The 31st edition of Sheffield DocFest will open with the world premiere of Kevin Macdonald’s Klitschko: More Than A Fight, at Sheffield City Hall on June 12.
The Sky Original film follows brothers and former heavyweight boxers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko as Vitali moves from the ring to political office, leading the defence of Kyiv as its mayor when Ukraine was attacked by Russian forces in February 2022.
The film combines present-day footage shot in Ukraine, the US and Germany, with personal archive material from the Klitschko family.
It is produced by Docsville Studios and Sky Studios, and will be broadcast on Sky Documentaries and Now in the UK and other Sky territories including Germany later this year.
Macdonald says he “was shocked and outraged by the aggression, murder and wanton destruction of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
“I wanted to help in some small way – and making a documentary is the only way I have at my disposal,” said the director.
DocFest managing director Annabel Grundy noted that Macdonald attended the festival last year as a mentor for its Filmmaker Challenge, encouraging participants to take a creative and compassionate approach to their works. “With Klitschko: More Than A Fight we see his commitment to artistry and authenticity in equal measure,” said Grundy.
The festival will welcome US filmmaker Roger Ross Williams as its guest of honour for 2024. Ross Williams will present a curated programme of five social impact documentaries, and moderate a panel discussion with the filmmakers. He will also participate in an In Conversation talk about his career, in which he has made documentaries including The Apollo and best documentary Oscar nominee Life, Animated.
The centrepiece Channel 4 interview is with Anna Hall, the UK filmmaker behind Edge Of The City and recent title The Push.
The 2024 edition of DocFest will run from June 12-17. It will announce its theme for this year on Thursday, May 2, with the full public programme revealed on May 8, and the industry line-up on May 15.
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