Sheffield DocFest 2011

Shortness is greatness

View other Sheffield DocFest Films by strand: Arts Docs, Bent Doc, Cross Platform Docs, Doc/EU, Doc/International, Doc/UK, Music Docs, Protest Docs, Why Poverty?

Born in USSR Born in USSR
Born in USSR and UK Uncut
5 Pictures of a Father (5 fortællinger om en far) (Country: Denmark; Year: 2010; Director: Nadia Josefine El Said)
What does your father mean to you? In this contemplative exploration of paternity, director Nadia Josefine El Said asks five daughters of different ages to talk about their fathers.
Born in USSR (Gimę SSRS) (Country: Lithuania, Turkey; Year: 2010; Director: Simona Zemaityte)
Animated allegory about the USSR.
Camden Calling (Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: Anna Edwards)
A musical documentary about Camden Calling: a collective of homeless, ex-homeless and vulnerable people from across London who have come together to turn their lives around. Produced in partnership with BBC Storyville and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
The Day We Danced on the Moon (Country: Germany; Year: 2011; Director: Tristan Daws)
On Ireland’s rugged West Coast, a reggae band from London make their way to play in an arts festival. Long-term mental health sufferers, they share their tales of psychosis, the wrestling between reality and an imaginary world which can seem all too real.
Eighty Eight (Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: Josh Bamford, Seb Feehan, Hannah Bone)
Meet Mr Ralph Settle, CMBHI. Known as Mr. Banjo, he’s been a champion roller skater, cyclist and swimmer in his time. Now 88 and a widower, he spends his days playing music and looking back at a life fully lived.
Jimmy Jimmy
Jimmy and The Perfect Fit
Guerrillera (Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Elle Sillanpaa)
A cleaner talks about her past working with Colombian guerrillas, educating peasants about human rights.
Holiday of Hope (Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: Jez Lewis)
Humanoids (Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Mariana Oliva)
Mo is a loveable little robot, who can recognise your face, answer your questions and satisfy your desire for a good kick around...as the numbers of service robots explodes globally, at the University of Edinburgh’s Department of Informatics they’re hoping to perfect the robotic footballer.
I'll Get You (J’AURAI TA PEAU) (Country: Belgium; Year: 1993; Director: Richard Olivier)
A hidden little masterpiece of the Striptease series, ‘I’ll Get You’ reveals how a well loved pet, stuffed and mounted on the mantle for ever more, slowly reveals the pain and mistrust between parents and children in a seemingly ordinary family.
Inbetweener (Dagar emellan) (Country: Sweden; Year: 2011; Director: Erik Bäfving)
As a child Erik Bafving enjoyed holidays with his father, but learned to dread their home life together. When he was fifteen years old, his greatest fear became a reality, and Bafving’s new life, harbouring a terrible secret, began. Through sketches and photographs he tells his story...
Jimmy (Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: Martin Smith; Stars: Jimmy MacIntosh)
A documentary about a disability rights campaigner who suffers from cerebral palsy.
Messenger of the Great River (Country: Mali; Year: 2011; Director: Noble Fox)
This is a story of one of Mali’s musical sons, Afel Bocoum, who has a special connection with the Niger River. Afel believes his ancestors dwell within the river, which is Mali’s lifeline and backbone. But now it is dying, threatening all. Come with us on a poetic and musical journey to save it.
Minka (Country: United States, Canada; Year: 2011; Director: Davina Pardo)
American journalist John Roderick was the first foreigner that Yohshihiro Takishita had ever met. He later he became Roderick’s adopted son. When they came across an old Japanese farmhouse, they moved it to a hillside turning it into a beautiful and peaceful living space. Takishita looks back on a great adventure.
Needle Exchange (Country: Ireland; Year: 2010; Director: Colm Quinn)
They’ve been through plenty of tough times together and helped each other exchange their heroin habits for a passion for tattoos. Now Glenn’s got a job and Spencer’s got a girl. As their lives stabilize, will their friendship survive?
Over to you, Trygve (Over til deg, Trygve) (Country: Norway; Year: 2010; Director: Håvard Fossum)
He’s not keen on small dogs, or refugees and don’t get him started on city dwellers. Retired construction worker Trygve Hoiseth is happy with his life in a remote Norwegian valley, where he can do whatever he wants. Amused filmmaker Havard Fossum tries to find out what makes him tick.
The Perfect Fit (Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: Tali Yankelevich)
A look at the craft of making ballet shoes and the damage done in the pursuit of art.
Radiostan (Country: Russia; Year: 2010; Director: Tomás Sheridan)
On the long road from Kyrgyzstan to Moscow, people speak what’s on their mind, from the intrusion of immigrants to living in a yurt. Like changing frequencies on the radio, we roam the terrain, gaining an insight into the thoughts of people rarely portrayed in the media.
Rat's Island (Country: Ireland; Year: 2011; Director: Mike Hannon)
Eddie has built a basic shack on a river estuary in Ireland, not far from a motorway. He and his son Andrew fish the waters and prepare for the winter, in this spare observational portrait of life on the margins of society.
UK Uncut (Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: Gemma Atkinson, Fred Grace), Official Site
A look at the development of the UK Uncut protest group, which is dedicated to challenging corporate tax avoidance.
Vertical City (Country: India; Year: 2011; Director: Avijit Mukul Kishore)
In a remote suburb of Mumbai lies Santosh Nagar, a high rise apartment building. Built by commercial developers with the promise of improving the quality of life of slum dwellers, its infrastructure is now crumbling, as are the hopes of its inhabitants for better lives.
News

59th New York Film Festival early bird highlights Futura, Jane By Charlotte, James Baldwin: From Another Place and The Velvet Underground

More news and features

Playing Now

Eye For Film continues to support festivals both locally and across the world. At the moment, we're covering:

Abertoir

DOC NYC
New York's celebration of factual film

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
One of the largest film gatherings in northern Europe

French Film Festival
The UK's longest running celebration of Francophone cinema

London Korean Film Festival

In the Archive


Archive of festival coverage.

Daily diary and reviews from 2005-2018.

Coverage of the lynchpin German festival.