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Sheffield DocFest · 2026

Sheffield DocFest 2026

International Competition

Programme

8 films · 3 reviews

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The Apologist

Through the ritual of saying sorry, a journey explores how apologies redefine history and what happens to us as witnesses to the act of atonement.

(Country: Belgium, Netherlands, France; Year: 2026; Director: Kristof Bilsen)

World premiere

The Archivist

David "Doc" Rowe has spent decades documenting Britain's vibrant folk traditions. Now, with time running short, he faces a race to preserve his legacy.

(Country: UK; Year: 2026; Director: Rob Curry, Tim Plester)

World premiere

Colors Of White Rock

Review preview for Colors Of White Rock

Choijoovanchig strikes a fine balance, using drone shots to illustrate the bigger picture while retaining the intimacy of the cab and home environment.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
Documentary following Maikhuu one of the country's only female truck drivers in Mongolia's Gobi Desert.

(Year: 2026; Director: Khoroldorj Choijoovanchig)

European premiere

Disciples

On the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi, two boys enter a revered Hindu school where lessons in ancient scripture blur into something more troubling.

(Country: India, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Qatar; Year: 2026; Director: Pankaj Johar, Sunaina Kapoor)

World premiere

Filthy (Sucia - Per què no vas fer res?)

Review preview for Filthy

A gripping and powerfully argued work.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
When an actress goes looking for the man who assaulted her, she turns her trauma into art and asks the question nobody wanted her to: why didn't you do anything?

(Country: Spain; Year: 2026; Director: Marc Pujolar, Bàrbara Mestanza; Writer: Bàrbara Mestanza, Marc Pujolar; Stars: Bàrbara Mestanza, Marc Pujolar)

International premiere

Lesbian Lines

Review preview for Lesbian Lines

A valuable contribution to the archives and also a fascinating watch.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A hidden history through an underground network of telephone helplines. The calls, recorded in handwritten notes, were preserved during a time of profound constitutional change in Ireland, when women were fighting for their rights in a restrictive and conservative society.

(Country: Ireland; Year: 2026; Director: Cara Holmes; Stars: Claire Hackett, Louise Walsh, Heather Fleming, Ruth McCarthy, Joni Crone)

World premiere

MKO

Moshood Abiola wins Nigeria's freest election, only for the military to jail him. When US diplomats arrive to negotiate his release, he is served tea, and dies.

(Country: Nigeria, UK, Canada, US; Year: 2026; Director: Ose Oyamendan)

World premiere

Time Machine Maidan

In this haunting and visually inventive documentary, a spectral voice drifts through time and memory to trace the Maidan revolution and the roots of resistance in Ukraine.

(Country: Ukraine, Germany; Year: 2026; Director: Roman Liubyi, Volodymyr Tykhyy)

World premiere