Sheffield Doc/Fest 2013, marking the festival's 20th anniversary, opened on June 11 with an extraordinary screening of The Big Melt, a creative collaboration between filmmaker Martin Wallace and musician Jarvis Cocker.

The screening was Martin Wallace's glorious montage created from a century's worth of the British Film Institute's archival footage about the City of Sheffield, accompanied by live musicians under the baton of Jarvis Cocker.

It was a truly grand event, and an inspiring tribute to Doc/Fest's host city -- the City of Steel.

Opening night's second offering was a screening of Nick Ryan's icy The Summit, about the tragic loss of life during a failed mountain climbing expedition on the treacherous K2. The screening of The Summit was in a huge cave on the outskirts of Sheffield. Everyone was advised to wear a warm coat!

And open night's third offering was a sold out screening of Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, a big-buzz documentary about the feminist punk rock band that's been imprisoned in Russia, with huge protests from fans worldwide.

That was for starters!

The program of films, panels and presentations was, in general, extraordinarily innovative and consistently top quality.

One highlight was the appearance of film industry icon Walter Murch, who generously shared his wide range of knowledge about movie making, cinema history and a wide range of other interests in a fascinating lecture, which was followed by an equally engaging Q&A.

This year's festival also offered filmmakers expanded opportunities to pitch projects to broadcasters and other industry decision makers.

After screenings of a record number of films attended by a record number of delegates and the general public, Sheffield Doc/Fest 2013 drew to a close on June 17, 2013, with the presentation of juried awards.

(PHOTO: Sheffield Doc/Fest Logo. Courtesy Sheffield Doc/Fest; Walter Murch at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2013. Credit Jennifer Merin).

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists, a nonprofit association of leading professional critics and feature writers who work in print, broadcast and online media in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, has presented four EDA Awards to women directors for their outstanding achievements in documentary filmmaking. Read more...

In Going Up The Stairs, Akram, a traditional Iranian wife and grandmother, discovered at the age of 50 that she was not only passionate about painting, but very good at it, too. Over the years, she has amassed a considerable collection of her canvasses in the second floor studio of her home in Tehran, and now she has the opportunity to exhibit her wonderfully colorful primitive paintings at a gallery in Paris. But will she be able to convince her grumpy, controlling husband to give her permission to go? Read my full review

(PHOTO: 'Going Up The Stairs' Poster Art. Courtesy Women Make Movies.).

A wonderfully inspiring documentary about Rafea, an illiterate Bedouin woman who ventures forth from her remote and impoverished village in Jordan, goes to India and trains to become a solar engineer. She defies her lazy husband and local tradition. finds a way to independently support herself and four daughters and transforms her town. Rafea rocks! Read my full review

(PHOTO: Rafea in 'Rafea: Solar Mama.' Courtesy Noujaim Films)