As announced at the 5th edition of Beirut Cinema Platform, Iraqi-Egyptian co-production Take Me to the Cinema is the latest winner of the IDFA Spotlight Award. Directed by Albaqer Jafeer and produced by Rasha Gawdat and Tamer Ashry, this documentary project-to-watch is currently in production, with an upcoming slate of industry activities, consultations, and mentorship on tap at IDFA 2021.
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After more than a year of lockdowns, artists around the world are still working tirelessly to get their projects adapted, exhibited, and seen by audiences. The artists from IDFA DocLab’s latest competition program are no different. Nearly five months after the festival, many of them continue to face a precarious year of online festivals and uncertain physical events. But adapting or reimagining a full-scale artwork is a complex and costly endeavor that often comes at the artist’s expense. To help, IDFA DocLab came up with a temporary support structure to ease some of the burden.
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On 1 February 2021, Myanmar military forces, also known as Tatmadaw, declared a state of emergency and seized power in Myanmar through a coup d’état. They detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and members of the National League for Democracy, and handed all executive, judicial and legislative powers to the head of the Tatmadaw. The following months have witnessed a crackdown on civil liberties and rights in Myanmar, often through institutional violence and force.
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As we warm up for another year of the IDFA DocLab R&D Program, our DocLab colleagues are currently processing the 200+ R&D proposals that artists around the world recently submitted. To tide you over in the meantime, we used this opportunity to catch up with some of the artists who participated in the program’s third year.
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Concluding its latest selection round, the IDFA Bertha Fund (IBF) is delighted to offer €30,000 in distribution support to The Earth Is Blue as an Orange, the award-winning film from Ukrainian director Iryna Tsilyk. Secured through the IBF Europe – Distribution track, the grant will support the film’s upcoming release in Ukraine, Lithuania, and the Western Balkans.
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IDFA DocLab, together with the UK's Immersive Storytelling Studio (The National Theatre), presents the online performance T.M. by Belgian theater group Ontroerend Goed.
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In anticipation of its next festival edition, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) is pleased to launch a revamped program structure with two main competitions at the forefront. The new setup sees the introduction of the International Competition and the Envision Competition, which, in dialogue with each other, will make up the center of the IDFA program alongside a slew of new awards that celebrate the art of documentary filmmaking. Submissions are now open for the 34th edition of IDFA, taking place November 17 to 28, 2021.
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The IDFA Bertha Fund’s 2020 activity report is now online, detailing a year that broke a few records and paved new paths for the future. Read the IBF’s new interactive publication here.
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Renowned and committed Swiss director Milo Rau films the last days of Christ but with a contemporary twist. Jesus is played by a real-life Cameroonian activist who fights for the rights of African refugees.
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After three days of online pitching at Prague's East Doc Platform, producer-director team Sareen Hairabedian and Azza Hourani took home the IDFA Spotlight Award last week for their project Swinging Fields (France, USA, Ireland).
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