Stars out in force at Doc/Fest

Movers and shakers from the world of documentary film will descend on South Yorkshire next week for the Sheffield Doc/Fest, which, as ever, features offers a varied range of intriguing offerings.

Comedienne Joan Rivers will be the biggest name on show as she talks about her new film Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, while leading director Kevin Macdonald will be discussing his experimental project Life in a Day.

The Director-Editor Masterclass will be given by long-time collaborators Kim Longinotto and Ollie Huddleston, whose most recent work Pink Saris plays in the Special Jury Award section of film programme.

India's most renowned documentary filmmaker, Anand Patwardhan ,will give a career Masterclass to complement the focus of his work in the film programme which includes Bombay: Our City (1985), Father, Son and Holy War, (1995) and the 1996 production We Are Not Your Monkeys.

The five-day festival from November 3 to 7, which is expected to attract plenty of film fans as well as hundreds of key industry figures, will see several awards presented, including the Sheffield Special Jury, Innovation, Green, Youth Jury, Inspiration, International Student Doc, and Audience Awards.

All films are open to the public and a limited number of free standby tickets are available to students and senior citizens.

Some industry sessions and masterclasses will also be available to the public. Visit sheffdocfest.com for more details.