Delve into a fascinating insight into some of the world’s most infamous dictatorships - by seeing them through the eyes of chefs that served them. Here’s where our upcoming screenings of 2026 Sheffield DocFest title How To Feed a Dictator are taking place: 📅 Mon 27 July (18:20) - Bertha DocHouse, London, followed by a Q&A with director Andrew Neel (one wheelchair space remaining) - https://dochouse.org/event/sheffield-docfest-spotlights-how-to-feed-a-dictator/ 📅 Mon 3 Aug (18:00) - Showroom Cinema, Sheffield https://showroomcinema.org.uk/film/docnights-how-to-feed-a-dictator Tickets are available now - don’t miss! 🔗

Our Queer Realities Director’s Lab has returned! 🎥 💥 First launched in 2024, Queer Realities Director’s Lab is a development programme open to early-career LGBTQIA+ directors who are currently in the development stage of a feature length documentary project. Each edition, 10 selected directors will have a space to learn, share and explore the format of documentary through curated masterclasses, workshops and sessions with international and UK filmmakers, artists and other industry professionals. The cohort will also be individually matched with an industry professional for online mentoring hours and supported with a bursary to help develop their project. We are delighted to announce that Queer Realities Director’s Lab will now continue for two more editions, thanks to support from the BFI Creative Challenge Fund, awarding National Lottery Good Cause funding. Applications are now open for the second edition, which will run from October 2026 until July 2027, whilst the third edition will open for applications in late 2027. Successful applicants will receive: 🌟 In-person and online workshops, masterclasses, and a residential weekend between October 2026 - February 2027 exploring creative documentary making for linear and queer non-fiction storytelling 🌟 Online mentoring hours with an industry professional 🌟Self directed development time supported by a bursary 🌟 Presentation showcase and curated networking at Sheffield DocFest 2027 🌟Industry accreditation for the next two editions of Sheffield DocFest (2027 & 2028) 📅 Deadline for applications: 25 August 2026 (13:00 BST) Sound interesting? We want to hear from you! Find more info and apply now here: https://www.sheffdocfest.com/news/applications-open-queer-realities-directors-lab-2026-2027 Queer Realities Director’s Lab is supported by the BFI Creative Challenge Fund, awarding National Lottery Good Cause funding. We’d like to say a huge thanks to National Lottery players for making this activity possible. #BecauseOfYou

Join us at Deer Shed Festival for three standout shorts! 🎉🎪 Deer Shed is an award-winning, family friendly music, arts and science festival which is taking place this weekend at Baldersby Park in Topcliffe, North Yorkshire! We’re delighted to team up with the festival to present the following screenings over the weekend: 🎥 George-Peterland (2023) - A group of 8-year-olds invent the shared fantasy world of George-Peterland – a dreamy forest land ruled over by the chicken god. 🎥 Just Jools (2025) - Twelve-year-old Jools dreams of dancing with self-confidence. With the help of a choreographer, she learns to shake off the gaze of others and dance freely. 🎥 Stormskater (2021) - Ishariah Johnson, aka Stormskater – one of the UK's best-known roller-skaters - gives insight on the sport's community, plus questions of appropriation, ownership, authenticity, and space. 🎟️ Grab final tickets for this wonderful event: https://www.deershedfestival.com/tickets

We're thrilled to announce that the chosen film for our August year-round screenings will be Steal This Story, Please!, which celebrated its UK premiere at Sheffield DocFest this year 📣 Through decades of archive footage, this compelling portrait follows investigative journalist Amy Goodman as she takes on soldiers, politicians and corporate media in pursuit of truth. 📅 Wed 12 August, 18:20 - Bertha DocHouse, London, followed by a Q&A with Amy Goodman, and co-directors Tia Lessin and Carl Deal: https://dochouse.org/event/steal-this-story-please/ (+ screening at Showroom, Sheffield - date TBA) 🎟️ Grab tickets from the link in our bio/on our story! 👉 Oscar-nominated filmmakers Carl Deal and Tia Lessin trace Goodman's career from her early days in radio through to the present, revisiting stories often minimised or ignored by mainstream US media: the massacre in East Timor, violent suppression of dissent in Nigeria, life in Iraq before the US invasion, and reporting on the ground in Gaza. Colleagues and family offer insight into the determination and humanity behind her work. What comes through is Goodman's knack for getting to the heart of an issue well before it reaches critical mass, and an approach to journalism that is both headstrong and deeply human. Steal This Story, Please! is both a sharp critique of corporate media and a celebration of what journalism can be when it refuses to look away.

We were delighted to catch up with director @waadalkateab at this year’s festival, whilst she was busy celebrating the world premiere of her incredible new short @maybetomorrow_film 🎥 Listen to Waad exploring the essence of her filmmaking, and discussing what being part of the Sheffield DocFest community means! Co-directed with Syrian journalist and activist Wafa Mustafa, Maybe Tomorrow went on to win the International Short Film Competition at Sheffield DocFest this year 🏆 A huge well done to Waad, Wafa and all the team behind Maybe Tomorrow - make sure to follow their pages to keep up with all the updates for this and future projects 👏

Happy Summer holidays, let's go! Here are the special events we have coming up this week, hope you can join us! 🌞 🎨👶 Baby Friendly Art Club 📅 Tue 21 Jul, 11am-12.30pm 📍 Millennium Gallery Develop your artistic skills in a relaxed setting with this specially designed art class for parents or carers with young babies under 12 months. 🎟️ £9, advance booking recommended 🔗 https://ow.ly/H4zc50ZpWWQ ⛅ Curator Tour: Storm Cloud - The Look of the Sky 📅 Tue 21 Jul, 2-3pm 📍 Millennium Gallery Join Ashley Gallant, Curator of the Ruskin Collection for an insight into Storm-Cloud – The Look of the Sky. 🎟️ Free, booking advised. Please donate £5 🔗 https://ow.ly/HIbo50ZpWWV 🦁 Family Activity: Pride of Yorkshire 📅 Wed 22 Jul, 12-3pm 📍 Millennium Gallery Enjoy an afternoon of roar-some crafts to celebrate the Pride of Yorkshire sculpture trail. 🎟️ Free, just drop in, suggested donation £3 🔗 https://ow.ly/i9LX50ZpWWU ⚽ Rescheduled - Walking Tour: The Hidden History of Sheffield’s Football Heritage 📅 Thu 23 Jul, 2-3.30pm 📍 Millennium Gallery Take a stroll through Sheffield city centre, taking in some of the historic sites and blue plaques that celebrate Sheffield’s football history. 🎟️ £12, booking essential 🔗 https://ow.ly/fn7Q50ZpWWP 🧸 Summer Tots 📅 Fri 24 Jul, 10am – 12:30pm 📍 Weston Park Museum This summer, bring your toddlers and babies to discover our brilliant, brightly coloured play mats: places to squeeze, stack, pull, mix, touch, scratch, thread, mash, hold and bash a host of different objects! 🎟️Suggested donation £3, just drop in 🔗 https://ow.ly/xm6k50ZpWWN ✏ Life Drawing 📅 Fri 24 Jul, 10.30am - 12.30pm 📍 Millennium Gallery Develop your drawing skills working from a nude model with support from one of our regular artist tutors. 🎟️ Booking essential, £11.50 🔗 https://ow.ly/EHZF50ZpWWS 🌷 Family Workshop: Flower and Plant Hapa Zome Prints 📅 Sat 25 Jul, 12.30-1.20pm, 1.30-2.20pm and 2.30-3.20pm 📍 Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet Learn an ancient Japanese technique to create unique floral prints, inspired by the landscape of Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet. 🎟️ £7.50, booking recommended 🔗 https://ow.ly/zySe50ZpWWO 💃 Performance: Threads of Unity – South Asian Dance, Music, Food and Fashion 📅 Sat 25 Jul, 12 - 3.30pm 📍 Millennium Gallery Celebrate South Asian Heritage Month with dance and music performances alongside food and activity stalls from Sunrit Culture Group. 🎟️ Booking recommended, please donate £5 🔗 https://ow.ly/zhWV50ZpWWT

This Wednesday The Millennium Gallery, from 12-3pm, enjoy an afternoon of roarsome crafts! First week of the summer holidays, let's go! 🦁👇👇👇

A few of many beautiful shots from this year’s Awards Ceremony 💛🏆 Once again, we’d like to say a huge well done to every film in competition this year - and a massive congratulations to the eventual winners and special mentions 👏 Head to the link in our bio for the full recap on this year’s award winners 🔗 📸 1 David Chang 2 James Mulkeen 3 David Chang 4 David Chang 5 David Chang 6 James Mulkeen