Category Archives: THE DEBUTANT

The Debutant News is your premier source for the latest updates on creative debuts and releases in the entertainment industry. Get news, releases, and more from around the world, with a special focus on Africa and Nigeria.

World Premiere of CUBA & ALASKA at Sheffield DocFest

2Brave Productions, TAG Film, Clin d’Oeil Film will have the World Premiere of their documentary CUBA & ALASKA at Sheffield Documentary Festival.

A raw and intimate profile of two Ukrainian Medics from the frontlines of the war, CUBA & ALASKA captures the funny, the arcane, the painfully tragic and surprisingly warm healing that make up a soldier’s emotional journey during wartime.

Body cams, cell phones, and the interviewer’s camera fill in the story between the constant danger, bouts of survivors’ guilt, and a longing to ‘go back’ – to return to the life they had when dreams were still possible.

Fueled by the enormously contagious laughter from Cuba, and the dark black humor of Alaska, the two best friends face down the unknown together with a warrior fierceness befitting Thelma & Louise.

Screenings in Sheffield:

World Premiere Day 1

Date: Thu 19 June

Time: 18:15

Venue: Showroom – Screen 4

Followed by a conversation with director Yegor Troyanovsky, protagonists Cuba and Alaska, and editor Joelle Alexis. Moderated by Alexandre Marionneau.

World Premiere Day 2

Date: Sat 21 June

Time: 10:15

Venue: The Light – Screen 9

Followed by a Q&A with director Yegor Troyanovsky, and protagonists Cuba and Alaska.

A film by Yegor Troyanovsky with YULIA “CUBA” & OLEXANDRA “ALASKA” Produced by OLHA BREGMAN, CHRISTIAN POPP, HANNE PHLYPO editing JOËLLE ALEXIS cinematography SERHIY STETSENKO, YEGOR TROYANOVSKY, VIACHESLAV TSVIETKOV,YEVHENIIA BONDARENKO, FRANÇOIS CHAMBE original score FREDERIK VAN DE MOORTEL sound edit & design LUDOVIC VAN PACHTERBEKE, LAURENT MARTIN mix LUCIEN RICHARDSON sound recording ANDRII NIDZELSKYI, XENIA VYNOGRADOVA associate production NATALIA LIBET, ENRICA CAPRA production management OLENA SAVCHENKO, NATHALIE VALLET, ELKE HERTOGS post supervision ANTOINE VERMEESCH grading THOMAS BOUFFIOULX vfx MANON MARTIN graphic design ROMAIN RIHOUX trailer THE PASTRY SHOP poster STUDIO DAOUDI

in co-production with ARTE FRANCE, VRT, RTBF, SUSPILNE UKRAINEČESKÁ TELEVIZE, SHELTER PROD

with the support of EURIMAGES CO-PRODUCTION & FILM MARKETING AND AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT, TAX SHELTER OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF BELGIUM, TAXSHELTER.BE & ING, IDFA BERTHA FUND, CREATIVE EUROPE PROGRAMME CO-FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION, FLANDERS AUDIOVISUAL FUND (VAF), INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SUPPORT (IMS), PROCIREP – SOCIÉTÉ DES PRODUCTEURS, L’ANGOA, UKRAINIAN INSTITUTE, FILMBOOST BY DEUTSCHE FILMAKADEMIE, GÖTEBURG FILM FUND, SABAM

PARA VIVIR, The Implacable Times of Pablo Milanés International Premiere at Sheffield DocFest

The international premiere of the film PARA VIVIR, The Implacable Times of Pablo Milanés – a Mexico–Spain–U.S.A. co production –will premiere at Sheffield DocFest.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director, Fabien Pisani. The producer Carlos Sosa and Director Fabien Pisani will be attending the festival from June 20 to 22, 2025.

People around the world revere the unmistakable voice and music of Pablo Milanés, yet few know the extraordinary story of how he became a symbol of an entire generation in Cuba and across Latin America. Through an intimate dialogue with his dying father, a son weaves a portrait of the man, the artist, and the complex era he both reflected and shaped with his songs.

“A deeply personal portrait of Cuban music icon Pablo Milanés, captured in self-imposed exile during his final years.” — Sheffield DocFest 2025

Screenings

Day 1

Date: Saturday, June 21.

Time: 17:45–19:51

Venue: The Light – Screen 6

Day 2

Date: Sunday, June 22

Time: 13:15–15:21

Venue: Showroom – Screen 1

For tickets and more information, please visit: http://sheffdocfest.com/film/para-vivir-implacable-times-pablo-milanes

World Premiere of Comparsa at Sheffield DocFest

If you are a lover of fast and future film, this is one you do not want to miss out on.

Directors, Vickie Curtis and Doug Anderson will be holding the world premiere of their documentary Comparsa, at Sheffield Documentary Festival.

Comparsa is an intimate portrait of sisters Lesli and Lupe, who ignite a luminous rebellion using a powerful mix of strategy, circus, and art to heal from violence and build a louder peace

Meet the creative team, including subject-collaborators, Lesli and Lupe at the world premiere and keep a lookout for some circus magic popping up around Sheffield this year.

Screenings

June 21 @ 8:45pm | June 22 @ 12:45pm

Grab Your Tickets https://www.sheffdocfest.com/film/comparsa

Visit http://www.comparsafilm.com/ for more details.

COLOSAL Showing at Sheffield Doc Fest,

A feature documentary directed by Nayibe Tavares-Abel and produced by Dominican producer, Lei González in the Dominican Republic, Colosal will be showing at Sheffield Documentary Festival.

It already had it’s world premiere at Berlinale’s FORUM 2025, and has continued its festival journey as an official selection in:

Hot Docs 2025 – Tipping Point (North American Premiere)

Cinéma du Réel – Front(s) Populaire(s) (Paris Premiere)

And is now nominated for the Tim Hetherington Award at Sheffield Doc/Fest

Don’t miss your chance of experiencing this deeply personal and political film exploring the Dominican Republic’s democratic history through the director’s eyes, Nayibe Tavares-Abel, whose family’s history has been intertwined with that of the country.

These themes are especially meaningful and important today, and we are more than glad to share this impactful story on the international stage.

SHEFFIELD DOCFEST SCREENINGS

Wednesday, June 18 — 16:00–17:36 | Showroom – Screen 1

Thursday, June 19 — 12:45–14:06 | Curzon – Screen 2

Friday, June 20 — 21:00–22:36 | Showroom – Screen 2

Info: https://www.sheffdocfest.com/film/colossal

Sheffield DocFest | Hot Docs Winner ‘Unwelcomed’ Comes to Sheffield

Unwelcomed—a powerful and timely documentary exploring migration and identity—has been officially selected for the Sheffield Doc Festival. This milestone follows the film’s Emerging Filmmaker Award win at HotDocs and its upcoming selection at Sydney DocFest, marking Unwelcomed as one of the most exciting documentaries on the circuit right now.

An epic journey over the Andes and into Chile structures this eye-opening documentary, which walks alongside the people at the heart of the Venezuelan migrant crisis. Winner of a major award at Hot Docs 2025. Directors Sebastián González Mendez and Amílcar Infante walk alongside these refugees – some of the millions fleeing their home country in what has become one of the largest ongoing migration crises in the world. In 2021, an unprecedented number of Venezuelans flocked south to Chile – many on foot. It’s a perilous journey of thousands of kilometres, across the arid, icy Andes and the Atacama Desert. This influx sparked a violent reaction among some in Iquique, in northern Chile, with migrants’ belongings set on fire. Porting between the protest’s epicentre and a birds-eye-view of the beautiful but hostile terrain, Unwelcomed is anchored in the grief, determination, and spirituality of the migrants.

In recent years, Chile witnessed a violent anti-immigrant protest, sparked by an unprecedented influx of Venezuelan migrants fleeing one of the world’s largest migration crises. Nearly 8 million have left their country, many enduring long treks to the Andean Highlands and Atacama Desert—only to face hostility. Determined to defend their way of life, locals responded with violence, as police stood by. Through striking visuals and firsthand accounts, this story reveals a stark truth: hope is met with fear, and the right to a new beginning is under threat.

🎬 Sheffield Screening

Fri, Jun 20th, 15:45 @ Curzon – Screen 1

Sun, Jun 22nd, 18:15 @ The Light – Screen 6

BOOK Here & More Info Unwelcomed – https://www.jambikadocs.com/films/unwelcomed