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Sheffield DocFest · 2009

Sheffield DocFest 2009

UK Features

A miscellaneous assortment of great new feature length documentaries from the UK.

Programme

24 films · 5 reviews

Jump to a film

1 Day

A day in the life of an inner city hustler in Birmingham.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Penny Woolcock; Writer: Penny Woolcock; Stars: Chris Wilson, Dylan Duffus) , Trailer

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)

Areno: Eno

A revealing portrait of Brian Eno framed through a series of esoteric conversations.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Nicola Roberts; Stars: Brian Eno)

Attack Of The 50ft Reels

A series of unedited Super8 reels created by Sheffield DocFest et al as part of an art experiment.

(Year: 2009)

Bob

An elderly yet still politically active Communist who also happens to be a nudist and loves his garden talks about his life and his relationship with his neighbours.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Rosie Potter; Stars: Bob)

Centenary - The BP Story

A documentary exploring the troubled history of this successful company, which turned 100 in 2009, through the insights of its workers.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Nigel William)

Coal And Steel - Images Of Industry

A collection of images brought together as part of the BFI's This Working Life project.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009)

Cultural Revolution II

A documentary looking at what it means to be a capitalist in modern China and how Capitalism has created new heroes.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Tian Ai Zhang)

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

The Execution Of Gary Glitter?

Review preview for The Execution Of Gary Glitter?

By trying to make the views expressed by commentators and members of the public seem natural, spontaneous and heartfelt, the debate has been dumbed down to sub primary school level.

Jennie Kermode · 1.5 out of 5
A docudrama set in a parallel world explores issues surrounding the death penalty.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Rob Coldstream; Stars: Terence Harvey, Hilton McRae, Malcolm Rennie, Gary Bushell, Ann Widdecombe)

Full review

The Fall Of A Shah

The history of Iran's last Shah as explored by a filmmaker since imprisoned by the subsequent regime.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Maziar Bahari)

Far From Gone

Stephen and Boniface, recently escaped from the Congolese war, talk about their experiences there and in the refugee camp where they have lived since.

(Country: UK, Zambia; Year: 2009; Director: Barney Broomfield)

The Ferryman

The man who has inherited the running of the Devon river ferry after countless generations talks about his calling.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Alexandra Mattholie)

The Force

A real life CSI story as the Metropolitan Police forensics squad hurry to solve a murder.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Patrick Forbes)

The Great Flood

Documentary.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Marcelo DeOliveira)

Men Of The City

A look at what the current financial crisis has done to the individuals who work in the City of London.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Marc Isaacs)

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

Playmakers

A documentary about play as a reclaimed public activity, looking at the ways in which technology has contributed to an outbreak of popular new games.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Ivo Gormley)

Rough Aunties

Review preview for Rough Aunties

When I watched this film, many in the audience were in tears.

Val Kermode · 3 out of 5
A documentary looking at a women's organisation dedicated to rescuing abused children.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Kim Longinotto) , Official site

Full review

Sergio

Documentary examining the role of the United Nations and the international community through the life and experiences of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, including interviews with those who knew and worked with him over the course of his extraordinary career.

(Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Greg Barker)

Serial Bride

The story of a former porn star who has married five times without telling her later husbands that she hadn't divorced the previous ones.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Brian Hill)

Shed Your Tears and Walk Away

Documentarian lifts the lid on life in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, the idyllic setting of which belies the underlying substance abuse issues of many of its residents.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Jez Lewis)

Waiting For Women

Review preview for Waiting For Women

Wagner knows just where to place his camera to get the most interesting shots and just how long to leave it there.

Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
In a small Spanish village where there are no women left, the lonely male residents throw a party.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Estephan Wagner; Writer: Estephan Wagner)

Full review

Women - Activists

The story of a feminist activist group in London.

(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Vanessa Engle)