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Sheffield DocFest · 2009

Sheffield DocFest 2009

Galas and Premieres

The big films that will open and close the festival, plus a selection of exciting UK and world premieres.

Programme

10 films · 4 reviews

Jump to a film

Addicted In Afghanistan

The true story of two teenage heroin addicts living in Kabul.

(Country: UK, Afghanistan, Netherlands; Year: 2009; Director: Jawed Taiman, Sharon Ward)

American Radical: The Trials Of Norman Finkelstein

A look at the controversial American academic on tour, with commentary from leading debaters.

(Country: Canada, US, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine; Year: 2009; Director: David Ridgen, Nicolas Rossier; Stars: Norman Finkelstein, Noam Chomsky, Alan M. Dershowitz, Richard Finkelstein, Raul Hilberg, Nidal Barham) , Trailer

Capitalism: A Love Story

Review preview for Capitalism: A Love Story

In sheer entertainment terms this is Moore's best yet.

Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
A documentary about laissez faire capitalism and its effect on American society.

(Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Michael Moore; Writer: Michael Moore; Stars: William Black, Jimmy Carter, Elijah Cummings, Baron Hill, Marcy Kaptur, John McCain, Michael Moore, Sarah Palin, Ronald Reagan) , Official site , Trailer

Full review

Erasing David

Review preview for Erasing David

The subject matter is serious and the filmmakers have attempted to illustrated it with a man on the run, rather than investigate clinically.

Angus Wolfe Murray · 3 out of 5
A man is pursued by private investigators in an attempt to prove that privacy has been completely lost in modern surveillance society.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: David Bond, Ashley Jones, Melinda McDougall)

Full review

I'm Dangerous With Love

The story of a musician who cured his multiple drug addictions using the African hallucinogen ibogaine, and wants to help others do the same but discovers it can be dangerous.

(Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Michel Negroponte)

Moving To Mars: A Million Miles From Burma

Review preview for Moving To Mars: A Million Miles From Burma

It is easy to engage with this family, who seem totally relaxed with the presence of cameras.

Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
A look at the experiences of two Karen refugee families who have lived for 20 years in a Thai camp and are about to move to Sheffield.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Mat Whitecross) , Official site

Full review

October Country

An ordinary American family struggles with poverty and the impact of war.

(Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Michael Palmieri, Donal Mosher; Writer: Donal Mosher, Michael Palmieri) , Official site , Trailer

Once Upon A Time Proletarian (Women ceng jing de wuchanzhe, 12 Tales of a Country)

Review preview for Once Upon A Time Proletarian

The overall, very sad message of the film is that here is a nation of people freed from the gruelling work patterns of the past, but who now find themselves trapped in dull, monotonous and soul-destroying jobs.

Val Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
An exploration of the social and political landscape of modern China.

(Country: China, UK, Germany; Year: 2009; Director: Xialou Guo, Pamela Casey)

Full review

Shadow Play

A documentary about the filming of Ian Curtis biopic Control.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2009; Director: Josh Whiteman; Stars: Anton Corbijn)

Transcendent Man

Futurist and famed inventor Ray Kurzweil is the preeminent theorist on the pending fusion of humans and super-intelligent machines as the next phase of evolution, a "singularity" he predicts will occur within 30 years. This doc explores the personal ideals behind his controversial ideas.

(Country: USA; Year: 2009; Director: Robert Barry Ptolemy; Stars: William Shatner, Ed Begley Jr., Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Michael Eisner, Herbie Hancock, Colin Powell, Raymond Kurzweil, Alan M. Dershowitz, Tony Robbins)