Hope Is a Word: a DocFest Experience

Once again in 2026, The Writers Workshop secured a special discount for a selection of literary screenings at Sheffield DocFest - the UK’s longest-running and largest documentary festival. We asked one member to tell us about her experience attending DocFest for the first time.

Hope is a Word - A Documentary That Lives Up to Its Name

by Ayesha

In a world overflowing with Netflix series and Disney+ recommendations, I’ll admit that I don’t watch many documentaries. When I do sit down for one, I hope for it to achieve at least one of three things: educate me, inspire me, or make me want to join the fight for a cause. Hope is a Word managed to do all three.

The documentary follows poet and environmental activist Nnimmo Bassey, who has spent decades challenging oil extraction in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. For generations, oil production has poisoned the land, fractured communities, and fuelled violence across the region. Faced with a new generation carrying both fears and hopes for the future, Bassey began inviting young people to write alongside him.

What started as a series of writing workshops evolved into a year-long creative journey, developed in collaboration with director Maria Galliani Dyrvik and producer Anita Ved. The result is Hope is a Word (2026), a documentary that blends activism, poetry, and community storytelling into something deeply moving.

Featuring poetry from Nnimmo Bassey, Barinedum Cecilia Mbee, Ukpono Bassey, and Odudu-Abasi Asuquo, the film is both an act of love and an act of resistance - not only for the Niger Delta, but for anyone who believes in the power of collective action.

What struck me most was the film’s reminder that words hold power. Watching these poets and activists use language as a tool for resistance made me more conscious of the words I choose to put on paper myself. In a time when so much communication feels disposable, Hope is a Word demonstrates how language can preserve memory, build community, and challenge injustice.

The documentary clearly resonated with audiences at this year’s Sheffield DocFest, where all three screenings sold out completely. After watching it, that comes as no surprise.

Hope is a Word is more than a documentary - it’s a testament to the idea that hope is not passive. It is something we create, nurture, and fight for together.

Hope is a Word - film poster