Sheffield DocFest closes with audience attendance up 20% on 2023

The 31st edition of Sheffield DocFest 2024 concluded last night with an awards ceremony at Sheffield’s Crucible Playhouse.

This year’s festival had 48 world premieres, 14 international premieres, 17 European premieres, 28 UK premieres from 56 producing countries.

The festival, which runs from June 12-17, saw audience attendance increase by more than 20% compared to 2023. International industry presence also increased with 2,283 delegates from 73 countries attending the festival in person of six days (up from 60 countries in 2023). 179 industry representatives from 128 companies and 24 countries participated in more than 1,031 face-to-face meetings with 49 selected projects and 16 “talents” during the market days of the festival.

The festival, in partnership with Showroom Cinema, will continue to engage with Sheffield’s documentary community through the monthly screening program DocNights, which is dedicated to promoting the work of documentary filmmakers and bringing documentary cinema to audiences throughout the year.

Other year-round programs to come in 2024/2025 include the continuation of monthly documentary screening programs in London and a new program of regional screenings in preparation for Rotherham Children’s Capital of Culture 2025.

Main prize winners 2024:

• Grand Prize of the Jury for the International Competition – At the Door of the House Who Knocks
• Grand Jury Prize for the International Feature Film Competition – The Boy and the Suit of Lights
• Grand Jury Prize for the International Short Film Competition – Flowers
• Tim Hetherington Award – No Other Land
• Youth Jury Prize – HAIYU – Rebel Singer Mariem Hassan and the Struggle for a Free Western Sahara
• Grand Jury Prize for the International Virtual Reality Competition – Perinatal Dreams. Understanding the country
• The Three Pitches announce fund recipients – The Whickers Pitch, Channel 4 First Cut Pitch, The Podcast Pitch
• Al Jazeera Documentary Channel Co-Production Award for Sheffield DocFest MeetMarket Kikuyu Land supported by Al Jazeera Documentary Channel