With 2019 marking its 26th year, Sheffield Doc/Fest is the UK’s premier documentary film festival. Under the tagline “Ways of Seeing” the festival prides itself in diversity, screening compelling stories from around the world. See our look at some of the films featured in 2019. Click on the film title to see our review. …
A Northern Soul
2018 A Northern Soul Director: Sean McAllister Words – Rhiannon Topham Sean McAllister returns to his native town of Hull in his new documentary A Northern Soul, a story which is reminiscent of the hardships depicted in his previous work A Syrian Love Story. McAllister brings the same kind of authenticity and sincerity to this…
Sheffield Doc/Fest 2018
With 2018 marking its 25th year, Sheffield Doc/Fest is the UK’s premier documentary festival, screening compelling stories from around the world. Taking place at a multitude of venues across Sheffield, here’s our look at a selection of films featured at the festival in 2018. click on the film title to see our review A…
Against The Tides
Director: Stefan Stuckert Words – Rhiannon Topham Beth French is one hell of a woman. Not only is she an accomplished athlete, but she’s an accomplished athlete living with the long-term neurological condition Myalgic Encephalomyeliti (ME, otherwise known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) who was wheelchair bound for a time during her teenage years. Not only…
Midsommar
2019 Director: Ari Aster Starring: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Vilhelm Blomgren, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter, Ellora Torchia Words – Carly Stevenson Set amidst a solstice festival that occurs every 90 years, Midsommar follows a group of anthropology students as they embark upon a ‘research trip’ to rural Sweden at the invitation of Pelle, a…
Must See Movies: July
At Reel Steel we want to make sure you’re getting the most of your cinematic enthusiasm, so each month we put together our short list of some of the best new releases, from popcorn munching explosion fests to the often weird and wonderful. Take a look at the trailers below and see this month’s recommendations……
Irene’s Ghost
Director: Iain Cunningham Words – Rhiannon Topham Irene’s Ghost is one of those films that leaves you feeling like a more compassionate person. In this visceral tale of discovery and closure, director Iain Cunningham endeavours to find the truth about the mysterious death of his mother, Irene, when he was just three years old. Very…
Irene’s Ghost – interview with director
A moving film exploring loss and relationships, Irene’s Ghost is a standout documentary. We interviewed director Iain Cunningham at the Showroom Cinema in Sheffield about this deeply personal story. See our full review of the film >here<. Reel Steel: I read that this film was inspired by the birth of your daughter — what…
In Fabric
2019 Director: Peter Strickland Starring: Marianne Jean–Baptiste, Fatma Mohamed, Leo Bill, Hayley Squires, Gwendoline Christie, Julian Barratt, Steve Oram Words – Nathan Scatcherd The latest film from Peter Strickland (Berberian Sound Studio, The Duke of Burgundy), In Fabric is a wonderful oddity – bizarre, horny, blackly hilarious in tone and one of my favourite cinema…
Searching Eva
2019 Director: Pia Hellenthal Words – Rhiannon Topham Social media sensation Eva Collé pronounced privacy a defunct concept when she was 14. By 17, she’d left her small Italian town and troubled family life behind in search of something more liberating. Now 25 and living in Berlin, she’s challenging expectations and dismantling the box our…
Seahorse
2019 Director: Jeanie Finlay Words – Rhiannon Topham Storytelling is at its most powerful when it contextualises macro societal topics in small but intimate ways. Making public the personal and private brings nuance and sensitivity to lived experiences that are otherwise only accessible via the not-always-sympathetic news media or – an even more terrifying space…
Let It Burn
2019 Director: Maíra Bühler Words – Christian Abbott “Everything around me is saved, but few can save me.” This is a line that comes from one of the residents of an apartment building in Downtown São Paulo, a building that is inhabited by people with a shared addiction – Crack Cocaine. The residents of this…
Dark Suns – director interview
Dark Suns is an unrelenting investigation into mass disappearances across Mexico, urging you to pay attention. See our feature review of the film >here<. We interviewed director Julien Elie following the film’s UK Premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2019. Reel Steel: My first question really is where the motivation to make this film came from…
