Sheffield Doc/Fest
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Sisters with Transistors
Like most areas of life, the music industry has always been a male dominated world. Where women have excelled, it’s normally in spheres which haven’t traditionally been the province of men. Thankfully, this disparity is slowly beginning to change and with-it entrenched attitudes towards female musicians. Those pioneers who entered a man’s world, pushed boundaries …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: The Filmmaker’s House
Documentaries, probably more than any other genre, span a large spectrum of different elements and sub-genres. Whether that’s in how the film itself is made or the rationale behind its creation. Arguably the most contentious of these is the hybrid documentary or docufiction. A combination of fiction and non-fiction. What makes this style of filmmaking …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: King Rocker
There’s often no rhyme or reason why one band makes it whilst another never quite takes off. So many factors are at play but it can come down to nothing more than just blind luck or being in the right place at the right time; which can trump all the hard work in the world. …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Me and the Cult Leader
On 20 March 1995, members of the Aum Shinrikyo, a doomsday cult, orchestrated five coordinated attacks on the Tokyo Metro. During rush hour they released Sarin gas on three different lines, killing twelve and severely injuring many more. The perpetrators, including the leader Shoko Asahara, were executed, but the group is still operational; albeit under …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Influence
We are well and truly living in the era of post-truth, where experts and facts play second fiddle to polemic, propaganda and targeted messaging. This didn’t just happen over the last decade with the arrival of Trump, Brexit and the rise of populism. This took years in the making. Step forward Tim Bell and Bell …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Film About A Father Who
Whilst she might not be a household name to most, Lynne Sachs is well-known within the documentary community. The American experimental filmmaker has been working within the industry for the last thirty years, much of her work involves collaboration and a melding of different mediums. Sachs has been chosen to be subject of a retrospective …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Welcome to Chechnya
As highlighted most famously by Pussy Riot, when it comes to same-sex relationships Russia is far from progressive. Indeed, the state’s close ties to the church mean that members of LGBTQ+ communities face a number of challenges. This is amplified in the Chechen Republic, where Islam is the dominant religion and Ramzan Kadyrov’s tyranny is …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: The Viewing Booth
Now, more than any other time in human history, we’re beginning to take a long hard look in the mirror and question our core beliefs. A wave of political populism has polarised societies like never before. Everything has to be black and white. There is no room for ambiguity. Every human has prejudices. It’s natural. …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: The Go-Go’s
Many of the best bands burned fast but burned twice as bright. This could have been said about The Go-Go’s. They started out as a punk bad before gradually gravitating towards the power pop which would make them famous. After a tour of the UK, their debut album, Beauty and the Beat, was a surprise …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Aswang
During Rodrigo Duterte election campaign to become the President of the Philippines he promised to kill thousands upon thousands of criminals and eradicate crime within the country. Whatever you think about the controversial figure, he was certainly true to his word. Since he came to power in 2016, and subsequently issued a shoot to kill …