Wotienke Vermeer bids farewell to IDFA after eleven years
After more than eleven years of shaping IDFA’s program, Wotienke Vermeer is embarking on a new chapter. She joined IDFA DocLab in 2015 and worked on nine editions of the festival, helping showcase new, immersive and interdisciplinary forms of documentary storytelling. In 2022, she went on to help establish Het Documentaire Paviljoen, a space where audiences and filmmakers can come together around documentary film and new media throughout the year.
As Program Manager, she helped shape the Paviljoen’s identity. Her final program is a focus on Barbara Hammer, a pioneering filmmaker in feminist and lesbian experimental cinema. Hammer’s uncompromising and distinctive work reflects the kind of filmmaking Vermeer has long championed, giving a platform to artists such as Agnès Varda and Harun Farocki.
A defining feature of Vermeer’s programming was the way it brought together critical perspectives and a sense of play. She was never afraid to take risks – from presenting a ten-hour Wang Bing trilogy in a single day to bringing the spirit of DocLab into the Paviljoen. With Shaping Bonds, she brought together films, installations, talks and workshops exploring the relationships between humans, nature and other living beings. Through the monthly Pavilion Shorts, she also championed short documentaries, creating a space for them beyond the festival circuit.
Vermeer now passes the programming baton to Sarah Teixeira. IDFA would like to thank Wotienke for more than a decade of dedication, and for her commitment to championing distinctive filmmakers and bold programs that push beyond the familiar.