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Sheffield DocFest — A–Z of films

2021

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  • All Light, Everywhere
    Review preview for All Light, Everywhere

    All Light, Everywhere examines the microscopic and vertiginous in equal, beguiling measure.

    Matthew Anderson · 4 out of 5
    An exploration of the shared histories of cameras, weapons, policing and justice. As surveillance technologies become a fixture in everyday life, the film interrogates the complexity of an objective point of view, probing the biases inherent in both human perception and the lens.
  • The Ants And The Grasshopper
    Review preview for The Ants And The Grasshopper

    It’s enjoyable to watch this edifying connection between people discovering how much they have in common.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Anita Chitaya has a gift: she can help bring abundant food from dead soil, she can make men fight for gender equality, and maybe she can end child hunger in her village. Now, to save her home in Malawi from extreme weather, she faces her greatest challenge: persuading Americans that climate change is real.
  • Charm Circle
    Review preview for Charm Circle

    There's a winning combination of warmth and honesty to the way that she and her family share their lives that opens the door to viewers and asks them to shift their perspective.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
    After uncovering a treasure trove of home videos documenting the moments of love, laughter, and musical expression that punctuated an otherwise tumultuous upbringing, filmmaker Nira Burstein returns to her childhood home – now crumbling from the inside out – to explore whether she and her two sisters can reconnect with her parents.
  • Courage
    Review preview for Courage

    There is something optimistic about joining this wave of humanity, from all walks of life, as they brandish flowers in the air and peacefully demonstrate against the regime.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    Documentary about the protests in Belarus.

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  • From The Wild Sea
    Review preview for From The Wild Sea

    Petré does not use filters, showing the world as it is – starkly beautiful on the eve of disaster.

    Mateusz Tarwacki · 4 out of 5
    The director considers the critical relationship between humans and wild animals and the consequences of climate change.
  • Gunda
    Review preview for Gunda

    The language captured here speaks volumes. The animals’ faces, their reactions and movements, remind doubters of their sentient nature in every shot.

    Anne-Katrin Titze · 5 out of 5
    Pigs, cows and chickens. Intimate portraits of living beings who wind up dead on a plate every day.

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  • Lift Like A Girl
    Review preview for Lift Like A Girl

    Has a visual energy that is spurred on by Marian Mentrup's percussively dynamic score, which arrives at key moments.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    In a dilapidated corner of Alexandria, an exceptional community of young female weightlifters is trained by the grumpy yet charismatic Captain Ramadan.

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  • Microcosmos
    Review preview for Microcosmos

    The ordinary becomes exquisite and the extraordinary alien.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 5 out of 5
    What creeps and crawls in a French meadow.
  • My Name Is Pauli Murray
    Review preview for My Name Is Pauli Murray

    Cohen and West draw on the rich archive of Murray's own work further illustrating it with archive footage and photographs of the periods the film refers to in order to paint a picture of quiet but firm activism.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    Profile of the legal trailblazer.

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  • Rancho
    Review preview for Rancho

    The verite approach means that the film has a fragmented feel that would have benefited from a tighter edit but it has plenty of interesting things to say

    Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
    Prison portrait of a maximum-security jail in Argentina.
  • The Return: Life After ISIS
    Review preview for The Return: Life After ISIS

    Clua's compassionate stance offers a counterweight to the way their stories are often presented by the populist press.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A documentary about women who left their countries to join ISIS and their fight for repatriation.
  • Sing, Freetown
    Review preview for Sing, Freetown

    Made with plenty of upbeat vigour, the end result is a primer history lesson for newcomers to Sierra Leone that also touches on the cultural tensions that can develop even between those pulling in the same direction.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
    Accomplished reporter Sorious Samura collaborates with an old friend on a play intended to celebrate Sierra Leone... and gets more than he bargained for along the way.
  • Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
    Review preview for Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

    There’s a difference between talking about something you remember and talking about something you have just watched – something to think about when you watch yet another documentary about another old white guy who has already had 15 films made about him

    Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
    During the same summer as Woodstock, over 300,000 people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity. The footage from the festival sat in a basement, unseen for over 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America’s history lost – until now.