There is just something so human about the story of Tish Murtha, be it her tremendous body of work or the lament of the lack of opportunities afforded to working-class women. You find yourself compelled in this bittersweet documentary. Born in the northern coastal town of South Shields, Tish Murtha
Category: Sheff Doc Festival
White Nanny, Black Child ★★★ 1/2 Sheff Doc Fest 2023
A moving documentary that becomes a heart-breaking group counselling session, White Nanny, Black Child is a film that shows those who have gone through trauma are not alone. 80 minutes simply isn’t enough to cover each of their stories. Between 1955 and 1995, over 70,000 West African children were fostered
How Dare You Have Such a Rubbish Wish ★★★ 1/2 – Sheff Doc Fest 2023
Showing how the oppression of women in Iran has been going on for far longer than some would like to admit, Mania Akbari’s How Dare You Have Such a Rubbish Wish is an insightful film that hammers its point home again and again. Employing extracts from dozens of films now banned in
Citizen Sleuth ★★★1/2 – Sheff Doc Fest 2023
Chris Kasick’s Citizen Sleuth delves into the uneasy ethical existence of true-crime podcasts. Thoroughly engaging throughout, it will further spark the fires of discussion on the genre – a really absorbing documentary. In 2011, 20-year-old Jaleayah Davis died in an incident that was ruled accidental yet featured some bizarre circumstances. Emily
Beyond Utopia ★★★★ – Sheffield DocFest 2023
Beyond Utopia is a gripping and difficult watch. An important documentary showing the lengths of what people will do to escape a repressive country. Harrowing and enlightening, Madeleine Gavin’s film astounds. An account of the hazardous journey that North Korean dissidents and those who help them flee one of the
The Body Politic ★★★ 1/2 Sheff Doc Fest 2023
An intimate glance at the first term of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, The Body Politic, shows us the struggles of trying to deal with crime at the source. Inspirational and compelling, the documentary leaves you in hope that Scott is just getting started. What happens following an electoral victory? When does change
Richland ★★★★- Sheffield Doc Festival 2023
Irene Lusztig’s Richland is a stirring and sober portrait of a town caught up in its own complicated history. An immersive documentary that leaves you deep in thought about how you would be as a resident. In 1943, the US government took over a rural area in Washington state to build the
The Fire Within: Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft ★★★★★ Sheff Doc Fest 2022
The Fire Within is an absolute triumph that engrosses you in the wonders of our planet, much as the Kraffts would have wanted us to be from their work; the perfect eulogy.
The Oil Machine – ★★★ 1/2 Sheff Doc Fest 2022
We know that we must reduce the drilling and use of oil, yet here in The Oil Machine, we are presented with a difficult watch of seeing just how deeply rooted our society is in fossil fuels. Emma Davie’s documentary takes us on an urgent journey that only speeds up
British Boys and Happiness is £4 Million – Shorts Sheff Doc Fest 2022
British Boys Director Marcus Curvelo, Country: Brazil, 15 Mins Two men in Bahia, Brazil, try to prove their UK ancestry to qualify for a small plot of land in the city’s finest location: the British Cemetery. As entertaining as it is, British Boys shows how, even two hundred years later,