What happens when a human who wants to change the world meets a camera?

We are proud to present a specially curated community exchange programme which lies at the heart of the Festival, spanning films, talks and Alternate Realities projects. Our ambition this year is to kickstart a rebellion in the making of new work through solidaric exchanges. We begin with a connection to the Global South, to negotiate our way towards caring and equitable ways of living together. 

We present a film programme in partnership with Video nas Aldeias (Video in the Villages) to trace the legacy of our colonial past to the history of globalisation and its presence in the contemporary moment, living with a pandemic.

The Exchange is co-curated with local and international platforms comprising activists, filmmakers, researchers, scientists, community leaders and artists. We begin with a video-letter exchange, sent in solidarity from Sheffield to the Kraho community in Brazil, who are leading the protection of indigenous communities, under this, and past pandemics. From here, we are commissioning a series of short documentary or digital artworks supported by online sessions, access to our film programme and community screenings.

The programme culminates in a 3-day celebration of new work, conversations and workshops to share what we have collectively discovered through our online exchanges. Open and free to all, the public celebration is presented and run in parallel and in dialogue with our Rebellions strand as part of our Autumn programme in Sheffield.

Join us to debate and unearth contemporary concerns and documented realities spanning biological balance and the health of our planet in a warming world.

Thanks to the generous support of Wellcome Trust all films in The Exchange programme can be accessed free of charge.