Sheffield 24

In the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, 11-year-old Vrej is, in equal part, philosopher, dreamer and realist. He wants to be a dentist, but is fully aware that he is being prepared for combat, as are all the kids of his age, both and girls. “He was just a child full of wonder, full of dreams, but also very much older [than his years],” says director Hairabedian of her subject. “His personality was what really attracted the lens, and that's what kept us going.”

Renowned Scottish Oscar-winning actor and artist Tilda Swinton is co-director of The Hexagonal Hive and a Mouse in a Maze, a playful, experimental documentary produced by the Derek Jarman Lab and that looks at learning from every angle. The film, also co-directed by Bartek Dziadosz, screens in the International Competition at Sheffield Doc Fest. As Dziadosz tells BDE, they decided to make a film that would “interrogate” the very idea of education.

Mancini joins DocFest January 2024 to lead the festival’s industry strategy and activity including Marketplace, with oversight of the festival’s Industry programme and year-round activity. Other new appointments are Sophie Duncan as Marketplace & Talent Programmes Producer, Lisa Marie Russo as Marketplace Consultant, Vanessa Lobón Garcia as Talks and Sessions Senior Producer, and Lieven Heeremans (Podcast Programme Producer).

Sheffield’s Industry Programme and Market runs in conjunction with the Festival (June 12-17) and includes 22 Industry Sessions for delegates, five Marketplace Sessions, three Live Pitch sessions, the Filmmaker Challenge, Alternate Realities Summit, five marketplace Rough Cuts, Craft Summit (a day of five panels and masterclasses) as well as the MeetMarket pitching forum.

The impact of economic development in rural Ethiopia is brought strikingly into focus in Xinyan Yu and Max Duncan’s absorbing and fascinating documentary Made in Ethiopia, which explores the grand ambitions for a massive Chinese industrial park in a remote farming town as seen – largely – through the eyes of three very different women, all of whose futures will be hugely affected during the future trajectory of the project.

The incredible story of Lhakpa Sherpa, screening on Netflix from July 31, will undoubtedly attract the attention of Hollywood, but any future filmmakers will have their work cut out as this documentary paints an almost perfect literal and metaphorical picture of an epic journey to the top of the world. If this film doesn't uplift, move and empower you, I'm afraid nothing will.

Strike: An Uncivil War, directed by Daniel Gordon, tells the story behind the infamous “battle of Orgreave” in June 1984 between the Yorkshire police and striking mineworkers. It also reveals just how the Thatcher government ripped the heart out of Britain’s mining communities during the year-long miners’ strike. “Irrespective of your political viewpoint, you see the results that happened,” Gordon tells BDE of the social devastation caused by the closure of the mines.

Six new teams are announced to compete for prize funding for innovative new audio projects June 15 at Sheffield DocFest 2024. A grand first prize of £5,000 will be awarded, with £2,000 going to the runner up. The award is designed to celebrate the global trend towards solo and episodic listening to factual audio. Sheffield DocFest runs June 12-17.

Dutch director Rieneke Van Santen presents her campaigning doc project 24 Strong, set in Papua New Guinea and which underlines the universal message of press freedom as “an indispensable pillar of any democracy.” The film's story narrative is woven together by the themes of gender equality, corruption, collectivism and survival. “What strikes me most in this story are the women,” says Van Santen. “It's the women that are leading the investigations and that are exposing corrupt businessmen and politicians.”

For her debut feature, Scottish-based Spanish filmmaker Inma de Reyes follows the young would-be matador Borja as he prepares for a career in the bullring. “I have never been interested in bullfighting,” admits the director. “My family have never taken me to a bullfight or anything like that. I’m just completely oblivious to that world. But I think now you cannot be neutral in Spain. You’re either in favour or you’re against…”