Claire Aguilar, Sheffield Docs, UK

CLAIRE AGUILAR is Director of Programming & Industry Engagement for Sheffield Doc/Fest, one of the leading showcases of documentary films and digital media in the world. She is the programmer for the festival and is responsible for industry training and mentoring. Prior to Sheffield, she served as funder and co-producer for independent filmmakers and public media at the Independent Television Service (ITVS). She has commissioned programming from the global community of independent producers, and has curated for the PBS series “Independent Lens”. She has served as a programming consultant, advisor and jury member for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, STEPS, Firelight Media, IDFA, Visions du Réel, Eurodoc, WGBH, the Pew Fellowships in the Arts and many other media organizations. A second- generation Filipina American, she has a BA in Communications Studies and MA in Film and Television Studies from UCLA. She serves on the boards of Women Make Movies, EDN (European Documentary Network) and Firelight Media.


Company Profile

Sheffield Doc/Fest is a world leading and the UK’s premier documentary festival, celebrating the art and business of documentary.
We’re a hub for all documentary and factual content across all platforms, from feature length to shorts, and including interactive and virtual reality projects.

The Festival comprises:
 Film programme for the very best international documentaries;
 Marketplace for international business;
 Talks & Sessions to inspire, inform and debate;
 Alternate Realities for digital and interactive innovation.
Every year, we’re proud to connect thousands of creatives in a nurturing environment, resulting in the discovery of new talent, new collaborations and new commissions for cinema, television and online.
The Sheffield Doc/Fest film programme offers filmmakers an essential platform to launch their films at one of world’s leading documentary festivals, and allows audiences to experience these first through World, European and UK premieres.
The Festival screens 150 films – features and shorts – with the 2015 programme featuring documentaries from the UK, Europe, North America, Asia, Latin America, and Africa, with close to 50% of screened films directed and/or produced by women.

Sheffield Doc/Fest looks to push the boundaries of documentary through a carefully curated programme that responds to hot topics, sets trends and sparks debate. The Festival invites attendees to witness windows into other people’s worlds and to meet the makers – the big names both on screen and behind the camera.