The IBF is funding a groundbreaking 21 projects, including 7 from Ukraine
The IDFA Bertha Fund is delighted to announce it has selected 14 projects for IBF Classic, with a total amount awarded of 235,000 euros. This round marks a particularly special one, as it supports an additional selection of Ukrainian documentary projects, for which the IBF secured extra funding earlier this year. With the support of the Open Society Foundation 7 Ukrainian projects were awarded a total of 122,500 euros. That totals a groundbreaking of 21 projects.
The selection
The IBF Classic selection is a true reflection of the concerns visible in societies worldwide. The selected projects delve into different ways power balances are being challenged, engaging with themes like the colonial past, politics and identity. The projects also underscore the difficulties and risks filmmakers are facing today, and the ways freedom of creative expression is increasingly under pressure. Five recipients cannot afford to disclose their projects to the public for their own safety, which tells us something about the industry's current precarious climate. The IBF’s appreciation therefore goes out to all submitted projects, which without exception are a testament to the filmmakers’ dedication to their craft as storytellers.
Special Ukraine selection
With that in mind, the IBF is grateful to the Open Society Foundation for taking timely action and facilitating support for additional Ukrainian documentary projects. As part of the grant and in conversation with the filmmaking team, the fund will also offer tailor-made support for the projects, starting with inviting all selected director-producer teams to attend IDFA 2022. Depending on the needs of the projects, filmmakers will participate in the different offerings for professionals at IDFA.
Selecting the Ukrainian projects proved to be a monumental task for the selection committee, as there was no exception to the urgency behind the submitted projects, nor to the resilience of those behind it.
Committee member and film producer Yulia Serdyukova: “I was humbled and deeply touched to have a glimpse of what my colleagues are working on at this tragic time. Once again, I saw how cinema becomes a tool for attempting to make sense of the reality that is falling apart.”
Fellow member and filmmaker Audrius Stonys: "The stories of Ukrainian filmmakers are the most real and authentic historical documents. It is amazing how many important, emotional, dramatic stories are waiting to be told. We discovered so many outstanding talented documentary filmmakers!”
Producer Anna Gawlita: “I am not naïve to believe that films can change the world, but I do believe that they can help one get through difficult times in life. It is my deepest hope that the films we selected will not only gain by being supported, but by being made, can become a source of support and for viewers.”
Selection committee
IBF Classic:
Adrian Kawaley-Lathan (Creative Director Bertha Foundation), Jia Zhao (Producer), Alexandra Galvis (Producer and Distributor), Tala Hadid (Filmmaker), Isabel Arrate Fernandez (Deputy Director, IDFA & Managing Director, IDFA Bertha Fund).
IBF Classic Ukraine Support:
Audrius Stonys (Filmmaker), Yulia Serdyukova (Producer and Photographer), Anna Gawlita (Producer), Isabel Arrate Fernandez (Deputy Director, IDFA & Managing Director, IDFA Bertha Fund).
Projects selected
IBF Classic – Development:
Dreams and Sleeplessness Before Dawn in the Nineties, dir. Raydel Araoz (Cuba)
Fair-Home Fairy-Tales, dir. Sourav Sarangi (India)
The Native Dance, dir. Alaa Eldin el Dajani (Egypt)
Our Seeds, dir. Erhan Arik (Turkey)
Anonymous, dir. Anonymous (Anonymous)
Anonymous, dir. Anonymous (Anonymous)
IBF Classic – Production & Post-production:
The Businessman, dir. Germán Scelso (Argentina)
Cinema Kawakeb, dir. Mahmoud Massad (Jordan)
Germano Black Society, dir. Everlane Moraes (Brazil)
Grounded, dir. Simón Uribe Martínez (Colombia)
Light Memories, dir. Misha Vallejo Prut (Ecuador)
Anonymous, dir. Anonymous (Anonymous)
Anonymous, dir. Anonymous (Anonymous)
Anonymous, dir. Anonymous (Anonymous)
IBF Classic Ukraine Support – Development:
The Days I Would Like to Forget, dir. Alina Gorlova, Maksym Nakonechnyi, Yelizaveta Smith, Simon Mozgovyi (Ukraine)
Red Zone, dir. Iryna Tsilyk (Ukraine)
Ashes Settling in Layers on the Surface, dir. Zoia Laktionova (Ukraine)
IBF Classic Ukraine Support – Production & Post-production:
Dad's Lullaby, dir. Lesia Diak (Ukraine)
Expedition 49, dir. Alisa Kovalenko (Ukraine)
Fragments of Ice, dir. Maria Stoianova (Ukraine)
A Picture to Remember, dir. Olga Chernykh (Ukraine)
Upcoming deadlines
The IBF Classic grant will open for submissions again at the end of October, with the next application deadline on December 10. More details are forthcoming. Learn more about the funding category here.
Cover photo: still from Light Memories, by Misha Vallejo Prut.
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