Irish Docs BURMA SOLDIER and ALIBI Officially Selected for Sheffield Doc Fest
The Irish feature documentary Burma Soldier, directed by Nic Dunlop, Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern, and the short documentary, Alibi, directed by Darren Bolger, have both been officially selected for this year's Sheffield Doc Fest which is due to take place from the 3rd- 7th November.
Burma Soldier follows soldier Myo Mint, whose stint in the Burmese army came to an end when an arm and leg were blown away whilst clearing mines. Discharged, he tries to educate himself illicitly through banned books, on why Burma was at war with itself. He soon became an outspoken activist; campaigning against the very regime he used to represent - a dangerous undertaking which soon led to brutal repercussions.
Produced by Julie LeBrocquy for LeBrocquy Fraser Productions and co-financed by the IFB, HBO and Sundance, this moving documentary premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh earlier this year where it won the runner up prize for Best Feature Documentary.
Alibi, the short documentary written and directed by Darren Bolger, feels like a physical map that leads you through a frozen landscape. In the terrain, a crime is revealed and through it the darker places of human nature must be dealt with. It is a map of hidden evidence and of human regret.
Produced by Caroline Campbell for Still Films with funding from the IFB Reality Bites scheme, Alibi premiered at the Corona Cork Film Festival last year and has since gone on to screen at a host of festivals including Edinburgh Film Festival, Jameson Dublin International Film Festival, Stranger Than Fiction Documentary Festival, Curtocircuito International Short Film Festival and the Galway Film Fleadh where it received an honorable mention for Best Short Documentary Award.
The Sheffield Doc Fest celebrates the art and business of documentary making for five intense days in November. Doc/Fest is a film festival, industry session programme and market place, offering pitching opportunities, controversial discussion panels and in-depth filmmaker masterclasses, as well as a wealth of inspirational documentary films from across the globe. Previous Irish documentaries to screen at the festival include the award-winning Seaview and Gabriel Byrne: Stories from Home.
The festival will take place from Wednesday 3rd - Sunday 7th November. For further information see official website http://sheffdocfest.com/