In an increasingly busy VR festival circuit, the annual Sheffield Doc/Fest has long stood out for its focused look at immersive documentary making. In fact, last year’s showing topped even E3. The 2019 edition looks to be no different.
Sheffield Doc/Fest returns to the UK city on June 6 with a slate of immersive projects. The show’s Alternate Realities section continues to integrate non-VR projects this year, but there’s plenty for headset fans to look forward to. For starters, Sheffield Hallam University’s Performance Lab will host a VR cinema showcasing 12 360 degree films. These include Potato Dreams, which follows the story of a young boy growing up as a homosexual in the Soviet Union.
Other projects include some of the best picks from other recent festivals. VR City’s fantastic Common Ground, which charts the story of a London social housing block, will feature as will SXSW installation, The Atomic Tree. Felix and Paul’s recent Sundance project, Traveling While Black, will also make an appearance. All in all it looks to be another strong showing of how VR and other technologies are pushing documentaries forward.
Half of the 28 of this year’s Alternate Realities projects were made by women. The Alternate Realities Talent Market, meanwhile, will host 25 teams pitching creative projects in an effort to inspire collaboration.
As always, the festival’s immersive efforts are bolstered by a day of talks and showcases at the Alternate Realities Summit. This year it’s being held on June 9 and will host the likes of Google Creative Lab creative director, Tea Uglow.
Doc/Fest 2019 will run from June 6 – 11. You can grab tickets here.
