FAQ: Submitting your interactive/immersive project

IDFA welcomes entries of all sorts of non-fiction artworks that use emerging media to represent reality, including web experiences, digital art, games, audio experiences, immersive experiences (such as VR/AR/MR, social VR, and fulldome films), physical installations, live performances and immersive theater. For film submissions to IDFA, please go to the separate FAQ page on how to submit your film.

Submission of an interactive/immersive project

1. What types of projects can I submit to IDFA DocLab?
2. What types of projects can I submit to IDFA on Stage?
3. How can I submit my project?
4. Can I submit a work in progress?
5. I made a mistake on my entry form. Can I get back in to change it?
6. What is the difference between world, international, European, and Dutch premieres?
7. What program section is my project eligible for?
8. I submitted a project. What happens next?
9. Who will assess my project?
10. How and when will I find out if my work is selected?
11. What materials do I need to provide if my work is selected?
12. If selected, how will my work be presented at the festival?
13. Will I be invited to attend the festival?

Payment

14. Do you charge an entry fee?
15. Why do you charge an entry fee?
16. How can I pay for the entry fee?
17. What do I do if I can't use one of the provided payment methods?
18. Do I have to pay before a certain date?
19. How can I become eligible for a discount code?
20. I already paid but I want to withdraw my submission. Can I get a refund?
21. I get an error when I attempt to pay the fee. What should I do?
22. I submitted my form and tried to continue to the payment page, but the page does not open or I see a blank page. What do I do?
23. Should I expect a confirmation e-mail that my payment went through?
24. My project is being made with support from the IDFA Bertha Fund. Do I still have to pay the entry fee?
25. My project was presented at the IDFA DocLab Forum in 2022. Do I still have to pay the entry fee?
26. My bank statement shows a payment made to a company called Adyen. Is this the payment to IDFA?
27. Do I need to pay VAT?
28. I shouldn't have to pay VAT since my company is based in the EU, but I am charged with VAT in the payment page anyway. What do I do?

Submission of an interactive/immersive new media project

1. What types of projects can I submit to IDFA DocLab? 
IDFA DocLab is open to all sorts of non-fiction artworks that use emerging media to represent reality, including web experiences, digital art, games, audio experiences, immersive experiences (such as VR/AR/MR, social VR and fulldome films), physical installations, live performances and immersive theater. The IDFA DocLab program and competitions are open to unreleased projects, as well as projects that have been made publicly available on the internet after July 1, 2022. Priority is given to projects that have not yet been presented at other events or festivals. For reference, see the IDFA DocLab page or IDFA entry regulations.

2. What types of projects can I submit to IDFA on Stage? 
IDFA on Stage is a highly selective program of unique live events in which we explore the space between documentary film and performing arts. IDFA on Stage is open to live events/performances that combine documentary film elements with music, theater, dance, new media, etc. (e.g. Live Cinema projects, Experiential Cinema projects, Immersive Theater). Priority is given to projects that have not yet been presented at other events or festivals.  IDFA on Stage is a non-competitive program.

3. How can I submit my project?
Please go to  MyIDFA  in order to submit the online entry form and pay the entry fee. Please provide us with the appropriate viewing materials via a (password protected) streaming/download link or by uploading supporting documentation. We can preview interactive/immersive projects on most platforms and devices, such as MAC, PC, iOS, Android, Oculus, VIVE, Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, etc. We can also consider projects made for other platforms, devices, and VR/AR headsets. For projects using custom platforms or devices, please specify what’s required in the online entry form.

For performances, installations, or projects that cannot be sent digitally, please provide extensive visual and written documentation. For instance, description of the audience experience, platform(s) used, script, score, installation design, or any other relevant (production) details to showcase the work.

4. Can I submit a work in progress? 
We do not select unfinished projects, but do recognize that at the time of submission your project might not be finalized. Although we strongly prefer to be sent final versions, we do accept works in progress for viewing purposes. If your project is a work in progress at time of submission, please provide extensive visual and written documentation, including the date the final version will be ready as well as the contact details of the person providing it. Please note that we will not consider multiple iterations of the same work.

5. I made a mistake in my entry form. Can I get back in to change it? 
Once you have submitted an entry form, you can no longer change it yourself. Please send an e-mail to  doclab@idfa.nl, and we will make your changes in the database.

6. What is the difference between world, international, European, and Dutch premieres?
- World premiere: the first presentation ever.
- International premiere: the first presentation of a project outside the country of production. Your project is eligible for international premiere status if, prior to IDFA, the project has only been presented in its home country. Example: a Canadian project that has only been showcased in Canada is eligible for an international premiere at IDFA.
- European premiere: the first presentation in Europe. Your project is eligible for European premiere status if, prior to IDFA, the project has been presented outside the country of production but not yet in Europe. Example: a Chinese project that has been showcased in China and the United States is eligible for a European premiere at IDFA.
- Dutch premiere: the first presentation in the Netherlands.

7. What program section is my project eligible for?
IDFA's new media and performance programming consists of several competitve and non-competitive program sections. Submitted immersive/interactive and performance projects will be considered for:

(1) the IDFA DocLab competition program
(2) our physical festival exhibition
(3) our live events program
(4) our online and virtual exhibition program
(5) IDFA on Stage

Project submissions may be eligible for several sections. In case of selection, IDFA’s artistic director, supported by the programming team, will decide which section(s) a project is invited for. Projects selected for the competition program are eligible for one of this year's IDFA DocLab Awards. In total, €15,000 will be distributed among the winners to celebrate artistic excellence across immersive art, digital art, and interdisciplinary installations and performance.

8. I submitted a project. What happens next? 
The deadline for immersive/interactive and performance submissions is Tuesday, June 27, 2022. Communication regarding submitted projects will be sent by email to the main contact as indicated in the entry form. You will receive an automated e-mail including a copy of the filled-out entry form after submitting the form. In case you did not receive confirmation, please check your spam folder.

Once the payment has been received and the entry is processed, you will receive another e-mail confirming receipt of your entry.

9. Who will assess my project?
All submissions will be reviewed thoroughly and carefully by our team of international program advisors. These experts from around the world join in the discussion and give their recommendations, followed by a final round of selection and production checks by the IDFA DocLab curatorial team. The selection process is overseen by IDFA’s artistic director.

10. How and when will I find out if my work is selected? 
Creators who submitted their immersive/interactive/performance project by the final deadline of June 27 will be informed that their project is selected, still in consideration, or not selected by the end of August. All final decisions will be communicated no later than Friday, September 29, 2023. We will do this by emailing the main contact indicated in your entry form.

11. What materials do I need to provide when my project is selected? 
Once your project is selected, you may use the relevant IDFA laurel for publicity purposes. These files will be sent to you in digital form.

You will be asked to provide us the following:
- Stills (jpeg, high resolution, at least 5Mb each)
- Separate electronic press kit (EPK) 
- A high-res video file of the trailer (if available)
- Any of the required materials to present your project properly at the festival. This could be the link to a website, the final build of a VR project/game, or the pieces of an installation. Exact materials to be decided with the exhibition production team.

12. If selected, how will my work be presented at the festival? 
If selected, your work will be considered for the IDFA DocLab competition program. Your work will be showcased as part of the annual IDFA DocLab festival exhibition and/or our live events program, and/or IDFA on Stage.

13. Will I be invited to attend the festival? 
IDFA invites everyone to attend the festival and represent their project. The director/main creator of a project selected for IDFA DocLab or IDFA on Stage will receive free festival accreditation. Anyone who wants to attend the festival must fill out an accreditation form via MyIDFA. The festival will do its utmost to provide free hotel accommodation and offer help with travel expenses for creators not based in the Netherlands and whose project has been selected for the IDFA DocLab program. After selection, IDFA’s Guest Services department will inform you about all guest arrangements.

Payment

14. Do you charge an entry fee?
Yes we do. To submit an interactive/immersive new media project or a performance, the entry fee is €50. The entry fee for students is €20 (this is automatically calculated when filling in the entry form). All official partners of the IDFA DocLab R&D Program will receive fee waivers as part of the existing contract. If the main country (or countries) of production is on the IBF country list please write to doclab@idfa.nl to request a fee waiver. or if the project has been presented at the IDFA DocLab Forum in the past, you are also eligible for a fee waver. If the project was pitched at a previous edition of the IDFA Forum, please contact the Forum team for more information at forum@idfa.nl.

15. Why do you charge an entry fee?
IDFA greatly appreciates your submissions, and we sincerely hope that you see IDFA as a valuable launch pad for your project. Unfortunately, we have to charge a fee for each submission. This fee will cover the processing, careful viewing, and reviewing of your project.

16. How can I pay for the entry fee?
After submitting the entry form in MyIDFA, you will be redirected to the payment page. Payments are handled by Adyen. We are offering the following methods to pay the entry fee:

i. Credit cards: MasterCard, VISA, and American Express
ii. iDEAL (for entries submitted from the Netherlands)

17. What do I do if I can’t use one of the provided payment methods?
If you don’t have the ability to use one of the above methods of payment, please send an e-mail to program@idfa.nl.

18. Do I have to pay before a certain date?
Payment should take place as quickly as possible and within two weeks after the submission of our online entry form. Entries will not be processed and taken into consideration until your payment has been received. Entries cannot be taken into consideration if the payments are completed after our final entry deadline.

19. How can I become eligible for a discount code?
If the film's main country (or countries) of production is on the IBF country list, or the project has been presented at a previous edition of the IDFA DocLab Forum, it is eligible for a fee waiver based on IDFA's discretion. IDFA also offers a discount for students. Requests can be made by sending an email to doclab@idfa.nl.

20. I already paid but I want to withdraw my submission. Can I get a refund?
Unfortunately, we apply a no-refund policy.

21. I get an error when I attempt to pay the fee. What should I do?
If you get an error while trying to pay, please send an e-mail to program@idfa.nl.

22. I submitted my form and tried to continue to the payment page, but the page does not open or I see a blank page. What do I do?
In order to solve the problem, we advise you to open the page in Google Chrome and make sure to pause all ad blockers that may be running on the page. If the problem persists, please send an e-mail to program@idfa.nl.

23. Should I expect a confirmation e-mail that my payment went through? If your payment was successful, the payment page will state this. You will receive a confirmation by email after your submitted entry form has been processed by IDFA.

24. My project is being made with support from the IDFA Bertha Fund. Do I still have to pay the entry fee? If your project is being or has been made with support from the IDFA Bertha Fund, please send an e-mail to idfaberthafund@idfa.nl before filling out the entry form.

25. My project was presented at the IDFA DocLab Forum. Do I still have to pay the entry fee?
If your project was presented at a previous edition of the IDFA DocLab Forum, you are eligible for a fee waiver. Please send an e-mail to forum@idfa.nl to request one.

26. My bank statement shows a payment made to a company called Adyen. Is this the payment to IDFA?
Yes, this may be the case, as Adyen handles all IDFA payments.

27. Do I need to pay VAT?
In case you fill out a company which has a billing address based outside the Netherlands, you will not be charged additional VAT by IDFA, but you will have to pay your VAT duties in your own country.

• If this is within the European Union, you need to fill in your VAT details in the billing address field. For general VAT rules within the EU please go to EU Tax and Customs info. Please make sure to fill out the correct VAT information in the billing details on the entry form, as this cannot be adjusted on the payment page. If you forget to fill out your VAT number you will be charged VAT. If you made a mistake in filling out the VAT information, please send an email to program@idfa.nl before completing the payment, as this is the only way to still edit the information. IDFA cannot refund VAT after the payment has been completed.
• If your company is based outside the EU, IDFA will not charge VAT but you will need to check your tax regulations in your own country and act accordingly.

All Dutch submissions and all submissions done by private persons only (with no company attached) will need to pay VAT and will be charged in the IDFA invoice.

28. My company is based in the EU and I shouldn’t have to pay VAT, but I am charged VAT in the payment page. What do I do?
If you've already submitted your form and continued to the payment page, you can no longer edit the billing information yourself. Please send an email to program@idfa.nl before completing the payment, as this is the only way to still add this information. IDFA cannot refund VAT after the payment has been completed.