Running online and in cinemas, this year’s line-up is full of treats, from late 60s Harlem culture to a poignant portrait of Gorbachev
With cinemas open once more and the film world gradually regaining some sense of what things were like in The Great Before, the film festival circuit is taking slow steps toward normality. Cannes – currently scheduled to happen in July, whether Brits are permitted to go or not – is the milestone everyone’s waiting for, but in the meantime, smaller festivals are forging ahead with hybrid physical/digital editions. Which, honestly, may well be the future, as the last year has made many such events realise the inclusive advantages of opening themselves to a wider, less geographically specific audience.
The Sheffield DocFest, always an adaptable, forward-thinking festival, is among those. After last year’s edition was rendered digital-only by the pandemic, this year’s – which kicked off on Friday and runs until next Sunday – is returning to cinemas and sites in the steel city, with a comprehensive online programme for the rest of the
UK on their Sheffield DocFest Selects platform. Individual films (as well as short film collections) will be available to stream for 72 hours after their live premiere for £5 each, while a selection of recorded talks and Q&As can be watched for free.