AUDIO: Oscar winners and sport icons coming to Sheffield Doc/Fest 2016

The Oscars glamour is coming to Yorkshire with a star-studded line up of Academy Award winners - including actress Tilda Swinton - to talk at this year's Sheffield Doc/Fest.
Oscar winner Tilda Swinton, right, a co-director of The Seasons in Quincy:Four Portraits of John BergerOscar winner Tilda Swinton, right, a co-director of The Seasons in Quincy:Four Portraits of John Berger
Oscar winner Tilda Swinton, right, a co-director of The Seasons in Quincy:Four Portraits of John Berger

Film makers Michael Moore, Lord David Puttnam and D. A. Pennebaker, who have all had their share of Oscars success, will also appear at the six day festival, from June 10 to 15..

Other big names - as part of the full programme line-up of speakers and screenings announced today - include Absolutely Fabulous TV star and now documentaries queen Joanna Lumley, Kes director Ken Loach, TV documentary star Louis Theroux, Doctor Who actor and presenter Reggie Yates, cricket legend Freddie Flintoff and Crucible snooker icon Ronnie O’Sullivan.

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Doncaster born film producer Mark Herbert, head of the Sheffield-based production company Warp Films, who studied at Sheffield Hallam University and went on to produced Four Lions, Dead Man's Shoes, and TV comedy Phoenix Nights, will be another highlight guest speaker.

Others include Chris Hegedus and Adam Buxton.

TICKETS: Buy for individual events, or a six-day festival wristband costs £65 (£55 concession), which includes ticket pre-selection available until May 31. For full details and timetable of events visit www.sheffdocfest.com or email [email protected]The 23rd Sheffield Doc/Fest, based at the city's Showroom cinema and other top city centre venues, including the Crucible and the City Hall, Bertha DocHouse Library Theatre, Odeon and Curzon Cinema, is again expected to attract 30,000 film makers and documentary fans.

It will showcase the best UK and international documentaries, along with a world-leading programme of interactive media, virtual reality exhibitions and talks. This year there is a particular focus on artificial intelligence - including an android - in Alternate Realities.

Academy Award winning Michael Moore will talk about his latest filmWhere To Invade NextAcademy Award winning Michael Moore will talk about his latest filmWhere To Invade Next
Academy Award winning Michael Moore will talk about his latest filmWhere To Invade Next
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In total it will screen 160 international and UK documentaries, 27 world premiers, 15 international, 19 European and 52 UK premiers.

Michael Moore, famed for his 2003 Oscar winning documentary Bowling for Columbine, about the high school massacre and challenging American gun law, will be a guest speaker for the opening night event at the City Hall, which will be transmitted live by satellite to 111 cinemas nationwide.

He will give The Channel 4 Interview with Ralph Lee, talking about Where To Invade Next and looking back over his hugely successful career.

The Festival closes at Showroom Cinema with The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger, attended by co-directors Bartek Dziadosz and Tilda Swinton - who won the 2007 Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Michael Clayton. She will soon be seen in latest Marvel blockbuster Doctor Strange.

Chariots Of Fire director Lord David Puttnam. Photo: Justine WalpoleChariots Of Fire director Lord David Puttnam. Photo: Justine Walpole
Chariots Of Fire director Lord David Puttnam. Photo: Justine Walpole
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An Alternate Realities: Interactive Exhibition at Millennium Gallery will show the work of virtual reality film-makers, including 14 immersive media projects, with something for all ages.

For the first time, the festival will create a bespoke space, the Doc/Fest Exchange on Tudor Square, designed by local award winning Sheffield architect Tony Broomhead, where audiences can drop in free for a schedule of talks and conversations with luminaries of the documentary world, supported by Wellcome Trust.

This year Doc/Fest is also providing a number of events with wider accessibility for a disabled audience - including British Sign Language interpreted talks (BSL); Closed Caption screenings (CCS) and Audio Described Screenings (ADS).

Liz McIntyre, CEO & Festival Director said: "We’re living through extraordinary, tumultuous and exhilarating times and this year’s Doc/Fest captures this zeitgeist across its three programmes: Film, Alternate Realities and the Talks & Sessions. I am excited that the Festival is bookended by two incredible talents, Michael Moore and Tilda Swinton,

Joanna LumleyJoanna Lumley
Joanna Lumley
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"I am utterly intrigued to hear the android Bina48 at the Alternate Reality Summit and experience the latest in Virtual Reality at Site Gallery, and I am thrilled to be welcoming such a wonderful cast of high profile speakers to Sheffield. I can’t wait for Doc/Lovers from Sheffield and beyond to come and be inspired by all that we are excited to offer."

Tickets can be bought for individual events, or a six-day festival wristband costs £65 (£55 concession), which includes ticket pre-selection available until May 31. For full details and timetable of events visit www.sheffdocfest.com or email [email protected]