News

Nine weeks before the opening of its 31st edition, IDFA is proud to announce it has signed the 5050x2020 Pledge for Gender Parity and Inclusion in Film Festivals. Launched at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, and previously signed by the festivals of Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Locarno, Annecy, and Sarajevo, the 5050x2020 initiative requests that film festivals around the world promise greater gender equality by undertaking a strict series of measures on transparency and accountability. In signing the Pledge, IDFA commits to the 5050x2020 objectives and invites all festivals to join the collective effort. Together, we can work to end injustice in the film industry, promote practices of inclusion, and enable a new generation of under-represented filmmakers. …

With IDFA 2018 fast approaching, the Industry program is ramping up to be more enriching than ever. From thought-provoking Industry Talks to border-breaking round table meetings, this year's program reflects the dynamic shifts currently seen on the global documentary stage. Expect some exciting developments from IDFA’s Industry events, both returning and new: Docs for Sale, IDFA Forum, IDFAcademy, and the DocLab Interactive conference are all back in full force, alongside a new slate of Industry Talks, sessions, consultancies, and meetups. Take a first look at the upcoming program, and start planning your visit to IDFA 2018. Last but not least, keep your eyes peeled for the full Industry program in mid-October. …

At the Cannes Film Festival 2018, IDFA will be participating in several panels. IDFA's Artistic Director Orwa Nyrabia for instance will take part in a discussion about the challenges and opportunities for the industry and filmmakers in the next five years.…

Dutch filmmakers Marjoleine Boonstra and Tom Fassaert will be this year's tutors at the IDFAcademy & NPO-fonds Workshop. In this workshop, six young Dutch documentary talents get the chance to develop a film plan for a 50-60 minute documentary in text and images. Both tutors have coached up-and-coming documentary filmmakers at IDFA workshops in previous years.…

Sixteen projects were selected to participate in the IDFAcademy Summer School 2018: eight projects for Editing consultancy and eight for Script development. The participants' nationalities (Venezuela, the Ukraine, Egypt, Tunisia, Sweden, India and others) are as diverse as the stories they tell.…

IDFA travels to festivals around the world to see inspiring new film projects and meet new makers. The last few years IDFA encourages filmmakers from around the globe by awarding the most promising projects. Winners get the opportunity to visit IDFA and meet other film professionals to get inspiration and expand their network. Here's our selection of the winners...…

The IDFA Bertha Fund has concluded the February selection round of 2018. Twelve documentary projects from countries like Philippines, Armenia, Burkina Faso and Georgia will be supported by the fund in the classic scheme.  …

Film entry for IDFA 2018 is now open! We'd like to invite you to submit your documentary or interactive project.…

The IDFA Bertha Fund has concluded the distribution scheme of 2017 and selected one documentary to receive a distribution grant: The Next Guardian from Dorottya Zurbó and Arun Bhattarai (Hungary/Bhutan). The film had its World Premiere at IDFA this year in the IDFA Competition for First Appearance.…

Digital rights market guru Wendy Bernfeld told filmmakers and producers they need to start looking beyond the big players of Netflix and Amazon when trying to secure SVOD deals for their work at an IDFA industry session on the digital rights market and VR this week.…