Sheffield Doc/Fest have announced the films that will make up its 31^st edition, which will run from 12-17 June. The UK-based festival will boast 48 world premieres and 14 international premieres amongst its film programme alongside live talks and podcasts, premieres of new TV series and VR cinema alongside an immersive exhibition.

The International Competition will include the festival opener Klitschko: More than a Fight, the world premiere of the latest film from Kevin Macdonald, which follows the titular boxer who dominated the sport for a decade but now finds new battles to confront in his role as Mayor of Kyiv. Another world premiere will be The Hexagonal Hive and a Mouse in a Maze, a film that co-directed by renowned actor Tilda Swinton and Bartek Dziadosz, which sees the duo travel the world to understand what it means to learn, and along the way uncover playful food for thought. Croatian director Goran Devic will see the world premiere of his film Pavilion 6, examining the psyche of a nation in the midst of Covid.

More world premieres abound in the International First Feature Competition including Silent Men, the eagerly awaited film from the Scottish filmmaker Duncan Cowles whose numerous shorts have proved popular hits on the festival circuit. His feature debut examines male mental health with the blend of playfulness and introspection his shorts became famous for. Inma de Reyes’The Boy and The Suit of Lights (UK) follows a young Spanish boy who dreams of becoming a bullfighter in an age in which tradition and modernity clash while Hanna Tykha’s Kilometre sees Ukrainian video artist Roma Liubyi’s attempts to return to his family amidst the full scale invasion of his country.

Out of competition, the festival presents a number of thematic strands including Rhythms (music documentary and performances), Journeys (transformation and exploration) and Rebellions (people changing the world). Films in those sections include the world premiere of blur: To the End, Toby L’s portrait of the legendary band as they record their latest album ‘The Ballad of Darren’, and Death without Mercy (UK) in which For Sama [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] director Waad Al Khateab captures the anguish of Syrian and Turkish communities as they reel from the devastation wreaked by a massive earthquake.

The festival will host previews of the first episodes for new documentary series, including In My Own Words: Hanif Kureishi in which the playwright, novelist and filmmaker looks back on his work, and also features the Alternate Realities exhibition programme, showcasing innovative non-fiction and immersive documentaries in all forms.

Public talks will be delivered by the likes of Idris Elba and legendary US film editor Walter Murch, alongside a BBC Interview with Simon Reeve, the author, journalist, explorer and presenter whose career has taken him around the world and through various danger zones, and a Channel 4 interview with award-winning filmmaker Anna Hall.

Sheffield Doc/Fest runs 12-17 June and full information can be found at: https://www.sheffdocfest.com.