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Sheffield DocFest · 2008

Sheffield DocFest 2008

Miscellaneous

Films with broad appeal not placed in strands.

Programme

70 films · 8 reviews

Jump to a film

A1: The Road Musical

A musical journey from London to Edinburgh, meeting ordinary people along the way.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Benjamin Till)

An Addict's Last Days

The video diaries of a dying heroin addict.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Olly Lambert)

At Home With The Clearys

(Country: UK, Ireland; Year: 2008; Director: Alison Millar)

Barcelona Or Die

An encounter with Senegalese people desperate to improve their lot by taking a dangerous boat trip to Spain.

(Country: France; Year: 2008; Director: Idrissa Guiro)

The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)

Review preview for The Betrayal

This is a very moving story, and I wish I could give the film more praise.

Val Kermode · 3 out of 5
The epic story of a family forced to emigrate from Laos after the chaos of the secret air war waged by the US during the Vietnam War.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath; Writer: Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasava)

Full review

Beyond Our Ken

An exploration of the Kenja cult in Australia.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2007; Director: Luke Walker, Melissa Maclean)

Bingai

A Chinese peasant woman takes on the authorities in her quest for a piece of land to compensate her for the loss of her former home to the Three Gorges Dam.

(Country: China; Year: 2007; Director: Feng Yan)

Blog Stalker

What it says on the tin.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Todd Rohal)

Les Braves: Jean Widhoff

Jean Widhoff recounts his experiences in the Algerian war.

(Country: France; Year: 2008; Director: Alan Cavalier)

Les Braves: Raymond levy

Raymond Levy recounts his wartime experiences as a member of the French Resistance handed over to the Germans.

(Country: France; Year: 2008; Director: Alan Cavalier)

Cat Dancers

A former exotic cat trainer discusses his life and personal relationships.

(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: Harris Fishman)

Chosen

Review preview for Chosen

The frank simplicity of the film's design is itself transgressive, and it hits harder as a result.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Three men talk about the sexual abuse they suffered in private schools.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Brian Woods)

Full review

Cold Waves

An examination of the pivotal role of radio in bringing about the Romanian Revolution.

(Country: Romania; Year: 2007; Director: Alexandru Solomon)

Corridor #8

Local people comment on the absurdity of a great road through the Balkans which was supposed to unite them all.

(Country: Bulgaria; Year: 2008; Director: Boris Despodov)

Dominick Dunne: After The Party

Profile of a former Hollywood big-shot and sometime alcoholic who became a forceful crime journalist after his daughter was murdered.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2008; Director: Timothy Jolley, Kirsty de Garis)

DreamRiders

An estranged father and son seek to mend their relationship by cycling together coast to coast across America.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: William S Roulston)

Dreznica

An experimental exploration of the dream visions of blind people.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2008; Director: Anna Azevedo)

The Enemy Within

A look at antisocial forces in English society and how they compare to their historical counterparts.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Joe Bullman)

Entrenched Abuse: Forced Labor In Burma

Smuggled footage revealing Burmese ethnic minority peoples forced to build roads and act as human minesweepers.

(Country: Thailand, Burma, US; Year: 2004)

Fence

A look at the controversy surrounding a fenced off piece of Japanese land, just south of Tokyo, still occupied by Americans.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2008; Director: Toshi Fujiwara)

The First Day

A Slovakian Romani girl starts nursery school in England unable to speak the same language as her new classmates.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Hannah Skrinar)

FLicKeR

A profile of Brion Gysin and his legendary dream machine, designed to liberate the artistic consciousness.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2007; Director: Nik Sheehan)

Four Questions For A Rabbi

An exploration of what it means to be Jewish in the modern world.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Stacey Ross, Jay Rosenblatt)

Gabriel Byrne - Stories From Home

A biopic of actor Gabriel Byrne, with the man himself very much involved.

(Country: Ireland; Year: 2008; Director: Pat Collins; Stars: Gabriel Byrne, Ellen Barkin)

Goth Cruise

A trip on the annual Mediterranean Goth Cruise as 150 goths enjoy a holiday.

(Country: UK, Bermuda; Year: 2008; Director: Jeanie Finlay)

Ground Floor Right

A portrait of one man and his winged companions in a small London flat.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Marlene Schiött Rasmussen)

Home

The people of the divided town of Beit Iksa speak about their concept of home.

(Country: Israel; Year: 2008; Director: Claire Fowler)

The Hunt For Moby Dick

An exploration of the character of the whale Moby Dick, looking at what whales have meant to human civilisation.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Adam Low)

IOUSA

Review preview for IOUSA

Just as An Inconvenient Truth was able to reach a wide audience thanks to a strong message well presented, this film has the potential to do the same.

Val Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
An examination of economic collapse in the US, and of the forces behind it.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Patrick Creadon) , Official site

Full review

Japan: A Story Of Love And Hate

A former high-flyer now struggling to earn a living faces up to a first meeting with the father of the live-in girlfriend who is half his age.

(Country: UK, Japan; Year: 2008; Director: Sean McAllister)

Killadelphia

Louis Theroux explores life in the mean streets of Philadelphia.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Emma Cooper; Stars: Louis Theroux)

Killer In A Small Town: The Ipswich Murders

An examination of what happened in Ipswich when a serial killer started stalking sex workers.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Louise Osmond)

Land Of Promise - The BFI National Archive

Key documentary work from the BFI National Archive.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Various)

Letter To Anna (Ein Artikel zu viel, Anna Politkowskaja Und Das System Putin, Der Mord An Anna Politkowskaja)

Review preview for Letter To Anna

Despite the bravery of some of the interviewees, I would have liked more answers.

Val Kermode · 3 out of 5
Interviews with Russian activist and Putin critic Anna Politkovskaya, plus an examination of what happened after her assassination.

(Country: Switzerland; Year: 2008; Director: Eric Bergkraut; Stars: Narrated by Susan Sarandon)

Full review See: Eric Bergkraut on Letter To Anna at the Sheffield DocFest

Man On Wire

Review preview for Man On Wire

This little gem has a narrative structure that Hollywood movies seem to have forgotten how to employ - all the ingredients for a classic thriller are here.

Tony Sullivan · 4.5 out of 5
Documentary about tightrope walker Phillippe Petit's attempt to cross between the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: James Marsh; Writer: James Marsh; Stars: Philippe Petit) , Official site , Trailer

Full review See: Sundance Film Festival 2008: Day Eight

Mario And Nini

Can diligent mentoring dissuade two lively young boys from getting drawn into the criminal underworld?

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Chloe Ruthven)

Miss Landmine: Augusta

After losing everything she had in the Angolan Civil War, Augusta dreams of recovering her pride by winning a beauty pageant.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Katie Churcher)

Miss Landmine: Filomena

After losing her leg in the Angolan Civil War, Filomena wishes to assert that she can still be beautiful and that landmine victims should not be mocked.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Katie Churcher)

Miss Landmine: Luisa

Luisa used to be considered a great beauty and hopes she didn't lose it all to the landmine which maimed her.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Katie Churcher)

Miss Landmine: Maria

Maria is 38 and pregnant; she has also lost a leg to a landmine; but she wants to be considered beautiful.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Katie Churcher)

Mr Rakowski

A survivor of Nazi persecution struggles to develop a relationship with his son.

(Country: Netherlands, US; Year: 2007; Director: Jan Diederen)

Mum, Heroin And Me

A young heroin addict facing desperate circumstances talks about her strong relationship with the mother who is still trying to save her.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Jane Treays)

My Mother's Garden

A daughter tries to come to terms with her mother's compulsive hoarding behaviour, which has driven the family from their home.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Cynthia Lester)

A Northern Town

The residents of an Australian nursing home recall their town's history of racism and brutality.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2008; Director: Rachel Landers)

Osama Bin Everywhere: The Many Faces Of The Islamic World

A journey around the world to meet lots of different people called Osama.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Masood Khan)

Outlawed: Extraordinary Rendition, Torture And Disappearances In The "War On Terror"

First hand accounts of extraordinary rendition and torture.

(Country: US; Year: 2006)

Patria Mia, Nomad Direction

Chinese immigrants in Bosnia struggle to develop a coherent new identity.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Duska Zagorac)

PRL De Luxe

A visit to Nowa Huta, the model Communist city built within Cracow.

(Country: Poland; Year: 2008; Director: Edyta Wróblewska)

Radio Heads: Igor

A radio listener tells his story.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Adam Gutch, Chu-Li Shewring)

Radio Heads: Liverpool Unzipped

Who are the people out there listening to Liverpool radio?

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Adam Gutch, Chu-Li Shewring)

Radio Heads: Mick And Clive

A portrait of two keen radio listeners.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Adam Gutch, Chu-Li Shewring)

Radio Heads: Open Line

A look at the relationship between radio broadcasters and their audience.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Adam Gutch, Chu-Li Shewring)

René

A petty criminal, continually in and out of jail, develops a career as a writer.

(Country: Czech Republic; Year: 2008; Director: Helena Treštíková)

Rich Kid, Poor Kid

An examination of the gap between rich and poor people in the UK through the lives of two girls from opposite ends of the same street.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Zac Beattie)

Seaview

Life at a former Butlins holiday camp... now home to asylum seeking refugees.

(Country: Ireland; Year: 2007; Director: Nicky Gogan, Paul Rowley)

Second Skin

Review preview for Second Skin

An excellent mix of real and virtual world visuals keeps all this highly entertaining.

Val Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A journey into the world of MMPORGs.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Juan Carlos Pineiro Escoriaza)

Full review

sleep furiously

Review preview for sleep furiously

The farmers are not in good condition. They look tired and their equipment looks exhausted.

Angus Wolfe Murray · 2 out of 5
Rural Wales faces change from all sides as the population ages.

(Country: UK; Year: 2007; Director: Gideon Koppel)

Full review

Smoking With The Hawk

A self-professed hard man bets on pool, fends off a machete attack and tries to train his hawk to be a killing machine.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Kim Flitcroft)

The Solitary Life Of Cranes

What is life like for crane operators far up above our familiar urban landscapes?

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Eva Weber)

THE TAILOR

A confused tailor and his assistant struggle with language difficulties and their increasing suspicion that a cameraman is watching them.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2007; Director: Oscar Perez)

The Time Of Their Lives

Three forceful elderly women, still active in social and political circles, speak frankly about death, their increasing fragility, and what life has meant to them.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Jocelyn Cammack)

The Unquiet American - Cameron Hickey

What does it mean to be an American today?

(Country: UK, US; Year: 2008; Director: Cameron Hickey)

The Unquiet American - Katy Chevigny

A look at American life behind the headlines.

(Country: UK, US; Year: 2008; Director: Katy Chevigny)

The Unquiet American - Senian Kheshgi

A glimpse of what life is like for ordinary Americans.

(Country: UK, US; Year: 2008; Director: Senian Kheshgi)

The Unquiet American - Steve James

The experiences of an everyday American guy as his country faces an uncertain future.

(Country: UK, US; Year: 2008; Director: Steve James)

Veil

What is underneath this Muslim woman's veil? It's a camera, observing the strange ways in which people react to her as she wanders round a shopping centre.

(Country: Norway; Year: 2008; Director: Thomas A Østbye)

Very Young Girls

Review preview for Very Young Girls

Perhaps the most horrifying aspect of the film is what it reveals about US culture and society more broadly.

Keith Hennessey Brown · 3.5 out of 5
An examination of young girls as they are duped, tricked and coerced into selling themselves for sex in a surprising, and people-focussed film.

(Country: US; Year: 2007; Director: David Schisgall)

Full review

Wait For Me

A mother discusses her emotional search for her son, lost in the mountains of India.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Ross Kaufman)

Watch Me Disappear

A look at the circumstances that can lead to people disappearing and dying alone.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Lucy Cohen)

Z32

Safely hidden behind animated masks, young Israelis talk about crimes they committed against Palestinians whilst serving in the army.

(Country: Israel; Year: 2008; Director: Avi Mograbi)