Sheffield DocFest in Transition: Annabel Grundy Bids Farewell as Managing Director

Sheffield DocFest is on the hunt for a new managing director, as Annabel Grundy, the current helm-holder, prepares to bid farewell after two whirlwind years in the role. It’s almost like she’s been packing her bags for a delightful extended vacation, but in reality, she’s more like a party planner who just realized the confetti is still all over the floor.

Grundy joined this illustrious festival team back in December 2022, hailing from the BFI’s Global Screen Fund, as if she were the knight in shining armor for the documentary world. As managing director, she juggled business affairs, partnerships, fundraising, and all those things that make a festival tick while working side by side with the festival's creative director, Raul Niño Zambrano—a dynamic duo that surely turned a lot of heads and raised a lot of eyebrows.

As she prepares to slip away come late December, it's hard not to raise an eyebrow at the impressive growth under her watch. General admissions to the event swelled by a whopping 45%—yes, you read that right! It seems like the documentary-loving community had a revelation: “This is the place to be!” New festival strands were woven into the fabric of TV and audio, proving that documentary fluff is not just for the visual learners among us.

In her heartfelt statement to a sister site of *Screen*, Grundy expressed her immense pride in what she and her dedicated team achieved, as if they just sipped the perfect glass of wine after an exhausting day of orchestrating brilliance. She spoke about enhancing the festival’s internationalism, launching year-round programs in London and Rotherham, and, crucially, nurturing new queer voices in documentary directing, because why just tell stories when you can elevate voices too?

Grundy is set to conduct a smooth, phased handover with her successor, so there won’t be any awkward moments like tripping over the festival banner while fumbling through a pep talk. She’s leaving things in capable hands—a nice touch, really, considering the new chair designate, Anne Morrison, and the current chair, Alex Cooke, are standing by like seasoned lifeguards waiting to assist at the local pool.

The DocFest team is now casting its net for a Sheffield-based successor, someone who will take the reins and not just steer the ship but also chart a course for sustainability and strategic planning, ensuring that the festival's charitable objectives are met as seamlessly as a well-edited documentary. Here's to hoping they find someone who can keep the spotlight shining bright—or at least, from the right angle!