Sheffield DocFest has announced the Jury Members for the festival’s five competition categories; the International Competition, International First Feature Competition, International Short Film Competition, the Tim Hetherington Award, and the International Alternate Realities Competition.
They join the previously announced members of the Youth Jury.
Thirty-seven films are competing this year across the five categories, with the winners announced during the Festival’s Awards Ceremony at Crucible Playhouse on Sunday 14 June. Also announced today are further additions to the public and industry programme including two additions to the Talks Programme and three new premieres for the Film Programme.
International Competition Jury
The Jury Members for the International Competition are: producer and broadcaster Mark Edwards, Kiyoko McCraea filmmaker and Program Director at Chicken & Egg Films, and Noa Nwande, Head of International Sales at Watermelon Pictures.
The category features a compelling lineup of 6 World Premieres, 1 International Premiere, and 1 European Premiere, with all eight films also up for the Academy Award® accredited Grand Jury Award which honours films that display strong artistic vision and courageous storytelling.
International First Feature Competition Jury
The International First Feature Competition jury members are: award-winning filmmaker Paul Sng, Darren Lawford(producer and former trustee of Sheffield DocFest), and Malikkha Rollins (producer and Director of Industry and Education for DOC NYC)
Shining a spotlight on the boldest new voices in documentary, the International First Feature competition honours the future of non-fiction film, celebrating promising talent. This year’s category features eight debut works, seven of which are World Premieres and one which is an International Premiere. The International First Feature Competition is supported by Netflix.
International Short Film Competition Jury
The International Short Film Competition Jury members for 2026 are: double BAFTA award-winning director Olaide Sadiq (Grenfell: Uncovered winner of Sheffield DocFest Audience Award 2025) , Joe Hunting (Creative Director at Painting Clouds), and filmmaker Laura Warner (The Cranes Call, A Last Big Story)
The category features nine World Premieres and one International Premiere, highlighting acclaimed directors alongside unique global perspectives in a definitive showcase of boundary-pushing storytelling. The ten films in this year’s competition are up for the Academy Award®, BAFTA and BIFA accredited Grand Jury Award which honours the best creative approach to documentary under 40 minutes.
Tim Hetherington Award Jury
Jurors for the Tim Hetherington Award are: Brenda Danker (Malaysia Freedom Film Network co-founder), Sam Holland (ex-director of Migration Matters festival in Sheffield) and Andrii Kotliar (Ukrainian producer/filmmaker part of the #babylon 13 collective).
Six documentaries will be considered for the Award this year which recognises a film and filmmaker that best reflects the legacy of photojournalist and filmmaker Tim Hetherington and celebrates outstanding humanitarian storytelling. The award is presented in association with Dogwoof.
Youth Jury Award
The Youth Jury Award is presented by five of the UK’s most passionate young documentary film enthusiasts aged 18-23 – Julianne Gazzingan, Sadie Coll, Jagraj Singh, Clementine Cunningham and Shae Beckford – who have curated a selection of six films that will be considered for this year’s award. The selected films are a diverse collection that take audiences on a global journey engaging with urgent contemporary issues.
Audience Awards
Each year the Sheffield DocFest audience have the opportunity to cast their vote at cinemas and venues for their favourite films and works – every feature film in the programme is eligible for the Film Audience Award.
New additions to the public and industry programme have also been announced today including two new events that complete this year’s Talks Programme. In a landmark conversation with Asif Kapadia (Director, Amy, Senna), Jo Clinton Davis (Controller of Factual, ITV) and Mike Blair (Creative Director, Multistory Media) the creators of 70 UP, they discuss the final chapter in the Up Series one of the most influential documentaries ever made, that over more than six decades captured the lives of ordinary Britons. Munya Chiwawa will discuss his latest documentary Wrestling with Trump which explores the link between the American president and wrestling.
Completing the film programme are the the UK Premiere of The Last First: Winter K2 from director Amir Bar-Lev that explores how five were left dead after an attempt to be the first to summit K2 and the World Premiere of Obsession: The Beryl Burton Story an intimate portrait of one of Britain’s greatest cyclists from director Stuart Pollitt.
Two new films will be screened as part of GEN DocFest, the Festival’s new family programming strand. In Horrible Science: Tim Peake’s Stinky Space Special Exclusive Astronaut Tim Peak joins Pipette to guide us through what life is line in space for astronauts whilst in Toddler Kino x DocFest and CBeebies presents: Hamza Loves Animals wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin looks at some of the amazing animals which can be found in Africa
In a special event celebrating the World Premiere of The Archivist, Orbital’s Paul Hartnoll presents a specially-created dance set fusing his own unique brand of techno disco with cult British folk horror and folk music accompanied by Pecsaetan Morris dancers.
Also revealed are new speakers joining the Talks Programme with Barrister & Broadcaster Rob Rinder MBE who joins Investigating True Crime, actor Craig Parkinson who joins the Channel 4 Interview with Joe Bullman: Why Documentary Makers Create the Most Powerful Dramas, former diplomat Alexander Dragonetti who appeared on The Traitors S3 will join Brexit: How Britain voted outBroadcaster and Journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy who joins How to Get Filthy Rich with Gary Stevenson and Sile Sibanda BBC Sheffield Radio Presenter, Spoken Word Artist & Creative Producer for Storytrails who joins Behind the Scenes: Educating Yorkshire.
Actors Jason Done, Christine Bottomley, Carla Henry, Eva Scott and Lamin Touray have also been confirmed for the special live reading of Queens of the Coal Age written by Guest of Honour Maxine Peake which details the true story of four miners’ wives—Anne Scargill, Dot Kelly, Elaine Evans, and Lesley Lomas—who occupied Parkside Colliery in 1993 to protest pit closures.
Sheffield DocFest runs from 10 – 15 June. For further information please visit www.sheffdocfest.com/
Staff Reporter
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