Sheffield DocFest 2022 Reveals Focus: Filmmaker Talent Initiative

Sheffield DocFest and guest curator Asif Kapadia have invited six filmmakers to make a short documentary during the festival as part of the new Focus: Filmmaker Talent initiative.

The filmmakers will have one day to film their documentaries in and around Sheffield, and the final works will be screened on the last day of the festival. The selected filmmakers are Ibrahim Ahmed, Tamana Ayazi, Sema Basharan, Paul Daly, Jessi Gutch and Laura Wadha.

The initiative is supported by Amazon Studios, Canon and The Kurious.

The six filmmakers will participate in a preproduction on-site workshop with Kapadia, who will also provide them with feedback on their rough cuts. They will receive a £1,000 ($1,220) budget; have access to cameras, lenses and sound kits with a workshop from Canon; receive editing and postproduction support from Sheffield-based The Kurious; and get group and one-on-one mentoring from the Amazon Studios’ U.K. originals team after the festival. They will also receive delegate passes for the 2022 and 2023 festivals.

Sheffield DocFest 2022 is set to take place from June 23 to 28. The filmmakers’ shorts will be screened on June 28 at 1 p.m. at Showroom Cinemas at a screening hosted by Kapadia.

The initiative came about due to a similar creative challenge that Kapadia participated in early in his career.

“The energy of making something on the fly during a film festival, with no creative constraints, on a tight budget and with the only limitation being the deadline, gave me the opportunity to play and experiment,” said Kapadia. “I also met some great people—and had fun —whilst doing it.”

Clare Stewart, interim CEO of Sheffield DocFest, added, “Asif and the Sheffield DocFest team have identified an incredible cohort to participate in this initiative, which has been part of Asif’s vision for his contribution to the 2022 edition of the festival since the beginning. We are thrilled to be working together—and with our partners at Amazon Studios, Canon and The Kurious—to provide this opportunity for documentary talent who have made short films already, are creating impact and are establishing their careers in the U.K.”