Meet the participants of IDFA Project Space NL 2025

The program culminates in a final presentation, where the participants will showcase their work alongside international peers to key industry players, including Dutch public broadcasters. An independent jury will select one filmmaker to receive the NPO Documentary Talent Award—an incentive prize of up to €25,000 from the NPO Fund to further develop their project.

An international perspective remains a key element of the program. This offers participants valuable opportunities to connect with IDFA’s international markets and build a global network of fellow filmmakers.

This week, the international Project Space program takes place at Het Documentaire Paviljoen. Together with their international counterparts, the IDFA Project Space NL participants will attend a series of talks and screenings.

Meet the six participants.

“My film ideas often stem from a desire to understand something more deeply and to feel more connected to the world around me. Through film, I try to grasp subtle shifts between people, or explore how identity takes shape. I hope my work can spark recognition, offer representation, or broaden someone’s perspective. I’m inspired by makers who question the system—like Douwe Dijkstra, who involves his subject as a co-creator, or Jan Hoek, who breaks down the barriers between ‘outsiders’ and the art world through No Limits! Art Castle. I look forward to experiencing that sense of collectivity again at IPS NL, to reflect together on our role as makers, and to enrich my perspective through the vision and form of others.”

Anna Peeters is a documentary filmmaker and graduate of the Utrecht School of the Arts (HKU). Her debut The Length of Love won the Best Debut Film Award at the Netherlands Film Festival (2016). Since then, she has worked on both film and audio projects that intertwine personal stories with broader societal themes such as autonomy, care ethics, and social equality. Her work stands out for its gentle, atmospheric style and an honest, reflective approach to filmmaking, where subtle shifts and metaphors play a key role. Anna often works across disciplines and is currently developing a documentary that explores the relationship between director and protagonist.

“For me, documentary is a way to connect—with people, with stories, with perspectives we don’t always see or hear. The audiovisual medium creates space for the invisible and the unspoken, for everything that unfolds between the lines. In that space, where filmmaker and subject truly meet, something remarkable can happen. Lately, I’ve been drawing a lot of inspiration from the Javanese Wayang Kulit tradition and Gamelan music—living sources of meaning in my current work. At IPS, I look forward to diving deep with other makers, exploring form and essence together, and enriching each other’s perspectives. Six visions, six voices—this promises to be a fertile exchange.”

Anne Jan Sijbrandij is a documentary filmmaker based in Amsterdam. He holds a Master’s degree in Documentary Directing from RITCS in Brussels. His work explores the intersections of intergenerational trauma, impermanence, and identity. His documentary Nusa Ina premiered at IDFA 2023 in the Frontlight program.

“I've always felt the urge to capture reality—even though I don’t believe that reality exists beforehand. What we experience is a network of memories, desires, and projections—constantly reshaped by those who look and those who are seen. That paradox is what I work with: through film and music, I try to make that fluid, elusive fabric of ‘reality’ tangible. Maybe it’s my way of understanding impermanence, of finding something collective that offers comfort. In my work, the visible and the imaginable flow together. The world is made up of fictions; it’s up to us to invent reality. That idea drives me: to explore and share a new fragment of reality with each film.”

Marlene Dirven is a writer, composer, and filmmaker. After studying Middle Eastern Studies with a focus on Iranian cinema and literature, she worked in diplomacy in Brussels and Tehran. She later completed a Master’s in Artistic Research in Film at the Netherlands Film Academy, where she began experimenting with music as a starting point for filmmaking. She has worked as a screenwriter, assistant director, and composer, and has been invited by organizations such as IDFA, Music & Cinema Marseille, Radio NPO Klassiek, and the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision. Since 2018, she has taught and coached in story structure, screenwriting, and filmmaking.

“Documentary allows me to observe the world from a distance and recognize the intricate connections—between people, and between humans and more-than-human beings. Filmmaking feeds my curiosity and gives me the space to shed light on the subjects I care about. I draw inspiration from the non-fiction films of Wim Wenders and Werner Herzog, as well as from the layered structure of novels by writers like Olga Tokarczuk and Orhan Pamuk. During IPS NL, I look forward to learning how to develop a documentary idea—from initial concept to a concrete, feasible plan—and how research can deepen that process. I’m especially curious about how other makers position themselves in their creative journey. When, and how, do they dig into their own inner world to find direction and meaning?”

Onur Can Tepe is a writer, filmmaker, and architect based in Rotterdam. He graduated from the Berlage Institute and worked at various architecture firms before shifting his focus to writing and film. His work has been selected for numerous film festivals both in the Netherlands and abroad. Through his studio, 1000 Words, he creates commissioned films about architecture and the built environment. His independent non-fiction projects are developed under the foundation Smoke & Mirrors.

“My drive to make documentaries stems from a desire to reflect on how we, as humans, navigate an increasingly overengineered society. I want to hold up a mirror to the viewer—without positioning myself above the subject, since I, too, am part of that same system. I focus on phenomena where we seem to have collectively gone off the rails: the struggle for autonomy, the pursuit of perfection, the loss of genuine connection. There’s something tragic in that—but also, at times, deeply humorous. Humor can soften things. It can offer solace. In my work, I search for a balance between discomfort, compassion, and lightness.

I look forward to sharing ideas, uncertainties, and intuitions with the other makers. Filmmaking is, at its core, a collaborative craft—but it can also feel deeply solitary. I’m excited to exchange perspectives, broaden my own, and see something unexpected emerge—under the guidance of experienced coaches and through creative dialogue with each other.”

Yasmin van Dorp is a Dutch documentary filmmaker based between Amsterdam and Stockholm. She studied Production at the Netherlands Film Academy and worked at Witfilm on a range of international documentaries. In Stockholm, she pursued an artistic research master’s degree, where she discovered her passion for directing and writing. Her work explores how people relate to the complexity of modern life, with a reflective style and carefully composed visuals. Her graduation film, The Spectacle, had its world premiere at Full Frame (USA), where she received the Best Newcomer Award, and has since screened at festivals worldwide.

"Filmmaking started for me as a way to give space to big emotions—by turning them into art, I found perspective, and hoped to move others as well, maybe even offer healing. I’m inspired by other art forms like music, poetry, and fashion—especially the way they channel emotion and tell stories. That’s the emotional and aesthetic depth I aim to bring into my own films.

At IPS NL, I’m eager to sharpen my ideas and learn how to translate them into a solid film plan. I’m drawn to the hands-on side of filmmaking, but also to being back in a space with fellow makers—sharing, learning, and growing together. Everyone in this group sees the world through a different lens, and I look forward to learning how to communicate my vision more clearly, and navigate the early stages of filmmaking with more confidence."

Sammy Shefa Idris is a filmmaker from Hurdegaryp, Friesland, who discovered documentary filmmaking through a deeply personal urgency: the loss of his best friend at the age of sixteen. He documented his grieving process, his friends, and his surroundings—a film that led to his acceptance into the Netherlands Film Academy.

In 2024, he graduated with Fathers Are Sons Too, a personal visual love letter about loss and fatherhood. He also co-directed the VFX project A Taste of Friendship. Sammy is constantly exploring new forms to tell intimate stories—with the hope of leaving the world a little lighter than he found it.