Daisy Asquith’s “Queerama” will open the 2017 Sheffield Doc/Fest, Women in Film and Television UK reports. Created with material from the BFI National Archive, the doc was made to mark the 50 years that have passed since Britain’s Sexual Offences Act decriminalized private homosexual acts. “Queerama” “captures the relationships, desires, fears, and expressions of gay men and women starting in 1919,” the source summarizes.
“We’re stepping into the early scenes of a tragicomic new world story. This year at Doc/Fest we have our most urgent and loudest call to action to join the groundswell movements of Resistance & Change where we celebrate those who disobey and resist to shape the future global narrative,” commented Sheffield Doc/Fest CEO and Festival Director Liz McIntyre.
Asquith’s previous credits include docs “After the Dance,” an investigation into a family secret in Ireland, and “Britain’s Holocaust Survivors,” a portrait of those who have first-hand memories of the atrocities of WWII.
Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson” was named the grand prize winner of the 2016 Sheffield Doc/Fest. The documentary is a curated collection of footage that Johnson assembled over her 20-year career in the industry, working primarily as a cinematographer.
Launched in 1994, Sheffield Doc/Fest is among the largest documentary film festivals worldwide. This year’s edition runs from June 9–14.
