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Sheffield DocFest · 2019

Sheffield DocFest 2019

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Programme

7 films · 7 reviews

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Apollo 11

Review preview for Apollo 11

Despite knowing, thanks to the consumption of a dozen or so books, how things would play out...I still found myself tensing up when we see the Eagle lunar lander begin its descent

Owen Van Spall · 4 out of 5
A purely archival reconstruction of humanity’s first trip to another world, featuring never-before-seen 70mm footage and never-before-heard audio from the mission.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Todd Douglas Miller)

Full review

The Brink

Review preview for The Brink

Whilst one cannot imagine that the film provides quite the propaganda he might have hoped for, understanding the subtlety of what Klayman has created requires a type of empathy that it's not clear he possesses.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Following former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon through the 2018 mid-term elections.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Alison Klayman; Stars: Stephen K Bannon, Louis Aliot, Sean Bannon, Patrick Caddell, Steve Cortes, Sharice Davids, Yasmine Dehaene-Modrikamen, Filip Dewinter, Kent Ekeroth, Lena Epstein, Nigel Farage, Laure Ferrari, Daniel Fleuette, David Frum, Paul Gosar)

Full review See: Alison Klayman ‪in conversation on‬ The Brink

Hail Satan?

Review preview for Hail Satan?

At times this documentary risks becoming too obvious; at others, Lane's sharp eye for the mistakes people make in assuming things to be obvious is what makes it work.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A look at the intersection of religion and activism, tracing the rise of The Satanic Temple: only six years old and already one of the most controversial religious movements in American history. The Temple is calling for a Satanic revolution to save the nation’s soul. But are they for real?

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Penny Lane; Stars: Jex Blackmore, Nicholas Crowe, Lucien Greaves)

Full review

Honeyland

Review preview for Honeyland

The directors let the humanism shine out without resorting to sentimentality, capturing moments of joy, such as the pleasure of shared, sticky honey with the same lack of artifice as moments of pain or grief.

Amber Wilkinson · 5 out of 5
When nomadic beekeepers break Honeyland's basic rule (take half of the honey, but leave half to the bees), the last female beehunter in Europe must save the bees and restore natural balance.

(Country: Republic of Macedonia; Year: 2019; Director: Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov)

Full review

Knock Down The House

Review preview for Knock Down The House

The documentary is clearly on the side of candidates, which is fine, but it could also benefit from a bit more scepticism and empathy for its auxiliary subjects.

Jeremy Mathews · 3 out of 5
Four young Democratic candidates take on established incumbents in the US 2018 election.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Rachel Lears; Stars: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush, Joe Crowley, Paula Jean Swearengin, Amy Vilela, Isra Allison, Zoltan Boka, Saikat Chakrabarti, Jozette Figueredo, Shalynne Figueredo, Jo-Ann Floyd-Whitehead, Darryl Gray, John Iadarola, Keenan Korth, Joe Manchin III)

Full review

What You Gonna Do When The World's On Fire?

Review preview for What You Gonna Do When The World's On Fire?

While content is important, it is context that is king in a documentary, and this film could do with a lot more of it to orient viewers, especially those who don't have a full working knowledge of the American South.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
The story of a community of black people in the American South during the summer 2017, when a string of brutal killings of black men sent shockwaves throughout the country.

(Country: Italy, US; Year: 2018; Director: Roberto Minervini; Writer: Roberto Minervini; Stars: Dorothy Hill, Kevin Goodman, Judy Hill, Ronaldo King, Michael Nelson, Ashlei King, Titus Turner)

Full review

XY Chelsea

Review preview for XY Chelsea

We are left with the bare facts of Chelsea's actions and her elevation to iconic status, without any real perspective.

Jane Fae · 2.5 out of 5
Following the shock commutation of her sentence, whistleblower and trans woman Chelsea Manning prepares to leave an all-male military prison in Kansas and transition to living life for the first time as a free woman.

(Country: UK; Year: 2019; Director: Tim Travers Hawkins; Writer: Mark Monroe; Stars: Chelsea Manning)

Full review