Alongside our festival programme of films, immersive documentary projects, and talks, we have also curated a number of events made by, for and in collaboration with people and communities in our city. These activities are in response to works in the programme, and are designed to bring people together to share, discuss and explore!
These events were part of our 2023 festival programme, which has now passed.
Challenging Community Surveillance
Thursday 15 June, 19:00 – 20:00
Prior to Dalton’s Dream Film Screening & Discussion from 20:30 at Crucible Theatre.
Join us for a closed workshop exclusively for QTIPOC (Queer, Trans, and Intersex People of Color) prior to the screening of Dalton's Dream.
This workshop will delve into the themes raised in Dalton’s Dream and initiate a meaningful dialogue surrounding community surveillance and harassment within diasporic communities, which many QTIPOC may find relatable. Together, we will develop a framework that empowers us as a group to "care less" by divesting from heternormative-based social control, and reflect on valuable lessons learned
This workshop is free to attend and includes a complimentary ticket to attend the Dalton’s Dream + Conversation from 20:30 at the Crucible Theatre. To register please contact community@sheffdocfest.com and the location of the workshop will be sent to you directly closer to the time.
This workshop is developed by BAXSAN collective and facilitated by Heauxda
Heuxda (she/her) is a creative storyteller, performer, and workshop facilitator that primarily uses writing and photography to critically explore intersectional diaspora Somali identity through the relevant contemporary and historical cultural frameworks. Her work has been published by popular African arts & culture platforms as well as award-winning media platforms dedicated to writers of colour.
Between Earth and Sky: Film Screening and Walkshop
Saturday 17 June, 2:30 – 15:30
Following on from the short film screening Shorts: Dreaming Trees from which starts at 12:30pm at the Showroom Cinema.
Join us for a gentle walk through the green land close to Sheffield's city centre following a film screening of Shorts: Dreaming Trees. The screening includes four short films that take us far beyond the individualistic human-centred view of the world.
We will engage in a discussion with the director of Between Earth & Sky, Andrew Nadkarni followed by a creative writing exercise exploring curiosity and healing through nature.
Lunch and writing materials will be provided.
Please wear suitable footwear and bring a jacket or waterproof if necessary. The route includes a slight uphill walk towards Cholera Monument at the beginning.
We will have blankets provided at the park to encourage a comfortable environment to sit and reflect/write. If you require assistance with a camping chair, please contact community@sheffdocfest.com
This workshop is free to attend and includes a complimentary ticket to attend the short film screening Shorts: Dreaming Trees from 12:30pm at the Showroom Cinema. To register please contact community@sheffdocfest.com
Andrew Nadkarni (he/him) is a queer multiracial filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. A 2023 BRIClab Artist in Residence, he integrates community care, sustainability, and trauma-informed practices into his filmmaking process. His debut documentary, Between Earth & Sky, won Best Short at Big Sky Doc Fest, Audience Award at DC Environmental Film Fest, and the IF/Then x Redford Center Nature Access Pitch at DOC NYC. It has also screened at Sheffield DocFest, Hot Docs, and Mountainfilm. A Film & TV graduate of NYU Tisch, Andrew has worked across the United States, Japan, Mexico, and Costa Rica. He recently produced the narrative feature, Actual People, now streaming on MUBI.
Creative Collaging: Health, Contraceptives, and Bodily Autonomy
Sunday 18 June, 18:15 – 19:15
Following on from the short film screening Shorts: (Re)Building Worlds which starts at 15:45 at Curzon cinema.
What is your experience with hormonal birth control? What do you wish you had known about it earlier?
Inspired by the short film Hormonal which explores the effects of hormonal birth control on both the brain and body, join us for a creative collaging workshop led by artist Luca Shaw and the film’s director Pien van Grinsven. Together we will create a collective collage, and have a relaxed discussion about bodily autonomy and the impact of contraception on our mind, body and self-image.
No previous artistic experience or collaging is needed - this is a space to try something new.
This workshop is free to attend and includes a complimentary ticket to attend the short film screening Shorts: (Re)Building Worlds from 15:45pm at Curzon Cinema. To register please contact community@sheffdocfest.com
Luca is a visual artist from Stockport, her work extends across printmaking, illustration, animation and theatre production. She has a keen interest in how her work can thread through these various disciplines and inform one another. Her work is driven by a desire to create transformative worlds through a very personal and intimate form of storytelling. Through intuitive and organic drawing processes she incorporates her experience of the body, gender, physical spaces and historical motifs into a rich archive of work.
Pien Van Grinsven makes films, often about things you can't see like an absent father or hormones. She enjoys making invisible things appear. Born not far from the border, she divides her time between the Netherlands and Belgium.
BSL Poetry and Movement Workshop
Monday 19 June, 17:00 – 18:00
Following on from the Relaxed: Short Films screening which starts at 15:30 at Showroom cinema.
Inspired by the short film Regard Silence, choreographer Rachel Clarke will deliver a poetry and movement workshop that incorporates British Sign Language. This will be a playful space to explore different ways of approaching sign language, merging BSL with elements of dance and poetry.
This workshop is open to participants who are D/deaf or hard of hearing. No experience of dance or poetry is required, this is a space to try something new.
The workshop is free to attend and includes a complimentary ticket to attend the relaxed short film screening prior to the workshop, which starts at 15:30pm at the Showroom Cinema. To register please contact community@sheffdocfest.com
The short film screening has open captions, and there will be a BSL interpreter present at the workshop. If you have any questions or additional access needs please contact community@sheffdocfest.com
Rachel Clarke is an independent dance artist based in Leeds & Bradford. Although hearing, Rachel's first language is British Sign Language due to her upbringing as a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA). She uses this trait as a positive attribute to the development of movement material and stimuli, as well as working within community settings as an interpreter/communication support to make performances and workshops accessible.
