FESTIVAL OVERVIEW 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT
This year’s Festival, the first delivered by Festival Director Liz McIntyre, reported an increase of 4.6% on 2015 numbers, including industry delegates and public audiences. A total of 32,769 audiences attended, including 3,534 industry delegates (up from 3,422 in 2015) who travelled from 60 countries, and 29,235 public audiences (up from 27,917 in 2015). For 43% of industry delegates, this year’s Doc/Fest was their first. The largest sector represented at this year’s Festival was filmmakers and independent producers, of which 34% made up the total 3,534 in attendance. The festival goer experience comprised four programmes: Film, Alternate Realities, Talks & Sessions and Marketplace, with the ambition to inspire, inform and create networking and business opportunities across the Festival. The film programme was rich, diverse and eclectic, ranging from broad appeal to experimental, and was arranged under existing and new strands, such as No Place Like Home, Instigators & Agitators and Queer Screen. The programme included a record breaking 27 world premieres, including a screening of the greatly anticipated The Confession by Ashish Ghadiali, and India in a Day by Richie Mehta. Ambulance filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly especially piqued audience’s curiosity by installing a replica ambulance on Tudor Square. The film programme also featured 15 international premieres, 19 European premieres and an impressive 52 UK premieres at this year’s Festival, many screenings playing to sell out delegate and public audiences. We also introduced a successful new strand Get Up & Dance, which included a mesmerising live performance of extraordinary street dance from Storyboard P following the world premiere of Storyboard P, a stranger in Sweden; plus professional vogue dancers at the Strike A Pose party following screenings of Kiki and Strike A Pose. Many of the themes of the film programme - including home and migration, women, music, health and disability – were reflected in the Alternate Realities programme. The two exhibitions, which were free and open to public and industry audiences, showcased a range of interactive and virtual reality docs and non-fiction projects that audiences could play with, touch and experience. Two highlights included New Dimensions in Testimony from USC Shoah Foundation which allowed audiences to have a 'virtual conversation' with a Holocaust survivor about his life experiences; and We Wait, a virtual reality experience which transported audiences into the heart of the refugee crisis. The packed, day-long Alternate Realities Summit included an interview between the world’s most social android Bina48 and Ramona Pringle, plus an interview by Francine Stock with Gabo Arora who invited audiences to be first in the world to view the latest United Nations VR Film, Beyond The Lake, via a synchronised viewing. Audiences were attracted to big filmmaking names from the documentary world including US director Michael Moore - whose film Where To Invade Next opened the Festival - Louis Theroux, Palme d’Or winning director Ken Loach, and legendary filmmakers D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus. The hot ticket of the Festival’s Talks & Sessions programme was Sir David Attenborough in conversation with Charlotte Moore at the Crucible Theatre, with an over-spill audiences watching the live satellite broadcast on the outdoor screen on Tudor Square. Other special speakers included a range of high profile names: Joanna Lumley, Adam Buxton, Professor Green, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Freddie Flintoff, Stacey Dooley, Reggie Yates plus long-time collaborators and friends Shane Meadows and Warp Films’ Mark Herbert in conversation at Doc/Fest Exchange. Industry delegates were also delighted to hear from HBO’s Sheila Nevins. The Festival closed with the UK premiere of The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger attended by co-directors Tilda Swinton and Bartek Dziadosz, who took part in an on-stage conversation following the screening. Within the Marketplace, 313 executives, distributors, commissioners, funders, advisors and buyers across documentary and digital media attended for business from across the UK, the rest of Europe and the world, creating a hugely successful platform for deals and business. Alongside our primary pitching event, MeetMarket, Doc/Fest offers filmmakers a range of Marketplace initiatives including the Alternate Realities Market, Round Tables, 10-Minute Meets, Live Pitch sessions, and the new On-Screen Factual Talent Market. The Festival Delegate survey revealed 87% of industry delegates agree that Doc/Fest is a good place to do business. 76% of industry delegates have said that they made new meaningful business contacts at this year’s Festival. According to the Festival delegate survey, 90% of industry delegates will return to the Festival in 2017, taking place 9-14 June. The Festival team is proud of the success of the 23rd Sheffield Doc/Fest but none of it would have been possible without the support of our Board, advisory committee, and longstanding partners.
FESTIVAL AUDIENCES 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT Festival industry delegate attendance increased once again this year up to 3,534, a 3.3% increase year on year. Public audiences also increased to 29,235 over the six day Festival, an increase of 4.7%.
3.3%
29,235
4.7%
Delegates
The Festival delegate survey revealed that for 43% of delegates, 2016 was their first Festival, whilst 20% had been to the Festival five or more times previously. At 34%, independent filmmakers and producers were the largest sector in attendance at the festival. 94% of Festival industry delegates were very satisfied or fairly satisfied with their overall experience at Sheffield Doc/Fest this year.
Scottish Delegation Networking Reception
3,534 Public Audiences
British Council Networking Reception
FILM PROGRAMME 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT This year’s Film Programme brought an abundance of the best documentary and non-fiction film and television with an eclectic and strong mix of features,
2066
mid-length films and shorts from around the world, from big budget documentaries to independent and experimental works.
Film Submissions
The rapid change, disruption and colossal upheaval in our world was mirrored in the programme. The films introduced new worlds, visions and perspectives which excited and provoked some, but caused reflection and laughter in others. We continued to support filmmakers who strove to make an impact on a
160
8%
Feature and Short Docs Programmes
personal, local and global scale using the power of storytelling. The film programme included one closed captioned screening for deaf and hard of hearing audiences, and one audio enhanced screening for blind and partially
27
sighted audiences.
World Premieres
New thematic strands included the sport and adventure showcase Outdoor
19
Adventure with the surfing film Mad Dogs and the International premiere of Serena. No Place Like Home reflects the consequences - both uplifting and
European Premieres
dispiriting - of displacement, migration, diaspora and homelessness in The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, My Aleppo, and Tempestad. We entered the world of dance and movement with Get Up & Dance, featuring Mr Gaga and Kiki.
15
15%
52
27%
International Premieres
We continued with previous and much loved film strands and themes: Instigators & Agitators, Women in Docs, Queer Screen and Behind the Beats, screening 160 films shown in cinemas across Sheffield and on our Outdoor Screens. 94% of Festival audiences rated the film they attended
UK Premieres
as good, very good or excellent. “Sheffield Doc/Fest is back with brilliantly diverse, queer line-up… a vibrant line up of real life films… the UK's leading documentary festival.” - i-D/VICE
India in a Day Q&A
Grand Jury Winner Kirsten Johnson
FILM PROGRAMME 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT Filmmaker Country of Production
Top 10 Films Rated by Audience 1. Presenting Princess Shaw
Rest of the World 18%
2. Where You're Meant To Be UK 24%
3. Hooligan Sparrow 4. Life, Animated 5. The Extraordinary Case of Alex Lewis 6. Ambulance
Rest of Europe 24% USA 28%
7. Notes on Blindness 8. Weiner 9. Destination Unknown
Asia 6%
10. Sonita
Storyboard P post-screening performance
The Hard Stop Q&A with filmmakers
The Charro of Toluquilla Q&A with filmmakers
My Scientology Movie Q&A with Louis Theroux
MARKETPLAYER 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT Previously known as Videotheque, the revamped MarketPlayer is a fully digitised film library, offering a strong platform to promote documentaries seeking sales, distribution and screening opportunities. The library comprised over 200 films, including many from the 2016 Festival programme and a curated selection of current documentaries from around the world. The MarketPlayer library was made available to all Doc/Fest Festival Pass holders from 11 June and for three months thereafter. During the Festival, all delegates had access to the MarketPlayer viewing room housed in the heart of Doc/Fest’s Marketplace, Cutlers’ Hall, with dedicated workstations and advice available from Doc/Fest staff. Delegates could alternatively access the MarketPlayer online using their own phone, laptop or tablet. In all, the MarketPlayer included 65 features and 31 shorts from the programme, representing 60% of the full programme which equalled last years inclusions. As of 30 June, 495 delegates have viewed films via the MarketPlayer. Views have ranged from 9 views per title, to 438. The most popular three titles being – Cameraperson, Ambulance and Sonita.
FILM PROGRAMME FEEDBACK 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT “Thank you so much for having Versus at Doc/Fest. A real pleasure to be at the Festival as always.” - Louise Osmond, Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach “Thank you so much for inviting the film and being such a great host for Michael [Moore] and our team. It was a fantastic event, and a fantastic festival.” Carl Deal, Where To Invade Next “The reaction to the film was very rewarding and helps to keep us believing in what we do.” - George Gittoes, Snow Monkey “I really loved the Festival and the amazing new people I met.” - Kirsten Johnson, Cameraperson “Thank you very much for the opportunity to present our film in your magnificent festival.” - Wojciech Staron, Brothers “Such an honour to have the film screened at the closing of the wonderful and always on the rise Doc/Fest!” Zoe Kandyla, The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger “It was a wonderful place to have our world premiere. I felt very honoured to be among so many great films.” - Deirdre Fishel, Care “We really did get the feeling the audiences loved it and it was a very good feeling!” - Liesel Evans, City of Dreams: A Musical “It was an amazing festival experience. We were delighted with the reception of The Confession.… You have done a wonderful job with the Festival - it is truly the highlight of my last two years. The range and depth of films is just staggering.” - James Rogan, The Confession “I went to Sheffield just after I started filming Storyboard and back then it was a motivating and inspiring trip. This time it was just the same. A really great atmosphere that must have contributed to Storyboard putting on the best live performance I've seen him do.” - Matt D’Arcy, Storyboard P, a stranger in Sweden “Having the film at Sheffield is something I will always remember and it was an honor to share the film with your wonderful audience.” - James Demo, The Peacemaker “It was a huge honour to be a part of your festival -- I can't tell you how much I learned in just a few days -- and the screening was something I will remember forever. It sparked a great debate amongst the audience which was brand new and hugely constructive.” - Ben Proudfoot, Rwanda & Juliet “I had a great time at the Festival and was able to watch some other films as well. I also took a couple of meetings about distribution, and hopefully the film will be online in the coming months.” - Adella Ladjevardi, Just A Dog
ALTERNATE REALITIES 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT Alternate Realities is our world leading programme of interactive media and virtual reality exhibitions and talks. We invited the Sheffield Doc/Fest audiences to get hands-on and dive headfirst into documentary stories where they become the participant. Our audiences virtually visited the International Space Station, better understood what is might be like aboard a migrants’ boat, felt what it’s like to experience the onset of epilepsy, and more.
99%
Of delegates rated the Alternate Realities Exhibition as Good or Outstanding
This year we programmed 14 immersive media experiences in Millennium Gallery, and 12 virtual reality documentaries in Site Gallery, The Space and Union Street, allowing a depth of experience far beyond the limitations of the flat screen. All exhibition spaces were free and open to all.
“Thank you for all that you did for us while we were there with you this week, nothing went unnoticed! You were all perfect hosts!! You should be very proud of what you've done, for Sheffield, and for the Documentary Film Industry.” - Heather Maio, New Dimensions in Testimony
Alternate Realities Virtual Reality Arcade: Mars 2030
Alternate Realities Virtual Reality Arcade: Home – An Immersive Spacewalk Experience
Alternate Realities Interactive Exhibition: USC Shoah Foundation’s New Dimensions in Testimony
We asked audiences to describe the Alternate Realities programme in one word.
ALTERNATE REALITIES 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT In the Alternate Realities Summit, we presented a range of engaging talks and demonstrations. We brought together experts from documentary film and broadcast, theatre, journalism, engineering and neuroscience to explore the impact of artificial intelligence with our first android keynote speaker, Bina48; to discuss advances in virtual reality journalism, to demonstrate cutting-edge binaural sound techniques and more. We talked to an android about love and war and discovered the importance of intelligent machines in the future of storytelling. The Summit afternoon focused on the VR industry’s hot topics: Does VR really work in eliciting empathy? What can VR makers learn from immersive theatre? How can VR enhance journalistic documentary? “There was substance galore in Mark Atkin’s well-curated showcase of work, as creators adopt new techniques and push boundaries of the format – narratively, spatially, sonically and visually.” - Sight & Sound
"Just a quick note to say thanks for all of your hard work, how impressed I was with the Festival, the lineup you curated and the presentation of everything. You were all a joy to work with, too.” - Ramona Pringle, Avatar Secrets
Science Fiction Prototyping: Artificial Intelligence and Storytelling
Dr Stephen Smith of USC Shoah Foundation
360 Sound for a 360 Experience: Dynamic Binaural Audio in VR
Doc/Fest’s first android keynote speaker, Bina48
FESTIVAL AWARDS 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT Grand Jury Award supported by Screen International & Broadcast Cameraperson, Dir. Kirsten Johnson Environmental Award supported by Discovery Communications SEED: The Untold Story Dir. Jon Betz, Taggart Siegel Alternate Realities VR Award Notes on Blindness: Into Darkness created by Arnaud Colinart, Amaury La Burthe, Peter Middleton, James Spinney Alternate Realities Interactive Award New Dimensions in Testimony created by Heather Maio Youth Jury Award Sonita Dir. Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami Short Doc Award I'm Not From Here Dir. Giedrė Žickytė, Maite Alberdi Student Doc Award My Aleppo Dir. Melissa Langer Dr Clifford Shaw Feature Doc Audience Award supported by Curzon Home Cinema Presenting Princess Shaw Dir.Ido Haar Audience Award for Short Doc Tarikat Dir. Jasmijn Schrofer Audience Award for Alternate Realities VR Project Home – An Immersive Spacewalk Experience created by Kate Bartlett, Tom Burton Audience Award for Alternate Realities Interactive Project New Dimensions in Testimony created by Heather Maio Tim Hetherington Award supported by Dogwoof Tempestad Dir. Tatiana Huezo Award for Unsung Hero in Factual TV supported by Channel 5 Jan Tomalin Creative Leadership Award supported by Coaching for Leaders Sheila Nevins Storytelling and Innovation Award Notes on Blindness Whicker's World Funding Award Burma's Lost Royals Whicker's World Vet Award Fluechtlinge Whicker's World Audio Award Little Volcanoes
TALKS & SESSIONS 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT The 2016 Doc/Fest Talks & Sessions programme was co-produced for the sixth year running with Documentary Campus and reflected key industry topics of the day. The industry sessions shone a spotlight on both long and short form documentary for all platforms, as well as the brave new worlds of commissioning, marketing and distribution - from traditional broadcasters to the increasingly important digital platforms offering new funding pots and greater audiences, as well as the disrupting and empowering world of self-publishing. 334 panellists took part in the 96 talks and sessions over the 6 days and topics included theatrical documentaries, working with nonprofits, branded content, documenting the refugee crisis, working in danger zones, female trailblazers and zero-carbon filmmaking, the future of public service broadcasting (both in the UK and across Europe) and the implications of leaving the EU for both the UK and European film and TV industries. Countries represented included UK, USA, China, Germany, Australia, France, Greece, Austria plus many others and from many different diverse backgrounds. Further to this, four talks were British Sign Language interpreted for deaf audiences.
96
Sessions
334 Speakers
45%
Percentage of female speakers
Top 10 Rated Industry Sessions 1. Female Trailblazers: New Ways of Working in Media 2. Documentary and Trauma: a Survivor's Guide 3. Viva la Revolucion: Video Activism and Citizen Journalism 4. The Whicker's World Foundation Pitch 5. Surviving Dangerzone Docs 6. Roadmap to Film Funding Success: Unlocking the Mysteries of Grant Proposals 7. IBT Climate Change Pitch 8. There’s Something About Muslims 9. A Reasonably Adjusted Debate: Disability On and Off Screen 10. In Conversation with HBO's Sheila Nevins
19
Countries Represented
The Talks & Sessions programme also included a strand of talks that were open to public as well as delegate audiences. For this strand we welcomed the world's star filmmakers and on-screen factual talent, to hear about their work and find out what inspired them. One of the highlights was Sir David Attenborough, in conversation with the BBC’s Controller of Channels and iPlayer, Charlotte Moore. A sold out Crucible Theatre heard Sir David discuss his long and illustrious career and reflect upon the future of TV. Elsewhere, actor and activist Joanna Lumley entertained with stories from her travel documentaries, snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan talked about other documentaries that have inspired him, Reggie Yates and Professor Green discussed the documentaries they make for BBC Three and England cricketer Freddie Flintoff talked about his travel series for SKY. The public talks culminated with acclaimed, award-winning writer and filmmaker Shane Meadows and producer and CEO Mark Herbert of Warp Films, discussing their recent and future work. “If you want a quick primer on the key trends in factual TV, look no further.” - Televisual
Top 10 Rated Public Talks 1. Sir David Attenborough in Conversation 2. The Absolutely Adventurous Joanna Lumley in Conversation
6. D.A. Pennebaker & Chris Hegedus in Conversation 7. The BBC Interview: Reggie Yates
3. Adam Buxton presents a BUG Special: David Bowie 4. Our BBC, Our Channel 4: A Future for Public Service TV? 5. The Channel 4 Interview: Michael Moore
8. Ronnie O'Sullivan in Conversation 9. Professor Green: Documentaries and Me 10. Freddie Flintoff & Robert Penn Talk Docs & Chips
FEATURED SPEAKERS 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT Similarly to the Film Programme an emphasis was placed on engaging the public in the Talks & Sessions programme. This was achieved by attracting high profile public figures and hosting their talks and sessions in the Crucible Theatre and City Hall - venues with a built in public audience and marketing reach. The Talks & Sessions and masterclasses below were open to public booking and advertised across local and regional publications.
Reggie Yates
Joanna Lumley
Sir David Attenborough
D.A. Pennebaker & Chris Hegedus
Michael Moore
Bina48
Freddie Flintoff & Robert Penn
Professor Green
Shane Meadows & Mark Herbert Shane Meadows and Mark Herbert
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Tilda Swinton
Adam Buxton’s BUG
DOC/FEST EXCHANGE ON TUDOR SQUARE 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT In partnership with Wellcome Trust, this year we introduced a new space free of charge and open to all audiences - Doc/Fest Exchange on Tudor Square. A place where luminaries from across the Festival exchange ideas about ground-breaking films, collaborations and interactive and virtual reality projects, inspired by extraordinary talent and innovative storytelling. Doc/Fest Exchange programming strands included: About Last Night… Filmmakers and creatives discussing the previous days’ highlights. Digging Deeper… Exploring further the art, craft and themes of some of the best Festival films. Creative Exchange… Tuning in to the power of documentary to spark big ideas and get under the skin of life. In Conversations… Glimpsing into the future of documentary with luminaries from the Doc/Fest universe. Audiences attended scheduled events and a few surprises, with creative minds from across the Doc/Fest universe. One of the many highlights of the Doc/Fest Exchange programme included a discussion with acclaimed, award-winning writer and filmmaker Shane Meadows and producer and CEO Mark Herbert of award-winning Sheffield-based indie Warp Films about their current work and mentoring of emerging filmmakers. We worked with the organisers of Peddler, Sheffield’s monthly night market, serving up a delectable mix of food and craft beers, bringing super tasty street food to the heart of Sheffield.
MARKETPLACE 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT Sheffield Doc/Fest offers extensive Marketplace opportunities for all delegates. In 2016, we welcomed 89 projects from 30 different countries, which were pre-selected from over 550 submissions to pitch to the market in matchmade one-to-one meetings with 313 Decision Makers from 27 countries in the MeetMarket and the Alternate Realities Market. We also launched a new market in 2016, welcoming a shortlisted 18 new, diverse faces for the OnScreen Factual Talent Market, aimed at connecting UK-based talent with factual TV experts, looking for new expert faces for their programmes. The slate of seven live pitches awarded funding and prizes totalling £1.5 million in total this year. Keen to create extra opportunities for all delegates, we curated the online and print Specials Board listings, which provided a platform for projects, which narrowly missed selection for Market, and that were genre-specific / specialist factual. The Round Tables and 10-Minute Meets created a chance for any delegate to connect with Decision Makers in a group and one-to-one format. The Switchboard offered project specific advice and top tips on how to connect with Decision Makers. Sales Sunday connected programmed and MarketPlayer filmmakers and those with finished films to the sales agents and distributors attending the Festival. New and emerging talent were trained and showcased at The Mini-MeetMarket: Meet The Execs, which offers fledging filmmakers feedback from Executive Producers. Our Future Producer School culminated its programme of activity in the Marketplace to launch the careers of 15 new creative documentary producers.
313
4.3%
Buyers
900
Marketplace Participants
£10.98M
Value of deals in negotiation since attending this year’s Doc/Fest as of July 2016
MEETMARKET 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT The MeetMarket, Sheffield’s primary pitching opportunity, continued to serve up an impressive slate of stories to intrigue and inspire, with 64 wide ranging projects from 27 different countries. We were delighted to expand our remit to include more series and formats alongside our wonderful range of documentary single film ideas. The spectrum of projects was immense, featuring politics, the arts, experimental, science, social change and much more. There was an impressive mixture of established and emerging talent in the market this year. “MeetMarket is personally curated, accessible, hectic, exciting and productive; one of my favourite international markets, and thankfully focused on independent docs as well as TV opportunities (of which there are fewer all the time). Long live indie doc spirit!” - MeetMarket Participant 2016 “There is obviously a great deal of work going on behind the scenes to make it a meeting room without any ego or pretension, and it works. I felt very comfortable pitching my first film with the help of the MeetMarket team, they made it very relaxed and helped to make sure everything ran smoothly.” - MeetMarket Participant 2016
100%
of pitchers found the organisation of their meetings good or excellent
96%
of pitchers felt MeetMarket gave them access to buyers they wouldn't normally meet
64
MeetMarket Projects
1400
MeetMarket Meetings
£3.02M
Value of deals in negotiation since attending MeetMarket as of July 2016
96%
of pitchers rated MeetMarket as either good or excellent.
92%
of Decision Makers rated MeetMarket as either good or excellent
ALTERNATE REALITIES MARKET 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT We welcomed 25 projects to the Alternate Realities Market this year, where relationships were forged in a marketplace/pitching forum designed specifically for interactive, virtual reality and digital projects. We had four virtual reality projects in the mix this year. Projects met one to one in matchmade meetings with Decision Makers, including those from Google, National Film Board of Canada, Tribeca New Media Fund and ARTE. It is the key place to make partnerships and get funding from the international market for interactive, immersive and virtual reality projects, within the documentary and factual. As well as being able to pitch ideas to interactive and cross-platform commissioners and funders and experienced digital producers, selected projects were offered a chance to meet with digital agencies, brands, third sector representatives, and other potential supporters from outside of the traditional film and TV industries. In recognition of this growing area of the market and the movement of Decision Makers between both the linear and the virtual, we ran the Alternate Realities alongside the MeetMarket in 2016 in the same room meaning funders could move between both markets where appropriate, and giving projects in the Market access to even more Decision Makers.
25
Alternate Realities Market Projects
450 Alternate Realities Market Meetings
£800K
Value of deals in negotiation since attending Alternate Realities Market as of July 2016
"Thanks for everything--what a great festival! It was so fun to be involved. I met lots of great people and learned tons. And I am going home with four or five projects with which we might collaborate.” - Nico Daswani, World Economic Forum
LIVE PITCH OPPORTUNITIES 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT Sheffield Doc/Fest 2016 featured a wide range of pitch opportunities, offering hundreds of thousands of pounds in funding and in-kind support for development, production and placements.
ARRI Short Film Challenge Winner: Richard Elson, '78 Ways To Breathe Out'
ITN Source Short Film Competition Winner: James Arthur Armstrong, 'Ferguson, Missouri'
BFI Film Fund Pitch Winner to be announced
The VICE Rule Britannia Pitch Winner: Shelley Jones & Jamie Jones
The Channel 4 First Cut Pitch Winner: Ross Bolidai
The Whicker's World Foundation Funding Award Winner: ‘Burma's Lost Royals’
The Guardian Documentaries Pitch Winner: Maurice O'Brien, 'Hurling Refugees’
The Whicker's World Winner: ‘Fluechtlinge'
IBT Climate Change Pitch Winner: Jared Scott, 'Waterfall'
Whicker’s World Audio Award Winner: ‘Little Volcanoes’
ARRI Short Film Challenge Award Winners
Whicker’s World Funding Award Pitch
IBT Climate Change Pitch
Channel 4 First Cut Pitch
INTERNATIONAL DELEGATIONS 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT Sheffield Doc/Fest was delighted to welcome 15 International Delegations in 2016. Delegates met some of them at sponsored events and other networking receptions and made international connections happen. We're proud to maintain a relationship each year with our international partners to help support new, emerging and established talent at the Festival by providing them with support through one-to-one mentoring and help with access to market and networking opportunities. In 2016 we welcomed delegations from Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Chile, Cuba, Netherlands, Jordan, Indonesia, Ireland, the Nordic countries, Palestine, Scotland, South Korea, Ukraine, USA and Wider Europe.
Jordanian Delegation at Cutlers Hall
Beijing Day at Channing Hall
British Council Reception Event
South Korean Delegation Match-Made Meeting
South Korean Delegation Pitch
DocWorks Ukraine-UK Mentoring Workshop
MARKETPLACE FEEDBACK 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT “Thanks for a great experience at Sheffield. I have to say that I was impressed by the projects that I was pitched during the 10 minute sessions as well as the MeetMarket pitches.” - Tracy Beckett, PBS “One of the best organised and enriching events I have been to in a long while.” - Caroline Stern, Kaleidoscope “It was an incredible market this year.” - Ryan Harrington, Discovery USA. “I just wanted to say a huge thank you to the Marketplace team. It was such a good experience. Doc/Fest's role in supporting 'The Pioneers' has had a huge impact. From when it was just me and an idea built from a few YouTube clips, to what it has become now. Doc/Fest has undoubtedly led to things being able to move forward. Not to mention the confidence it has given me as a filmmaker to believe in myself and the project.” - Tessa Morgan, The Pioneers: Story of Street Dance
“Diverse genre wise, creative doc projects with strong directors vision behind them and very strong producers.” - Bruni Burres, Senior Consultant, Sundance Documentary Program and Fund “I wanted to thank you for helping us to have a fantastic experience at MeetMarket. Our meetings went better than I ever expected. We had such a good mix of decision makers, and the future is looking bright for our project.” - Dava Whisenant, The Industrial Musicals Movie “I really enjoyed being a part of the MeetMarket, Alternate Realities Market, and the Round Tables this year. I found them all very productive and I enjoyed hearing about the projects that everyone was working on. Always enjoy participating at Doc/Fest.” - Austin Nauert, SXSW “MeetMarket was a once-in a lifetime opportunity to introduce my film to the global marketplace and gauge interest as well as plant the seeds for future deals. I would not have had a chance to meet with high level decision makers otherwise, and that opportunity was invaluable. - The Feeling of Being Watched “Huge congrats on another MeetMarket. It was busy but we all came away with promising titles. Thank you.” - Shanida Scotland, BBC Storyville “Thanks so much to you and your amazing team for lining up meetings. It was so valuable for our project and we got such great feedback so we really appreciate all the help and effort you put into arranging things.” - Melanie Horkan, Smart Drugs “What I love about the MeetMarket is the ability to meet established documentary talent as well as emerging filmmakers. The range and diversity of the projects is impressive, while the intensity of the experience is incredibly rewarding for both sides of the table.” - Dan Cantagallo, Cargo Films “MeetMarket was invaluable in introducing us to a wide variety of broadcasters, sales agents and potential funding sources that we wouldn't have had the access to otherwise.” - Did it From Yippee To Yupee
NETWORKING EVENTS 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT Doc/Fest’s networking events proved incredibly popular with delegates as an opportunity to network with one another delegates and meet with key organisations.
Opening Night Party presented by Molinare
Celebratory Drinks with The Guardian
Scottish Delegation Reception
Vogue Strike A Pose Party
Marketplace Drinks supported by Doc Campus
Grierson Trust Reception
British Council Reception
Creative Skillset: Meet The Archivists
Channel 5 Brunch
Irish Delegation Reception
BFI Film Fund Reception
UKTI Drinks Reception
Whicker’s Winter Garden Sundowner
Channel 4 Party
BBC Party
VENUES 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT To accommodate the growth of the Festival, we worked with some new and existing public facing venues in Sheffield City Centre to house more film screenings, exhibitions, sessions and events.
For a third year we chose Sheffield City Hall for our Opening Night Event - UK Premiere of Michael Moore’s Where To Invade Next
For the first time we housed all Marketplace activity at Cutlers’ Hall, including Doc/Fest’s flagship pitching initiative, MeetMarket.
In 2016 the ever-popular Alternate Realities Virtual Reality Arcade was based at Site Gallery, The Space and Unions Street, all of which was open to all audiences free of charge.
For a third year we held the Alternate Realities Interactive Exhibition at Millennium Gallery, which was open to all audiences free of charge.
Once again we held outdoor screenings in Howard Street to encourage more general public attendance, with the addition of an outdoor screen in Tudor Square.
We screened Where You’re Meant To Be at Abbeydale Picturehouse, accompanied by a very special performance from Aidan Moffat and band, along with Bothy Ballad singers.
PRESS & PR 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT The Festival made its first programme announcement on 11 March and since then an impressive 564 pieces of coverage have been recorded across all media, up by 38% on 2015 Festival coverage. Festival news was consistently press released in the weeks leading up to the programme launches in Sheffield and London in early May, and continued in the weeks leading up to, during and immediately after the Festival. The press and reporting strategy and messaging was planned well in advance, to ensure strong messaging and stories for local public, national and international industry press, and included a partnership with Screen and Broadcast for film features and
124,564,812
reviews for extra noisiness and profile.
Press in Attendance
International, national and local journalists reported widely and positively from the Film, Alternate Realities, Talks & Sessions and Marketplace programmes. Coverage types included interviews with the Festival Director and programmers, interviews with filmmakers and creators from the Film and Alternate Realities programmes, Festival previews, Festival reviews across all programme strands, and Festival news stories generated across the whole programme. Extensive coverage appeared across all media including UK and international film, documentary, TV broadcast and VR industry publications; national daily and Sunday newspapers; national and regional radio and TV; weekly and monthly magazines; mainstream and niche online publications; and local and regional print and online daily and weekly publications. Media engagement with the Festival among local, national and international journalists is high. Local journalists from BBC Radio Sheffield, Yorkshire Post, Yorkshire Evening Post, Sheffield Telegraph, Sheffield Star, Living North, Now Then, Exposed and wider regionals reported widely. Nationally TV and radio broadcast coverage appeared on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5, BBC TV Click (both network television and online) and BBC Two. International and UK industry journalists reported from Screen Daily, Broadcast, Realscreen, Indiewire, The Hollywood Reporter and Televisual. National daily and Sunday newspaper coverage was excellent for the Film and Alternate Realities programmes including coverage in The Guardian, The Independent, The Sunday Times, The Observer and Sunday Mirror. Film, photography and VR specialist publications reported widely including Sight & Sound (print and online), Little White Lies, Cinevue, British Journal of Photography, Alphr, Vice Motherboard, VR Focus, Upload VR; and coverage also appeared in Stylist, Vice, Dazed Digital, i-D, Indiewire, NME, Songlines, The Quietus, The List, New Scientist and The Skinny. This year a total of 182 press attended the Festival, up 5.8% from 2015. (2015: 172 / 2014: 163 / 2013: 152 / 2012: 130) “Now surely the pre-eminent film festival of its kind, Sheffield celebrates its 23rd edition, and first for new director Elizabeth McIntyre, with a bevy of big names.” - The Guardian
Total Circulation
182
5.8%
DELEGATE SURVEY 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT The 2016 Delegate Survey was sent out after the Festival and was completed by 430 Doc/Fest industry attendees. The results were very positive and offer an insight into how to develop Doc/Fest for 2017.
Did you find Doc/Fest a good place to do business?
Will you return to Doc/Fest in 2017?
90%
87%
Answered Yes
Answered Yes Why did you attend Doc/Fest? Networking Opportunities Interest in Film Festivals Looking for new ideas / talent To promote a personal project Interest in interactive & VR
65% 56% 35% 26% 25%
What was your 2016 Festival Highlight?
Where did you come to Doc/Fest from?
International 22%
Local 9%
National 69%
PUBLIC AUDIENCES SURVEY 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT We surveyed the Sheffield Doc/Fest public audience to get a better idea of who they are, where they come from and their perception of the Festival. A number of outreach initiatives this year resulted in reaching new diverse audiences, including those from areas of low engagement and with 8% self-identifying as deaf or disabled (up from 6% in 2015).
Where did you come to Doc/Fest from?
98
Percentage of the public audience that rated the Festival as Good, Very Good or Excellent
International 3% Rest of UK 23%
London 7% Rest of Yorkshire 7%
Sheffield 61%
How would you describe Doc/Fest?
What age are you? 55-64 12%
65+ 7%
16-24 21%
45-54 10% 35-44 13%
25-34 37%
ECONOMIC IMPACT ON THE CITY OF SHEFFIELD 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT As Doc/Fest becomes one of the biggest documentary festivals in the world we wanted to continue to measure the Festival’s economic impact on the City of Sheffield. The data below shows that the Festival is a major contributor to the City’s cultural economy. For every £1 raised in Sheffield (via the Sheffield City Council, other partner contributions and local ticket sales) Doc/Fest as an organisation re-invests £3.67 back into the City.
Money Raised
Money Spent
Money Raised Outside Sheffield £1,460,215
Money Spent Outside Sheffield £706,083 Money Spent in Sheffield £995,743
Money Raised in Sheffield £271,501
Doc/Fest Spend in Sheffield £400,000 £350,000 £300,000 £250,000 £200,000 £150,000 £100,000 £50,000 £0 Salaries
Programme
Venues
Marketing
Admin & Office
ECONOMIC IMPACT ON THE CITY OF SHEFFIELD 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT A large injection of local spend comes from Festival delegates visiting Sheffield to attend Doc/Fest. Based on a survey sent to 3,534 delegates that attended this year’s Festival, we have calculated the economic impact on the City from delegates. For every £1 Sheffield invests into Doc/Fest, our Festival delegates spend £4.63 within the City.
£1,257,535 Total Delegate Spend in Sheffield June 2016
Festival Delegates Spend in Sheffield June 2016
£776,829
£332,234
£96,231 £52,241 Accommodation
Food & Drink
Transport
Other Items
Board of Directors Alex Graham, Chair Peter Armstrong
Lizzie Francke Patrick Holland
Richard Klein Ralph Lee
Shirani Sabaratnam Helen Scott
Celia Taylor Ian Wild
..………………………………………………………………………… Honorary President Nick Fraser
..………………………………………………………………………… Advisory Committee Roy Ackerman Taghi Amirani Ewan Angus Sam Anthony Lucy Baxter Jan Bednarz Christina Burnett Simon Chinn Cat Cooper
Nick Crossland Liesel Evans Jeanie Finlay Dick Fontaine Adam Gee Andy Glynne Roger Graef Oli Harbottle Derren Lawford
Catherine McCarthy Liz Mermin Carol Nahra Victoria Noble Ben Noot Charlie Phillips Ashok Prasad Lina Prestwood James Quinn
Emily Renshaw-Smith Martin Rosenbaum Jolyon Rubinstein André Singer Sue Sudbury Rajesh Thind Rachel Wexler Elizabeth Wood Brian Woods
..………………………………………………………………………… Sheffield Doc/Fest Staff Elizabeth McIntyre - Festival Director & CEO Melanie Iredale - Deputy Director Claire Aguilar - Director of Programming & Industry Engagement Sylvia Wroblewska - Business & Marketing Director Mat Steel - Head of Production Maria Stoneman - Operations & HR Manager Anna Parker - Marketplace Manager
Nigel Fischer - Talks & Sessions Programme Manager Fiona Outram - Finance Manager Kat Chirnside - Marketing Coordinator Becky Webb - Marketplace Coordinator Hannah McHaffie - Executive & Administrative Assistant Samantha Armstrong - Accounts Assistant Amy Benjamin - Accounts Assistant
..………………………………………………………………………… Contractors & Consultants Mark Atkin - Curator, Alternate Realities Karolina Lidin - Marketplace Executive Producer Sarah Harvey - Head of Press Hayley Willis - Press Officer Lina Samoili - Press Assistant Donna Taberer - Skills & Training Consultant Erinma Ochu - Doc/Fest Exchange Curator James Lowe - Publications Layout Designer
Matt Sturdy - Video Coordinator & Editor Paul Hayes - Showroom Production Coordinator Andrea Horakh - Festival Consultant Jacqui Bellamy - Photographer David Chang - Photographer Monika Klavins - Photography Coordinator Peter & Paul - Designers
..………………………………………………………………………… Festival Team Joe Cutts - Film & Alternate Realities Programme Coordinator Andy Beecroft - Film Programme Manager Ellie Robinson - Alternate Realities Producer River Ferris - Publications Coordinator Sarah El-Taki - Talks & Sessions Assistant Amira Abdellahi - Hospitality Coordinator Kate Nicholson - Hospitality Assistant Elaine Wong - Alternate Realities Market Coordinator Gerry Maguire - Production Coordinator Mark Cook - Volunteer Coordinator
Caroline Rogers - Events Manager Jasmine Wordsworth - Operations Assistant Charlotte Reekers - MarketPlayer Coordinator Jenni Tuovinen - Marketplace Sessions Coordinator Ruidi Collins - Film Programme Assistant Lena Moss - Marketing Assistant Saul Holmes - Publications & Marketing Assistant Serena Williamson - Events Assistant Katie Duddy - Volunteers Assistant Sam Wilson - Registration Assistant Alex Dorisca - Ticketing Coordinator
SPONSORS, FUNDERS & PARTNERS 2016 FESTIVAL REPORT PRINCIPAL FUNDERS, SPONSORS & PARTNERS
MAJOR SPONSORS & FUNDERS
SPONSORS bibliotheque M O D E R N
M U S I C
&
MEDIA PARTNERS
L I B R A R Y