Meet our 2024 DocFest Delegation
Ffilm Cymru Wales and BFI NETWORK Wales are taking five emerging documentary filmmakers to Sheffield DocFest this month.
The delegates were selected from an open call on the basis of their outstanding creative work and their ambitions to progress to feature documentary filmmaking. They will be attending the full duration of the festival to meet industry and immerse themselves in the various programmes, benefiting from one-to-one support from Ffilm Cymru Wales, BFI NETWORK Wales and DocFest.
The five filmmakers selected to go to Sheffield are:
Nan Davies
Nan Davies is a Welsh film producer whose award-winning shorts have screened at BAFTA and Academy Award qualifying festivals around the world. Before moving to film, she produced video content and TV commercials for brands including the BFI, Tesco and Swarovski. Her broadcast credits include Series Producer on Best Before, a non-scripted music series for Channel 4, and Development Producer on BBC Four’s Life Cinematic which profiled iconic filmmakers including Sofia Coppola. She studied film production at the New York Film Academy and has been selected for several talent programmes including BFI Insight, EIFF Talent Lab, Doc Society Producing Truth and is a BAFTA Connect member. She’s drawn to stories that examine contemporary social themes through unique and inspiring characters and is currently developing a slate of scripted and documentary features through her Cardiff-based company One Wave Films.
Craig Hooper
Craig Hooper is a journalist, documentary filmmaker, journalism trainer and media law specialist. He started his career in newspapers where he specialised in crime reporting before moving to ITV News. He then moved to ITV’s investigative documentary series Wales This Week as a producer and reporter. He left ITV to form music documentary production company Coolhead. He’s worked with Deep Purple, Saxon, Pavarotti, Metallica, Ghost, Benny Andersson and many others. Coolhead’s latest film, telling the turbulent story of forty years of the band Europe, is due for completion this summer. Alongside making documentaries, he also ran the Journalism course at the University of South Wales, which celebrates its 20th and final year in 2024. He also runs a Vampire Festival in Transylvania – the next one will be in the spring or summer of 2025.
Liam Martin
Through character led stories underpinned by a fascination with philosophy and the human condition, Liam's work aims to contribute to challenging conversations around mental health, identity, belonging, and our connection to the environment. His work has been shown at international film festivals, in galleries and museums, and through online platforms such as Vice and The Guardian. He is currently exploring concepts for a first feature length documentary.
Benjamin Shallcross
Benjamin Shallcross, an Assistant Producer originally from Pembrokeshire and now based in South London, has contributed his editorial expertise to notable projects for platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and the BBC. With a background primarily at Raw TV, Ben's work on acclaimed documentaries like American Nightmare and The Puppet Master, as well as ventures like Gold Rush in the Yukon, showcases his ability to craft compelling narratives. His upbringing in Pembroke instilled in him a deep appreciation for authenticity and cultural resonance, driving his passion for storytelling. He is eager to broaden his network and pursue his aspirations in the documentary industry.
Lily Tiger
Lily Tiger is an artist-filmmaker from west Wales. Taking inspiration from her rural upbringing, she approaches documentary as a vessel to engage with people’s archives, everyday stories and local environments. Her debut short film She Sells Shellfish has been screened at BAFTA qualifying film festivals including Aesthetica, FOCUS Wales (Celtic Film Award), as well as established galleries including Saatchi Gallery and MOMA Machynlleth. She is currently part of Baltic Analogue Lab's 4th Film School 2024. Alongside her own creative and directorial practice, she is a researcher and AP for fforest films based in Aberystwyth.
Sheffield DocFest
Sheffield DocFest is the UK’s leading documentary festival and one of the world’s most influential markets for documentary projects.
This year’s festival opens on 12th June with Kevin MacDonald’s Klitschko: More than a Fight, and features 109 films from around the world, an immersive Alternate Realities exhibition, and a live podcast with Michael Sheen.