Sheffield Doc/fest Podcast

Should Specialist Factual be a genre that takes more risks? With broadcast giants like Netflix and Amazon changing the landscape of TV, taking risks and winning big, how should terrestrial and cable channels be responding? Is it time for specialist factual to serve a different purpose? Ninder Billing chairs a panel from Sheffield Doc/Fest 2017 featuring Lucy Willis (Channel 5), Ed Sayer (Discovery), Hamish Mykura (National Geographic), Tom McDonald (BBC) and John Hay (Channel 4).

Acclaimed director and artist Peter Greenaway is widely regarded as one of the most important innovators of our time. His work stretches back to the 1960s and includes the feature The Cook the Thief his Wife her Lover and the multimedia project The Tulse Luper Suitcases. Peter came to Sheffield Doc/Fest 2017 to discuss his work and explore the changing language of film and cinema.

How do different commissioners define a feature documentary? Is it based on viewer expectations, the importance of the central issue or simply its duration? Is a deeper level of access, revelation or visual ambition a must too? With feature docs available to consumers from an ever-increasing number of sources, what new opportunities does this offer to producers? And with linear TV and its duration restrictions put to one side, could the definition “feature doc” be about to disappear? A panel from Sheffield Doc/Fest 2017 explore these questions and more. Chaired by Paul Ashton (Creative England) the panel featured  Al Brown (Vice), Jutta Krug (WDR/ ARD), Hajnal Molnar (Sundance Institute) and John Van Wyck (Cinereach).

There is a new vanguard in our media culture. A growing pool of talented and experienced women, tired of waiting for the film and TV industry to reach the 21st century, are driving it forward themselves. The voices of working mothers, and female perspectives in general, are being lost in the current industry climate. The women on this panel from Sheffield Doc/Fest 2017 are forging ahead with new business models and new ways of working that suit their lives, their choices and their careers.

In a career spanning more than four decades, Nick Broomfield is one of the most influential documentary makers of our time. Having initially carved his name in hard hitting observational fare, when ‘Driving me Crazy’ went awry in 1988 Nick decided to place himself in the story, going on to make a number of acclaimed films including Biggie and Tupac, Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of A Serial Killer and Kurt & Courtney. Nick returned to Doc/Fest 2017 with the much anticipated Whitney ‘Can I Be Me’. Louis Theroux, himself no stranger to being centre of the action, talks to Nick about his new film and looks back at his career. Supported by BBC 

Documentaries about the LGBT community have broken into the mainstream. Films like My Transexual Summer, Gay and Under Attack and Girls to Men have told a diverse range of stories. While some of these were celebrated, others were accused of being voyeuristic and exploitative. So what is the attitude of broadcasters, programme-makers and the film industry towards gender identity and sexuality, and is there any diversity behind the camera? A panel chaired by Theresa Health and including Bill-Joe Newington, Jes Wilkins, Twiggy Pucci Garcon and Fox Fisher discuss.

Doc/Fest welcomed cricketing legend and former England captain, along with journalist and co-presenter Robert Penn, to the 2016 Festival, to talk about their popular series for Sky 1; ‘Flintoff: Lord of the Fries’ and ‘Freddie Fries Again’. Freddie and Rob discuss the making of the series that saw them traveling the UK and Ireland in their mobile fish and chip van, through stunning locations, meeting a host of characters, serving up fried delights to the friends they made and how their own friendship was tested to the limit. The talk was chaired by comedian and presenter Mark Dolan.

Doc/fest were thrilled to welcome Olly Alexander, frontman of the British electronica trio Years and Years to the Festival to discuss the making of his first documentary 'Olly Alexander: Growing Up Gay’. The film has recently screened on BBC3 as part of the BBC's Gay Britannia season marking the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act 1967 that partially decriminalised homosexual acts in England and Wales. In the documentary, Olly explores why the gay community can be more vulnerable to mental health issues, as he opens up about his own long-term battles with depression. The film produced by Antidote Productions, the company behind the critically acclaimed Professor Green: Suicide and Me for BBC Three. Olly was joined by Lelia Monks and Vicki Cooper from Antidote who talked to Damian Kavanagh, the controller of BBC3.

Talking to BBC Radio 4 Film Programme presenter Francine Stock, renowned filmmakers and Academy Award-winners D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus discuss their latest film Unlocking the Cage, as well as look back over a body of work spanning 40 years. Supported by BBC Storyville.

Continuing the recent trend of aggressive M&A activity, streaming giants Netflix and Amazon snapped up a wealth of documentary content at this year’s Sundance festival in January. With the US, still a major export territory for UK content producers what do these continued shifts in commissioning sources and distribution platforms mean for the UK industry? A panel from Doc/Fest 2017, including UK producers and US distributors and broadcasters, explore current and highlight future trends, providing valuable insight into the world’s biggest marketplace. The panel was chaired by Mark Leaver (DIT) and included Simon Chinn (Lightbox), Ben Braun (Submarine), Molly Thompson (A&E IndieFilms) and Marie Nelson (PBS). Supported by DIT.

The popular documentarian and journalist, Stacey Dooley returned to Sheffield Doc/Fest 2017 to discuss the art of uncovering surprising and shocking stories. At the heart of Stacey’s documentaries lies her passion for investigating social, economical and cultural issues affecting young people around the world. Stacy talks about her career, her campaigns against child labour and latest slate of docs for BBC3.

From blue flashing crime scenes to tense interrogations, the thirst for True Crime is insatiable. So how do content creators keep one of the longest running documentary genres fresh and exciting? How do US crime docs compare to the UK? And in a world when every move can be publicly scrutinised, how do you navigate press teams, consent and full open access from those trying to make our cities safe?  A panel of filmmakers and commissioners from Sheffield Doc/Fest 2017 discuss making true crime documentary.  Supported By BAFTA 

Ian Hislop, the editor of the satirical news magazine Private Eye and team captain on Have I Got News for You, came to Sheffield Doc/Fest for the first time. In conversation with the BAFTA winning actor and satirist Jolyon Rubinstein (The Revolution Will be Televised, Revolting), Ian explored the role that satire plays in documenting our world and getting to the truth, as well as discussing his new documentary exploring immigration.

Professor Green, Stephen Manderson to his friends, came to Doc/Fest to talk about his film work for BBC3; intensely personal portraits of difficult subjects like male suicide and homelessness.

With Netflix & Amazon making bold moves into the documentary space, what does this mean for an already cluttered international market? Is exclusive access and strong storytelling still enough, or do new documentary commissions need to offer something more? Is there a risk that in doing so, the authenticity of the genre takes second place to marketing and publicity demands? Or is it just the natural evolution of the genre?

Sheffield Doc/Fest and Channel 4 welcomed Oscar-winning director Michael Moore back to Sheffield, 18 years after his first visit. Voted one of “The World’s 100 Most Influential People” by Time Magazine, he is widely regarded as one of the most important filmmakers working in documentary. Michael talks to Ralph Lee, Deputy Chief Creative Officer at Channel 4, about his latest film, Where to Invade Next?. which opened this year's Festival, as well as looking back over his hugely successful career. Supported by Channel 4.

This Sheffield Doc/Fest 2016 session explores the ways that filmmakers and artists are combining archive and new technologies to engage audiences across TV, cinema, VR, galleries and exhibition spaces, and what the future holds for film heritage. The panel was chaired by Rebekah Polding (BAFTA) and included Dr Stephen Smith (USC Shoah Foundation), Catherine Allen (Easter Rising: Voice of a Rebel) and Lindsey Hanlon (BBC). The session was supported by Creative Skillset. 

Dr Stephen Smith’s keynote talk at the Alternate Realties Summit showcased New Dimensions in Testimony; ground-breaking natural language software that allows audiences to have a “virtual encounter” with the recorded image of Holocaust survivor, Pinchas Gutter, who responds in real time, powered by complex algorithms providing realistic conversation. Dr Smith discussed how he and his team compile the complex audio and visual data for this project, which will transform storytelling and archives of the future. 

 How do filmmakers capture political struggles? What challenges do filmmakers face in making politically-committed documentaries? How can radical films connect with audiences? This session, from Sheffield Doc/Fest 2016 explores different approaches to political filmmaking taking place in the UK, Egypt and Greece, from video-activism and feature documentary to interactive formats and fiction/documentary hybrids. The session was chaired by Steve Presence and featured Shaun Dey, Aris Chatzistefanou, Alisa Lebow, Usayd Younis and Cassie Quarless. 

A powerhouse in the documentary world, Sheila Nevins has shepherded scores of the genre’s best films over many years and, as President of HBO Documentaries, is one of the US’s most powerful documentary executives. Sheila talks with Nick Fraser about some of the many hits in a career that has garnered nearly thirty Emmy awards.