

An intimate portrait of world-renowned Morna singer Cesária Évora, whose talent took her from abject poverty to stardom and the concert halls of the world.

Dancing Pina
Germany – 2022 – Florian Heinzen-Ziob (International Premiere)

Two of Pina Bausch’s most famous works are rehearsed in Germany and Senegal, championing the choreographer’s legacy through a younger generation of dancers.

El Arena
Lebanon, UAE – 2022 – Jay B. Jammal (World Premiere)

Unfolding against the backdrop of a turbulent political climate, the finest rappers in the Arab-speaking world gather in Beirut, hoping to be crowned King of the Battle.

Electric Malady
UK – 2021 – Marie Liden (UK Premiere)

From within a cocoon of layered blankets, William copes with a life consumed by electrosensitivity, in this touching experiential portrait of isolation and survival.

Goodbye, Captain
Brazil – 2022 – Vincent Carelli, Tita (Tatiana Soares de Almeida) (International Premiere)

The story of ‘captain’ Krohokrenhum, leader of the Gavião indigenous people, from Pará state in northern Brazil, who died in 2016.

Ikebana
Canada, USA – 2021 – Rita Fernando, Lily Jue Sheng (UK Premiere)

This tranquil and inventive cinematic essay, focussing on the Japanese art of flower arranging, regards plants as a language of expression, channelling the past, present and future

Infinity According to Florian
Ukraine – 2022 – Oleksiy Radynski (UK Premiere)

As this riveting portrait of the multi-hyphenate artist Florìan Jur’jev unfurls, the acclaimed architect is facing one of the greatest challenges of his storied career.

Julie on line
France – 2021 – Mia Ma (International Premiere)

Shot over five years, director Mia Ma follows her friend Julie as she tries to reinvent her future and find a way to live with schizophrenia.

Karaoke Paradise
Finland – 2022 – Einari Paakkanen (UK Premiere)

From the land that introduced us to a screaming male voice choir comes Einari Paakkanen’s feel-good film about Finland’s passion for karaoke.

Laboratory No. 2
Kurdistan – 2021 – Edris Abdi, Awara Omer (UK Premiere)

Having worked in the autopsy training department for 14 years and now nearing retirement, Hama reflects on his own mortality.

Love, Deutschmarks and Death
Germany – 2022 – Cem Kaya (UK Premiere)

This vibrant film details the vast body of music produced by and for the Turkish diaspora in Germany from the 1960s to 1980s, and its influence on subsequent generations.

New Pigs on the Block
Belgium 2022 – Jimmy Kets (International Premiere)

Three pigs live a seemingly care-free life as part of an urban community project, unaware of what lies ahead.

Nothing Compares
Ireland, UK – 2022 – Kathryn Ferguson (UK Premiere)

Kathryn Ferguson’s riveting portrait of Sinéad O’Connor charts the iconic singer’s phenomenal rise and subsequent exile from the pop mainstream.

Off the Rails
UK – 2022 – Peter Day (UK Premiere)

Two urbex and parkour-obsessed teenagers face-up to reality following the death of their friend, in Peter Day’s riveting portrait of urban life.

One Day at a Time
UK – 2021 – Paul Chambers (World Premiere)

Paul Chambers’ uncompromising yet uplifting film looks at the work of a Liverpool-based recovery living centre that uses art and sport to combat addiction.

One in a Million
Germany – 2022 – Joya Thome (World Premiere)

Whitney is a rising star of the US gymnastics scene, who has a sizeable following on YouTube. Among them is Yara, who lives in Germany and is one of her biggest fans.

Plai. A Mountain Path
Ukraine – 2021 – Eva Dzhyshyashvili (UK Premiere)

Eva Dzhyshyashvili’s contemplative film details rural life for a couple whose world is irrevocably impacted by conflict but whose resilience perseveres.

The Good News Day
Brazil – 2021 – Lucas Zacarias, João Paulo Vicente (International Premiere)

A Brazilian news website plans a day where they will only post good news and feel-good articles. The day they choose is 11 September 2001.

The Oil Machine
UK – 2022 – Emma Davie (World Premiere)

Emma Davie’s urgent documentary explores our complex relationship with the oil industry, set against the backdrop of the ongoing fight for North Sea reserves.

The Unofficial Countryside
UK – 2022 – Nick Jordan, Jacob Cartwright (World Premiere)

On the outskirts of Manchester, between the urban and the rural we find liminal spaces: forgotten, ignored and passed-by, but teaming with abundant life.

Artworks

A Rest Guide for a Tired Nigerian Artist
Artists: Rahima Gambo, Innocent Ekejiuba (UK Premiere)

What happens when we shift attention from the artwork to the people for whom art is their work? This work is the first step on that journey.

A TikTok War
Production: Sheffield DocFest, Ella Musaieva

From sheltering in bunkers to traveling across Europe as refugees, TikTok has been appropriated to chronicle and explain the horror of the Ukraine war

Black Power Naps
Artists: Navild Acosta, Fannie Sosa

A sculptural installation, vibrational device and curatorial initiative that reclaims laziness and idleness as power.

Conversations with Bina48: Fragments 7, 6, 5, 2

A quest for friendship with a humanoid turned into a rabbit-hole of questions regarding the future, at the intersection of technology, race, gender and social equity.

Gondwana
Director: Ben Joseph Andrews (UK Premiere)

This VR project allows you to roam through Australia’s ancient Daintree rainforest as it simulates 100 year of climate change impact.

KidzWorks
Creator: Creator: Ian Chillag (World Premiere)

An interactive story told through the customer service line of a deeply dysfunctional toy company.

Nocturnes
Artist: Jad Abumrad (World Premiere)

Every night we fall asleep. The ‘story of us’ dissolves away. These new musical works explore the idea of self-disintegration.

Ravi and Emma
Artists: Kylie Boltin, Ella Rubeli (UK Premiere)

A world-first interactive experience that celebrates diversity and inclusiveness through humour and a unique take on love.

Safe Space
Artist: Mirelle Borra (International Premiere)

A film illustrating the digital and physical resistance of ballroom cultures over the last thirty years showing their plight and resilience.

The Sound Voice Project
Artist: Hannah Conway

A unique performance installation exploring powerful stories of voice-loss and identity that features immersive, surround-sound and audio-visual settings.

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