Two Irish Musical Documentaries to Screen at Sheffield DocFest 2022
Posted: 7th June 2022
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is delighted to congratulate Luke McManus, Kathryn Ferguson and the creative teams behind Irish films North Circular and Nothing Compares on their selection for the 2022 edition of Sheffield DocFest. The festival, which has just announced the official programme of its 29th edition, will run from June 23rd to 28th, and will screen a variety of world and UK premieres, classic documentaries and shorts programmes. Acclaimed Irish documentary such as I, Dolours, A Dog Called Money and School Life have found success at Sheffield DocFest's past editions.
Directed by Luke McManus, North Circular is a musical ode to Dublin’s North Circular Road, its inhabitants and its songs. Five years after screening the first work-in-progress screening of the history of the festival with The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid, the writer and director is back at Sheffield DocFest for the world premiere of his latest project.
Shot in black and white in the heart of Dublin, North Circular is produced by Elaine Gallagher, Luke McManus and Madhouse films, and was financed by the Arts Council as part of the Reel Arts scheme. It will screen three times on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as part of the ‘People & Community’ strand of the festival.
Belfast-born Kathryn Ferguson’s first feature documentary Nothing Compares focuses on five key years in the life and career of Sinéad O’Connor. After a successful world premiere at Sundance 2022, the film will have its UK premiere at Sheffield DocFest. The film is a co-production between Ireland and the United Kingdom, and counts amongst its producers Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie, Charlotte Cook, Lesley McKimm, Lucy Pullin, John Reynolds and Lisa Marie Russo.
Nothing Compares will screen three times throughout the course on Friday, Saturday and Monday as part of the ‘Rebellions’ strand of the festival. Showtime Documentary Films have acquired its rights for an international theatrical and online release later this year.
Screen Ireland is proud to support these projects over the course of the festival and represent Ireland during Sheffield DocFest’s flagship pitching forum, MeetMarket, during the last two days of the event. The event will be staged in person for the first time since 2019 and give 35 international documentaries the opportunity to be pitched in one-on-one meetings to international and UK experts and decision-makers. This will include two Irish projects, Ciaran Cassidy’s Housewife of the Year and Maurice O’Brien’s The Buddhists of Beara.
About Sheffield DocFest
Sheffield DocFest is the UK’s leading documentary festival and one of the world’s most influential markets for documentary projects. They champion and present the breadth of documentary form – film, television, immersive and art – in the vibrant city of Sheffield each June. This year the festival will screen 135 films, including 38 world premieres, 22 international premieres, 11 European premieres, and a variety of technologically innovative and immersive documentaries as part of its Alternative Realities programme. The festival will also host a wide range of industry events and talks over its course. More information on the full programme can be found here.