DocLab Academy

The DocLab Academy is an international program for new talent in the field of documentary storytelling and interactive media. The five day program is held November 17-21 as part of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.

Digital technology has become increasingly entangled with everyday reality. The consequences are far-reaching, and at times alarming, but it has also lead to a new era of artistic innovation in non-fiction storytelling and art across multiple disciplines.

How do we tell an interactive story? What is the creative potential of new technologies such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence and interactive media? How do successful digital pioneers use the endless possibilities of the internet without getting lost? And how do you finance interactive documentaries, find the right partners, and reach your audience?

The DocLab Academy program addresses a variety of challenges and opportunities through exclusive workshops on virtual reality and interactive storytelling by international new media pioneers. Participants can receive portfolio reviews and one-on-one meetings to address more specific questions. There will also be plenty of time to network and reflect on each other’s work. Participants have access to relevant parts of IDFA’s other industry activities, a.o. IDFAcademy workshops and new media pitches at the Crossmedia Forum. Alongside the IDFA DocLab program, which includes Live Cinema Events and the Interactive Conference, the complete IDFA program is open to DocLab Academy participants.

Application for DocLab Academy 2017 is now open; you can find the application form in the 'Accreditations' section of MyIDFA. The deadline is September 4.

Who can participate
DocLab Academy can facilitate 25 (documentary) makers and new media professionals: 1/3 from The Netherlands, 1/3 from Flanders and 1/3 from other parts of the world.

Procedure
The online application form for DocLab Academy will be available from July 3.Deadline for submissions is September 4 at 23:59 hrs (CET). The selection of participants are announced early October. DocLab Academy takes place 17-21 November in Amsterdam.

Costs
Participating in DocLab Academy 2017 costs €230,-.

What we offer
Exclusively for DocLab Academy participants: 

• Access to masterclasses & workshops 
• Portfolio reviews & one-on-one meetings 
• Attendance of the IDFA Crossmedia Forum, the co-production and co-financing market for innovative non-linear projects 
• Networking opportunities 
• Access to IDFA Festival film screenings and industry events 
• Access to selected modules of the IDFAcademy program 

Additional access to the DocLab program: 

• IDFA DocLab Interactive Conference 
• IDFA DocLab Exhibition 
• IDFA DocLab Live Cinema Events 

For Flemish participants:

• 4 nights in Amsterdam during DocLab Academy

How to apply
Applications can be done by submitting the online form that is available through MyIDFA. Deadline for submissions is September 4 at 23:59 hrs (CET). The online form requires a MyIDFA account, for which you can register for free. Please note that existing MyIDFA accounts were migrated to our new website last February; for security reasons their passwords need to be reset. Existing users can set a new password through the 'forgot password' functionality during login.

Applications are in English and consist of: 

• Contact details 
• Short biography (max. 50 words) 
• Motivation (max. 100 words) 
• Description of your current or most recent new media project (max. 100 words), including a link to visual materials 
• Description of what you would like to learn and research in the field of interactive storytelling (max.100 words) 
• Links to three digital or interactive projects that inspire you 
• Link to online portfolio 
• Profile picture 

Selection
We will announce the selection of participants in early October.

DocLab Academy is an initiative of IDFA’s new media program DocLab and Flemish Arts Center De Brakke Grond. The program is supported by The Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF).

If you have any further questions, please contact us at doclabacademy@idfa.nl.