Doc/Fest announces opening and closing films

Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) Photo: Mass Distraction Media

Sheffield Doc/Fest has announced it will open with the European premiere of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson's Summer of Soul (...Or When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) on June 4 and close with Mark Cousins' The Story Of Looking on June 12. This year's festival will feature physical screenings and online streaming.

Summer of Soul, which had its world premiere at Sundance, is a celebratory look at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, while Cousins' film proposes a re-evaluation of the world's complexities and beauty.

Cousins said: “We're honoured to premiere our film on the closing night of Sheffield's acclaimed Doc/Fest. We hope it will send audiences and delegates back out into the world with hearts aglow and fresh eyes.”

Festival Director, Cíntia Gil added, “We wanted to open and close with films that spoke to our programme and to what Sheffield Doc/Fest stands for, and to inspire our audiences after a very difficult time. These films have helped us imagine our programme along the winter lockdown months, and will hopefully add to the joy of coming together again to share life and film before the Summer blooms.”

The festival, which will focus its retrospective on Black British screen culture this year, also announced four additional titles: The Return: Life After Isis, Minimata Mandala, Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight and Alvorado Palace.

The full programme will be announced on May 12.