In Review

Sheffield DocFest 2012: Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present

by Tom Grater 19 June 2012

On Sunday, a panel that included Louis Theroux and Carol Morley voted for the Special Jury Award of DocFest 2012. Their selection was Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present , a portrait of one of the most recognisable and potentially important artists of the latter half of the 20 th century, including her latest exhibit at MOMA [...]

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Sheffield DocFest 2012: Law of the Jungle

by Tom Grater 18 June 2012

This impeccably made documentary succeeds at injecting an element of hope into its rather depressing proceedings, but fails to address the balance of argument, skirting around certain issues in the narrative and ultimately feeling one-sided.

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In Review: Jaws

by Mairéad Roche 18 June 2012

First released in the summer of 1975, the young Steven Spielberg’s Jaws went on to be a huge blockbuster and put the fear of God into many a sea bather for decades to come.

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Sheffield DocFest 2012: Photographic Memory

by Tom Grater 18 June 2012

Having just picked up the DocFest Youth Jury award, the latest feature from Ross McElwee, now a recognisable face in the documentary calendar, has evidently won over some of the younger minds at this year’s festival.

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In Review: Cosmopolis

by Nigel Floyd 15 June 2012

Never one to shirk an artistic challenge, writer-director David Cronenberg has previously adapted for the screen two supposedly ‘unfilmable’ novels: William S. Burroughs’ The Naked Lunch and J. G. Ballard’s Crash. Here, he attempts to visualise Don DeLillo’s Cosmopolis, the majority of which takes place in the back of a sleek, white stretch limousine as [...]

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Sheffield DocFest 2012: Searching for Sugar Man

by Tom Grater 15 June 2012

Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul’s joyful portrait of little-known musician Sixto Rodriguez has won many hearts at Sheffield DocFest 2012, having now been screened on consecutive nights, both times to rapturous applause.

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Sheffield DocFest 2012: Looking for Nicolas Sarkozy

by Tom Grater 14 June 2012

The recently ousted French President Nicolas Sarkozy gets the documentary treatment in this light-spirited and fun film that tries to make you chuckle, whilst assessing the merits and failures of his five-year tenure.

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In Review: Polisse

by Mairéad Roche 14 June 2012

Having won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2011, director Maïwenn’s Polisse was taken seriously at Cannes and portrays a difficult subject and a main topic of concern for society. Actor and director Maïwenn co-wrote her latest film with Emmanuelle Berot about police officers working in the Child Protection Unit in Paris.

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Sheffield DocFest 2012: Sector Zero

by Tom Grater 14 June 2012

In this debut documentary from director Nadim Mishlawi, the city of Beirut – the capital of Lebanon – is depicted as a chaotic hive filled with warring factions and very little sense. A mess, if you like. In this sense, the film personifies its subject matter.

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Sheffield DocFest 2012: The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

by Tom Grater 13 June 2012

Director Lucy Walker ( Countdown to Zero, Waste Land ) returns with this beautifully filmed but frustrating documentary short about the aftermath of the Japanese tsunami, set in one of the most dramatically affected areas.

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