The IDFA Bertha Fund is pleased to announce a new IBF Classic selection with 20 documentary projects receiving a total of €203,650 in development and (post-)production support. Both established and up-and-coming filmmakers make up the new selection, which is marked by a majority of female directors and several promising entries from lower-volume production countries.
IDFA Project Awards at Docs by the Sea went to Some Women from Singapore and Breaking the Cycle from Thailand, while the prize at Durban FilmMart went to The Ship from the Sea, a co-production between Mozambique, Brazil, Portugal, and Spain. Read more about the projects below.
With IDFA Project Space up and running, one thing is clear: This is just the beginning. The program has big plans for supporting filmmakers year-round, whether through creative development, professional consultancies, film financing, or other kinds of tailor-made support. But as evidenced by Meike Statema, IDFA’s Head of Talent Development, this idea isn’t altogether new. In many ways, the Project Space unifies and expands on the support structures already offered through the IDFA Bertha Fund, IDFAcademy, and other activities embedded in the IDFA institute. Still, she says, there’s a good amount of learning by doing. You need to be ready for all kinds of different needs and challenges. Kicking off the program during a pandemic, in that sense, isn't necessarily a bad place to start.
After an enthusiastic response to our Docs for Sale Summer Showcase from both buyers and sellers back in June, we are bringing you 37 more titles from Rise and Shine, Andana Films, Sweet Spot Docs, DR Sales, Cinephil, and Films Transit. Both fresh and older but still topical films make up this exciting selection which is now available in the Docs for Sale catalogue.
The IDFA Project Award at Sarajevo Film Festival has gone to Champions by emerging Georgian filmmaker Ketevani Kapanadze. A highlight of Sarajevo’s Docu Rough Cut Boutique, Champions intimately portrays a group of lesbian athletes in Georgia who take refuge in the local football club. The director will be welcomed online at IDFA 2020 with a tailor-made package through the Industry Program, together with producer Salomé Jashi and editor Eka Tsotsoria.
Rising Argentinian filmmaker Agustina Comedi is the latest recipient of the IDFA Project Award at DocMontevideo. Awarded in late July for her feature-length documentary project Putas como nosotras (Whores Like Us), Comedi will have access to all online industry activities at IDFA 2020 in addition to tailor-made consultancies prior to the festival.
As a crucial part of IDFA's year-round activities, a new umbrella department has been created to support filmmakers. Overseen by new deputy director of IDFA, Isabel Arrate Fernandez, the Filmmaker Support Department brings together the IDFA Bertha Fund and IDFA's talent development department, allowing the launch of various filmmaker support schemes in 2020 and in the future.
We are now accepting applications for IDFAcademy during IDFA! Are you an emerging documentary filmmaker or producer who has proven your talent on a national scale and would like to expand your career internationally? Then apply to our renowned training program taking place online during IDFA 2020. The accreditation deadline is September 1.
The IDFA Bertha Fund has supported six new documentary projects with €40,000 each through the IBF Europe - International Co-Production funding scheme, aimed at boosting collaboration between independent European producers and producers in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and parts of Eastern Europe.
