Sheffield DocFest is the UK’s leading documentary festival and one of the world’s most influential markets for documentary projects. We champion and present the breadth of documentary form – film, television, immersive and art – in the vibrant city of Sheffield each June. We offer makers and audiences a place for inspiration, debate, development, learning and challenge. Our programming represents our core values – creativity, empathy, freedom, inclusivity and internationalism.
Review each of the activities of the Market.
Mercado de Sheffield DocFest
The FEST - Pitching Forum is part of the FEST New Directors | New Films Festival, taking place from June 21-29, 2025, in Espinho, Portugal. It invites film, short film, and series projects at any stage of development, from concept to post-production. Selected projects receive training and feedback, with pitching opportunities for international funding and co-productions. The forum includes two phases: workshops from June 24-26 to prepare participants for pitching and final pitch sessions on June 27-28. Projects compete for various prizes and have access to industry professionals. The deadline for submission is April 7, 2025.
Review official bases.
FEST — Pitching Forum
ALGA Residency is open to filmmakers and audiovisual professionals from Ibero-America, Spain, and Portugal. It supports feature films and series in development, of any genre or format, including fiction, documentary, and experimental. The residency lasts 4 weeks, from August 18 to September 14, 2025, in Valdivia, Chile. Participants will receive mentorship, accommodation, internal transport, and a stipend (400,000 CLP), with 500 USD for international travel.
Applications are open until April 24, 2025, with a registration fee of 25,000 CLP or 25 USD. Selected projects will be announced on June 15, 2025.
Review official rules.
Residencia Alga
During the workshop, the initial idea and motivation, point of view, narrative structure and creative vision of the projects under development will be worked on, with the aim of promoting their insertion in the national and international market. One of IndieLab's priorities is to work on projects whose characters or themes belong to or are related in some way to diverse/minority identity groups, in order to foster dialogues about inclusion and a better representation of these characters in the cinema.
Review official rules.
Indie Lab - Industry
DocuLab: Documentary Lab is an industry program of the Guadalajara International Film Festival, aimed at promoting the development of Ibero-American filmmakers and their documentary films in the editing stage, through in-depth analysis and discussions with experts in the genre.
For its fourteenth edition, DocuLab returns in person, continuing its role as a fundamental training space for the non-fiction genre in Ibero-America.
Review official rules.
DOCULAB: DOCUMENTARY LAB - FICG