Sheffield Doc/Fest Rejigs With Fall Programming, Virtual Forums in Lieu of Festival

The Sheffield Doc/Fest pitching forums, MeetMarket and Alternate Realities Talent Market are to take place virtually in June, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The rest of the June festival is being replaced by a series of programs that will take place on weekends through the fall.

The planned programming will include film screenings, talks, panels, artists’ events and community engagement activities. No competitions will be held this year.

The programs will aim to “engage in an urgent worldwide conversation about ways of creating, and engaging with, cinema and art in extremely challenging times,” the festival stated.

Those who have already purchased passes will be offered a range of options, including full refunds. All submitted films and arts projects will be watched and considered for programs by the festival team.

“Doc/Fest is an essential moment for the city of Sheffield, for the film industry and for all the international guests who join us, and its collective character is at the heart of the festival’s purpose. We strongly believe that people coming together to watch, to talk and to imagine the world through art is a transformative experience that produces change,” the festival stated.

“Access to activity will be amplified as much as possible, through our digital platforms, always respecting each film’s nature and context. We will not hold any competitions, but we will present important, critical and unique works of cinema and art.”

Details of the programs will be revealed in due course, the festival said.