The Doc/Fest Awards recognise great films and great filmmakers. This year's winners were chosen by an exciting group of jurors who offered plural perspectives on the value of non-fiction film, from authors, to artists, musicians and critics.
Grand Jury Award
Supported by Broadcast & Screen International
The award honours films that best display excellence in style, substance and approach to documentary filmmaking.
WINNER:
The Silence of Others, Almudena Carracedo, Robert Bahar
SPECIAL MENTION:
A Woman Captured, Bernadett Tuza-Ritter
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Art Doc Award
Supported by MUBI
The award champions bold new creative forms of non-fiction cinema and artists’ film.
WINNER: Music When the Lights Go Out, Ismael Caneppele
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The Tim Hetherington Award
Supported by Dogwoof
The award recognises a film and filmmaker which best reflects journalist Tim Hetherington’s legacy.
WINNER: Kinshasa Makambo, Dieudo Hamadi
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Environmental Award
The award honors films that best address or raise awareness of the environmental challenges faced by the world.
WINNER: Wild Relatives, Jumana Manna
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Illuminate Award
Supported by Wellcome
The award celebrates vibrant and innovative filmmaking exploring the human condition.
WINNER: América, Erick Stoll, Chase Whiteside
SPECIAL MENTION: Young Solitude, Claire Simon
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Short Doc Award
Supported by Canon
The award presents the best short films in the Festival, made by emerging and established filmmakers from around the world.
WINNER: Black Sheep, Ed Perkins
SPECIAL MENTION: Weltschmertz, Jesper Dalgaard
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New Talent Award
The award discovers and honors the future of documentary film, celebrating new talent and fresh perspectives.
WINNER: Minding the Gap, Bing Liu
SPECIAL MENTION: The Proposal, Jill Magid
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Youth Jury Award
Supported by Yorkshire Building Society
The award is selected by five of the UK’s most passionate and stand out young documentary lovers.
WINNER: Amal, Mohamed Siam
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Doc Audience Award
Supported by Curzon
The award is voted for by the Sheffield Doc/Fest cinema audiences, recognising the film that receives the highest audience vote during the Festival. In memory of Dr Clifford Shaw.
WINNER: Minding the Gap, Bing Liu
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Alternate Realities Audience Award
Supported by Rewind
Voted for by the Sheffield Doc/Fest exhibition audience, this award recognises the Alternate Realities work that receives the highest audience vote during the festival.
WINNER: Grenfell: Our Home, Jonathan Rudd
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Virtual Reality Award
This award celebrates virtual reality documentary as a flourishing creative genre awarding the project that displays excellence in factual storytelling as well as technical ingenuity.
WINNER: Face to Face, Michelle Gabel, Michaela Holland
SPECIAL MENTION: Vestige, Aaron Bradbury, Paul Mowbray
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Interactive Award
This award honours the project that exhibits originality in its approach to form, storytelling and delivery. One of only a few such awards in the documentary world, Sheffield Doc/Fest is dedicated to recognising new forms of interactive storytelling.
WINNER: The Voice of the Unicorn, Richard Butchins
SPECIAL MENTION: Terminal 3, Asad J. Malik