Sheffield DocFest 2026

View other Sheffield DocFest Films by strand: Guest Of Honour programme: Maxine Peake , International Competition , International First Feature Competition , Journeys , Memories , People & Community , Rebellions , Rhythms , Tim Hetherington Award , Youth Jury Award

Sentient Sentient
Sentient and The AI Doc: Or How I Became An Apocaloptimist
The AI Doc: Or How I Became An Apocaloptimist (Country: US; Year: 2026; Director: Daniel Roher, Charlie Tyrell)
A father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with the AI insanity, exploring the existential dangers and stunning promise of this technology that humanity has created.
UK premiere
Elon Musk Unveiled: The Tesla Experiment (Country: Germany; Year: 2026; Director: Andreas Pichler; Writer: Andreas Pichler, Anne von Petersdorff, Christian Beetz; Stars: Elon Musk, Donald Trump)
Close confidants, whistleblowers and former Tesla insiders speak out for the first time, exposing hidden data and buried defects in the race for self-driving cars.
UK premiere
Forever Is Now (Country: Ireland; Year: 2026; Director: Neasa Ní Chianáin; Stars: Eamon Ryan)
Set between 2023 and 2025, this documentary follows Irish Green Party leader and Cabinet Minister Eamon Ryan during his final 18 months in government. Once buoyed by Europe’s Green wave, Ryan now faces waning public interest in climate issues as he advocates globally for renewable energy and climate justice for the Global South.
International premiere
Manhood (Year: 2026; Director: Daniel Lombroso; Stars: William Moore, Ruben Ramirez, David Smith)
A Dallas businessman sets out to make penis enlargement as commonplace as Botox, pulling back the curtain on shame, sex and masculinity.
International premiere
Replica (Country: Australia, France; Year: 2026; Director: Chouwa Liang)
Documentary following Chinese women who are dating chatbots.
UK premiere
Sentient (Country: Australia; Year: 2026; Director: Tony Jones; Writer: Rachel Grierson-Johns, Tony Jones)
An investigation into laboratory research on animals exposes a hidden world in which it’s not just the animals getting hurt. The story of Dr. Lisa Jones Engel, a primatologist turned animal welfare advocate, asks whether harming animals and ourselves in science’s name is justified.
UK premiere
Synthetic Sincerity (Country: UK; Year: 2026; Director: Marc Isaacs; Writer: Adam Ganz)
A university research lab is trying to build authentic AI characters, and they've licensed a documentary filmmaker's back catalogue to teach them what's missing.
UK premiere
TikTok Never Dies (Country: US; Year: 2026; Director: Hao Wu; Writer: Hao Wu; Stars: Steven King, Chloe Joy Sexton, Topher Townsend)
Three TikTok creators sue the US government to stop a ban on the app. Their unlikely last hope? The very president who first tried to block it.
International Premiere
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