Alex Thomas to support new generation of emerging talent at this year’s Sheffield DocFest

We are thrilled to report that Stern & Wild filmmaker Alex Thomas has been announced as the Guest Mentor for this year’s expanded Sheffield DocFest Filmmaker Challenge, following in the footsteps of world-renowned filmmakers Asif Kapadia, Waad Al-Kateab and Kevin Macdonald.

One of the highlights of the DocFest programme, the Filmmaker Challenge is a career development scheme offering emerging filmmakers the chance to each make a three-minute non-fiction film on the fly in response to the festival’s annual theme. Backed by Prime Video Pathways, this year’s outing will be the largest edition to date, supporting 12 filmmakers, twice the usual number, and reaching beyond Sheffield to support participants in Yorkshire, Cornwall and Wales. It includes a new three-day residential workshop for the filmmakers focusing on storytelling, production and distribution before filming begins.

BAFTA Breakthrough and double Grierson Award-winning director Alex said: "I’m really honoured to be part of this year’s Filmmaker Challenge. These kinds of opportunities, where emerging filmmakers are challenged to respond quickly, creatively, and with urgency, remind me of how I started, and of the many moments in our lives and careers when we’ve had to do the same. I’m looking forward to supporting each filmmaker as they shape their stories, and to learning from their perspectives too."

Alex’s recent directing credits include last year’s landmark three-part documentary series, the Grierson, RTS and Broadcast award-winning BIBAA & NICOLE: MURDER IN THE PARK (True Vision TV for Sky Documentaries) and the 2024 Emmy-nominated four-part series ERASED: WW2’s HEROES OF COLOUR (October Films and 22Summers for Nat Geo/Disney+). He is currently directing a feature documentary for the BBC on the life and legacy of murdered schoolboy Damilola Taylor, featuring John Boyega.

"Coming back to Sheffield as a mentor feels like a real full-circle moment for me,” he said. “I grew up just down the road in Swinton, and I know first-hand how much untapped talent exists outside of London. This challenge is about backing those voices – giving filmmakers the confidence, space and support to tell stories that matter. I’m excited to be part of that journey.”

The finished documentaries will be presented at a public screening at Sheffield DocFest on Saturday 13 June. To read more about Alex and this year’s cohort of talented new filmmakers, click here.

This year’s cohort: (left-right): top row - Alex Fish, Lucy M Mainstone, Cristián Saavedra, Liam Martin; middle row - Jashan Walton, Katrina Lehismäe, Keeley Lane, Lorraine Molloy; bottom row - Michael Kendrick Williams, Nick J Winchester, Olivia Hird, Vicky Morton