The Coral documentary to premiere at Sheffield Doc Fest this month

The creatively immersive new documentary about The Coral’s early years premieres at Sheffield Doc Fest 2025, with unseen footage, animations, and a live Q&A.

Skiddle Staff

Last updated: 4th Jun 2025

A brand-new documentary exploring the origin story of Liverpudlian indie icons The Coral will premiere at this year's edition of Sheffield Doc Fest, a world-first screening, on Saturday, 21st June. 

Told in the band’s own words, Dreaming of You: The Making of The Coral charts their transformation from six teenage dreamers in Hoylake to one of Britain’s most influential indie bands. With animation, archive footage, and surrealist flair, it’s a fuzzy, fever-dream celebration of friendship, creativity, and life in the Merseyside music scene.

Want a sneak peek at The Coral's story in motion? Watch the trailer for the documentary - HERE

 

Featuring appearances from The Lightning Seeds, The Zutons and Tramp Attack, the film captures The Coral’s rise through Liverpool’s early 2000s Bandwagon scene, soundtracked by their sun-baked psychedelia and unmistakable Mersey charm.

Plus, those heading to the premiere on Saturday 21st can look forward to an extended Q&A with director James Slater and The Coral themselves - a rare chance to hear the full story straight from the source.

“If you’re going to tell the story of The Coral, then it would be about growing up. An adventure that led to an album.” Nick Power, The Coral

For director James Slater, the creative direction for the film was as important as the story itself, speaking on this, James said: "I wanted Dreaming of You to be an immersive experience - one that transports us back to Northwest England in the late ’90s and early 2000s.

"The visual aesthetic of the film is further enhanced by the formats used to shoot both the GVs and reconstructions - Mini DV, Hi-8, 16mm, and 8mm - all mediums that were used to document the band at the time. This rich visual tapestry is accompanied not only by the band’s musical archive but also by a layered sound design that further immerses us in the era, embedding us deeply within the time and place."

On celebrating the World Premiere at Sheffield Doc Fest, director James Slater also commented: "It’s an honour to be part of Sheffield DocFest, especially alongside such an incredible line-up of films. Dreaming of You is a northern coming-of-age story at heart, so it feels especially fitting for the journey to begin here...".

 


 

Want to be the first to see The Coral's rise documented for the first time? Grab tickets for the premiere screening (which also features a live Q&A with the director and band) by clicking or tapping - HERE

 


 

Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.

 

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