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| Filthy Photo: Courtesy of Sheffield DocFest |
Filthy (Sucia – Per què no vas fer res?), directed by Bàrbara Mestanza and Marc Pujolar, took home the Grand Jury prize in the International Competition. Mestanza documents her fight back after being sexually assaulted during a massage, turning her experience into a play while also pursuing her attacker through the law.
The Jury – producer and broadcaster Mark Edwards, Kiyoko McCraea filmmaker and Program Director at Chicken & Egg Films, and Noa Nwande, Head of International Sales at Watermelon Pictures – said: “Through courageous storytelling and remarkable creative vision, this film transforms personal trauma into a collective reckoning. While rooted in the singularity of the filmmaker’s personal story, the film opens outward, asking larger questions about guilt, shame, power, performance, and the systems that shape our complicity in violence. Its disciplined and compelling editing weaves together years of artistic creation and legal pursuit, creating a gripping journey that challenges audiences to look inward and examine their own narratives.
The First Feature Competition winner was selected by a jury featuring filmmaker Paul Sng, producer Darren Lawford and producer Malikkha Rollins, who is also director of Industry and Education for DOC NYC.
They awarded the accolade to Magma directed by Mia Bendrimia, which sees the filmmaker dig into her family's history on both sides of Algerian War of Independence. The jury said: “This film is a bold personal-political documentary exploring generational trauma resulting from the wounds of colonialism."
Thirty-seven films competed this year across the five competition categories at the festival.
The Audience Award went to Ultimate Thunder, directed by Ben Brown. It sees a punk band whose members have learning disabilities and Down syndrome fight to reach a bigger stage as funding cuts, health scares and setbacks close in.
Raul Niño Zambrano, creative director of Sheffield DocFest said: “After six inspiring days of talks, film screenings, performances, industry pitches, and vital discussions, this edition of Sheffield DocFest has come to an end. But more than the packed schedule, what truly matters is what we've witnessed: Sheffield DocFest continues to be a nurturing space for encounters, for building networks, for dialogue and above all, for friendship. All the films we’ve shared this week have found new audiences and we simply hope that the platform we’ve humbly provided helps those stories go even further.”
The award winners in full are below:
International Competition
● Grand Jury Award: Filthy (Sucia – Per què no vas fer res?) directed by Bàrbara Mestanza and Marc Pujolar
● Special Mention: Time Machine Maidan (Машина Часу Майдан), directed by Roman Liubyi, and Volodymyr Tykhyy
International First Feature Competition
● Grand Jury Award: Magma directed by Mia Bendrimia
● Special Mention: A City in the Forest directed by Lev Omelchenko and Nolan Huber
International Short Film Competition
● Grand Jury Award: Maybe Tomorrow directed by Waad Al-Kateab and Wafa Mustafa
● Special Mention: The Anatomy of a Portrait directed by Juan Felipe León
Tim Hetherington Award
The award recognises a film and filmmaker that best reflects the legacy of photojournalist and filmmaker Tim Hetherington.
● The Long Cuban Night (Cuba y la Noche), directed by Sergio Fernandez Borras
● Special Mention: Birds of War, directed by Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak
Youth Jury Award
● Crocodile, directed by The Critics and Pietra Brettkelly
● Special Mention: All Rivers Spill Their Stories to the Sea, directed by Jeanie Finlay
Shine Global Children’s Resilience Award for Documentary
● Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes for One In A Million. The Award recognises storytelling that expands understanding of children’s experiences around the world and the courage they show in confronting extraordinary challenges.
Children’s Resilience Award for Short Documentary
● Stalin Boys, directed by Bianca Giaever and Ora DeKornfeld
Sheffield DocFest Football Documentary Award
● David Tryhorn and Ben Nicholas for Cantona
Audience Award
● Ultimate Thunder, directed by Ben Brown
