We are delighted to announce our 2022 Youth Jurors for this year's edition, taking place across Sheffield and online, 23-28 June 2022.
Now in its 16th year, the DocFest Youth Jury Programme focuses on giving young people the chance to enter the film industry. It gives young film enthusiasts the opportunity to meet key figures within the industry, curate a selection of films for the Festival, and select the winner of the Youth Jury Award announced at the Sheffield DocFest Awards Ceremony.
This year, following an open call, we have invited five young film enthusiasts to be on our 2022 Youth Jury:
Meet our Youth Jurors
Emma Morgan-Bennett
Emma Morgan-Bennett is a native New Yorker living in London on a Marshall Scholarship. After encountering documentaries through her undergraduate studies in anthropology, she has embarked on a career as a director who films stories surrounding race, reproduction, and apocalypse via nonfiction and fiction narratives. Intrigued by interactive storyworlds, Emma is currently pursuing a MA in Digital Media at Goldsmiths.
What are you most looking forward too?
"Meeting my peers on the jury, watching new and experimental films, and having my definition of documentary expanded."
Esme Haddrill Selman
Esme is a fourth year Film & TV student at Edinburgh College of Art, growing up in South Yorkshire before moving to Scotland. She has a passion for experimental film of all forms and the intersection between documentary and experimental film, exploring this in her own filmmaking.
What are you most looking forward too?
"I am so excited to be so closely involved in DocFest, to be immersed in the amazing range of experiences they offer every year and, in doing so, to meet and connect with other young people interested in documentary filmmaking and make some wonderful friends and memories in the process!"
Hannah Jackson
Hannah is studying for an MA in English Literature at the University of Sheffield. She specialises in regional film and television and has a strong interest in representations of the North onscreen. With a background in community film exhibition and programme creation, she has experience in research, audience development and film criticism. In 2021 she was awarded the Bryan Burns Prize for a documentary project on the subject of her hometown Bradford.
What are you most looking forward too?
"I am overjoyed to be a part of Sheffield DocFest as a member of this year’s Youth Jury. I am most looking forward too engaging with a range of challenging and important films; after working remotely, the opportunity to meet and work alongside similarly passionate Jury members is incredibly exciting. I am very grateful for this unique opportunity to gain insight into the festival and get hands-on experience within the industry and with a proudly regional organisation."
Mie Murasa
Mie is a second year university student originally from Sheffield and a recent graduate from Into Films Young Reporter Programme. An avid reader, writer and reviewer of films, Mie is passionate about documentary in all its forms, from journalistic to artistic shorts and particularly loves Sheffield DocFest.
What are you most looking forward too?
"I’m am looking forward to everything really! It is such a pleasure just to chat with other people who are passionate about documentary. I’m excited to learn and I can’t wait to watch all kinds of films in my favourite city!"
Xaymaca Awoyungbo
Xaymaca Awoyungbo is a student, freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker. Hailing from London, he was inspired to create documentaries by filmmakers such as Reggie Yates and networks such as VICE. Eager to make his mark, Xaymaca wants to listen to unfamiliar voices and tell untold stories.
What are you most looking forward too?
"I am grateful to be a member of this year's Youth Jury. It will be a great opportunity for me to learn more about film and to be surrounded by like-minded people. I am most looking forward to critiquing and being inspired by the diversity of films on display."
Image (Left – Right): Adrian Kawaley-Lathan (Creative Director at Bertha Foundation), Emma Morgan-Bennett, Esme Haddrill Selman, Xaymaca Awoyungbo, Hannah Jackson and Mie Murasa.
