Film fun as JFK pioneer is Yorkshire Doc/Fest guest

Donn Alan ‘DA’ Pennebaker was a pioneer of cinéma vérité, using newly-developed portable film cameras to record Kennedy as he campaigned for the Democratic nomination in 1960, against rival Senator Hubert Humphrey.

His film, Primary, was the first time a presidential campaign had been observed at such close distance and foreshadowed the close scrutiny of the current US primaries, .

Pennebaker, now 90 and still working, is unveiled today as one of the guests at the annual six-day Doc/Fest, which begins in Sheffield on June 10.

An inspirational figure to today’s generation of film-makers, he achieved fame in his own right when he followed Bob Dylan on his 1965 tour of Britain. Later he also made documentaries with John Lennon and David Bowie.

Michael Moore, the American director of Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11, will open the festival with the UK premiere of his latest documentary, Where To Invade Next, along with a film making masterclass.

The closing event will be the British premiere of a new film by the actress Tilda Swinton about the art critic and novelist John Berger.

Other guests announced today include the actress-turned-documentarian Joanna Lumley, TV film maker Louis Theroux, and director Ken Loach, who made the fondly-remembered South Yorkshire drama, Kes.

Cricketer Andrew Flintoff will discuss his Sky TV series Flintoff: Lord of the Fries, and snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan will return to Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, home of some of his greatest triumphs, to discuss his career.

Doncaster-born film producer Mark Herbert, who produced Four Lions, Dead Man’s Shoes, and Peter Kay’s TV comedy Phoenix Nights, will be another high-profile guest at the festival, which will also feature a series of virtual reality exhibitions themed on artificial intelligence

It is the 23rd Doc/Fest to have been held in Sheffield. From small beginnings, the event has grown to be the biggest of its type and now attract the support of both the film and TV industries, drawing around 30,000 delegates and documentary enthusiasts. It also hosts events at which film makers can “pitch” ideas to commissioners in order to win finance.

Screenings and pubic talks will take place at Sheffield’s Showroom cinema and City Hall, as well as the Crucible.

Festival director Liz McIntyre said: “I am excited that the festival is book-ended by two incredible talents, Michael Moore and Tilda Swinton and I am thrilled to be welcoming such a wonderful cast of high profile speakers to Sheffield.”