News

During IDFA 2019 we are pleased to offer all our accredited guests with free access to personal workspaces across Amsterdam thanks to our new partnership with Spaces. This Amsterdam-born company provides freelancers, entrepreneurs, and companies with an inspirational place to work. In other words, it’s the ideal opportunity for IDFA filmmakers and industry professionals to have the space to connect, work on their ideas, and keep their projects ticking during the festival. …

Today it gives us great pleasure to present the new IDFA award structure and the first jury members for IDFA 2019. With more awards in our Feature-Length and First Appearance competitions, streamlined awards in our other competition programs, and several prestigious collaborations on board, the new award structure promises to increase attention for future award winners, applaud the broad scope of documentary talent working today, and celebrate the best and brightest documentary films of our generation. …

The IDFA Bertha Fund (IBF) is overjoyed to announce that 12 new documentary projects have been selected to receive funding through the IBF Classic scheme. From nearly 300 submissions, six projects have been selected for development support, and six for production or post-production support. A total amount of €129,600 has been granted to the 12 projects, together making up 15 different countries. Operating since 1998, the IBF Classic is the Fund’s largest program for supporting documentary filmmakers in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and parts of Eastern Europe. …

In July, we welcomed 16 international filmmaking teams to IDFAcademy Summer School, our week-long program for emerging film talent to elevate their script or rough cut alongside renowned directors, editors, and other film professionals. Read more about this energizing and inspirational edition of Summer School, and watch our exclusive tutor tips for extra insight. …

Up-and-coming Romanian filmmaker Andrei Dascalescu is the latest winner of the IDFA Award for Most Promising Project, following an outstanding presentation of his documentary project Holy Father at Sarajevo Film Festival’s Docu Rough Cut Boutique last week. The project centers on the ups and downs of coming to terms with parenthood, and the quest for reconciliation with the filmmaker’s own family. …

Last week at DocMontevideo’s documentary pitching market, emerging Argentinean filmmaker María Alvarez took home the IDFA Award for Most Promising Project. Lauded for its intimate, patient, and persistent gaze, Alvarez’s film project The Lost Time (El tiempo perdido) offers a window into the poetics of reading and reflection through an unlikely group of characters.…

For Penny and Chris…

On Thursday, September 12th, IDFA will host an exlusive preview of Midnight Traveler: an urgent and first-hand account of a family of filmmakers, forced to flee their home country. This event is sold out.…

IDFA joins film festivals and organizations around the world in demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof. We invite members of the film community around the world to join by raising their voice – personally, collectively, through the media and via political channels.…

To our excitement, we got to partner with Mediamorfosis for their first Mexican edition on June 27th. From a wide range of submissions, five teams were chosen to pitch their projects. Together with an international jury, New Media Program Manager Wotienke Vermeer awarded Hero Kogsni by Alejandra Castilla Madera with the IDFA New Media Talent Award. We will invite the creators to attend IDFA DocLab and offer a tailor-made route through the festival.…