Main Partner:
Activity Report 2015
IDFA Bertha Fund activity report 2015
Ukrainian Sheriffs wins Special Jury Award for Feature-Length Documentary
Hard work pays off Ukrainian filmmaker Roman Bondarchuk and producer Darya Averchenko received the Special Jury Award in IDFA’s FeatureLength Competition with their documentary Ukrainian Sheriffs. After long and hard work – participating in the IDFAcademy Summer School, a long shooting period, a long period of editing and having a baby – the filmmakers finally presented Ukrainian Sheriffs at IDFA. Receiving the award heralded a fantastic start to their film’s festival career.
Contents Introduction Local Stories for Universal Truths
3 4
A Different Kind of Film
6
Showing the Other Side
8
A Global Problem
10
Encouraging Filmmakers’ Development
12
Activities and Results 1 IDFA Bertha Fund General
14
2 Selected documentary projects and festivals in 2015
15
3 Funding of documentary projects
19
4 Professionalization of filmmakers
23
5 Festivals and Distribution
28
6 IBF Network
35
Appendix I: Selection Criteria
39
Appendix II: Organization 2015
40
Appendix III: Statement of Income and Expenditure
41
4
IDFA BERTHA FUND
Introduction 2015 was an eventful year for the IDFA Bertha Fund, starting with the
Nurturing talented, courageous and tenacious documentary film-
introduction of a new funding scheme and ending with the presentation
makers will remain at the core of the IDFA Bertha Fund’s activities. By
of a very strong harvest of supported documentaries at IDFA 2015.
continuing to give financial support, mentoring, and providing access
With its new initiative IDFA Bertha Fund Europe, the Fund makes
to a network of documentary professionals, the Fund creates oppor-
available financing for the production and distribution of co-
tunities for filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle
productions between European producers and producers from Africa,
East and parts of Eastern Europe to create beautiful, remarkable and
Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Doing
necessary documentaries. Films that enrich the international docu-
so allows the Fund to increase its investments in feature-length
mentary landscape.
documentaries with the potential to connect with a large audience, as well as offering filmmakers and producers the opportunity to work at
This annual report gives an outline of the Fund’s activities in 2015 and
an international level and increase their network.
the impact its support has had on filmmakers and organizations in
The 2015 harvest of the Fund comprised a range of impressive,
this period. In the opening pages of this report, we present a series of
important and challenging documentaries by filmmakers who shared
interviews with a variety of partners and filmmakers, who discuss their
their visions and stories using a strong, personal visual language. Three
own work, the state of documentary filmmaking in their respective
films supported by the IBF ended up winning awards at the festival:
countries and their experiences in the documentary industry. The sec-
Ukrainian Sheriffs won the IDFA Special Jury Award for Feature-Length
ond part gives an overview of the activities carried out in 2015 as well
Documentary, Roundabout in My Head won the IDFA Special Jury
as all relevant facts and figures.
Award for First Appearance, and Sonita won the Bankgiro Loterij IDFA Audience Award. In 2015, a total of 32 documentary projects and festivals were selected to receive support, hailing from 26 different countries, including Algeria, Pakistan, Kenya and Bhutan. These are films in which filmmakers show everyday life in their country through visual storytelling or which give insight into controversial and important
issues. In addition, IBF continued its support of three festivals that were also selected in 2014, and supported a fourth event, for documentary screenings in Afghanistan. The Fund intensified its support of filmmakers in strengthening their
Bertha Foundation supports activists, storytellers and lawyers
projects, for instance by facilitating the participation of 7 projects in
that are working to bring about social and economic justice, and
the IDFAcademy Summer School and inviting filmmakers to the IBF
human rights for all. Envisioning a society in which activists build
Project Factory, a mentoring program during IDFA.
collective power, stories come from many different voices, and law is used as a tool for justice. By investing in the IDFA Bertha
With support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs the Fund
Fund the Foundation supports filmmakers and documentaries
presented a program for documentaries on human rights and social
that make a difference.
injustice for the second time. Besides financial support and training for
Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Director of Social Impact Media at
documentary projects, a day focused on human rights documentaries
Bertha, “We are proud to support the IDFA Bertha Fund, where
was organized during IDFA. Furthermore, the Fund organized an
we are consistently inspired by the depth and breadth of the
outreach workshop for selected filmmakers in collaboration with the
projects being supported from around the world. The fund
Bertha Foundation.
plays an important role in strengthening the documentary
IDFA Bertha Fund Europe was made possible by support of the Creative
field globally and we are honored to be a part of it.”
Europe Media Programme. Thanks to the Bertha Foundation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hivos, and the Creative Europe Media program, 2015 was a year in which the IDFA Bertha Fund was able to continue supporting creative and courageous filmmakers that make a difference.
5
Shooting The Siren of Faso Fani
Burkinabe director Michel K. Zongo received production funding in 2013 for The Siren of Faso Fani. It was one of the first films from Burkina Faso that was supported by the fund. The film had its world premiere at the prestigious Berlinale festival in 2015 and screened in the Best of Fests programme at IDFA. The film was also screened in the director’s own country, at the Fespaco festival in Ouagadougou, where it won two awards.
6
IDFA BERTHA FUND
Local Stories for Universal Truths In his third film The Siren of Faso Fani, photographer-turned-filmmaker Michel K. Zongo chronicles the consequences that the closure of a textile factory has had on daily life in his home town in Burkina Faso. The down-to-earth story is heightened by several stylictic flourishes. “I was inspired by a film by Michael Moore: Roger & Me. That story touched something for me. Just like Moore, I go back to a factory that has been closed. I used to work in this factory myself during my school holidays. It’s a universal story, the same all over the world: the global economy is wreaking havoc in local lives. Similar films could have been made in Europe, in America, in Asia, and every time, it’s the workers who are left hanging. “Michael Moore sets out to attack the system, but I don’t have his pushy character, haha! Besides, who could I have asked to speak on behalf of that system? The director of the International Monetary Fund? There’s no one person, or group of persons, responsible for this situation. There is no perpetrator, except for the system itself, so I wanted to give voice to the victims instead. In a way, the clips from radio shows that I use dotted through the film, are the incarnation of the system’s message. Which is always: “Everything is fine”, even while the city is in a deep recession. “I wanted to take the side of the workers, and allow them to tell their stories. After all, they’re the ones suffering the consequences of the decisions taken somewhere in that system. That’s not just true for the people working at the factory. Every one of them was supporting others: his family, sometimes friends, often up to ten other people. So the economy of the entire town came to a halt when the factory was closed. But the story isn’t over: there are still a lot of people, often women, creating artisanal textile in the city. I wanted to show that there is still a chance to revive the town’s economy, if they could manage to form a cooperative. They have a lot of energy, but they weren’t really organized. “What’s important for me stylistically is that I’m the one who films. I handle the camera myself, and work with a very small crew. And because I have my camera with me all the time, it becomes a part of me, and the reactions I get are very natural. They’re not staged, journalistic interviews - I simply have conversations with people, talk about life, sometimes argue with them. Every person has a story, and all those stories are connected. For me, the world is like a village. So it’s only through telling these very local, very personal stories, that you can approach something universal. Something that’s not black or white, but simply human. “The end of the film is like a dream. It’s still just as true as everything that has come before it, but it’s a little bit like a dream of how we could restore life in the city, by actually creating the cooperative people are talking about. So it needed someting a bit more extraordinary visually as well. That’s why I have the camera go up in the air - it becomes a dream for all the world.” 7
Director Mohamed Jabaly and producer Mohanad Yaqubi presented their project Ambulance at IDFA Forum 2015.
Untill recently Jabaly lived in Gaza and Yaqubi lives on the West Bank, IDFA was their first opportunity to meet in real life – before that, the two had worked together via Skype and phone conversations. Jabaly and Yaqubi pitched their project Ambulance at IDFA Forum 2015 together with their Norwegian co-producer. Palestinian producer Yaqubi was also invited to participate in the IDFAcademy. The project received post-production support from IBF in 2015 and is expected to be ready in time for IDFA 2016.
8
IDFA BERTHA FUND
A Different Kind of Film With a full roster of projects with young directors, Palastinian producer Mohanad Yaqubi is developing a new direction for independent documentary in the Arab world. Yaqubi: “There are so many camera’s in Gaza these days, so many news crews. Almost to a point that you become blinded. Hearing about Mohamed’s story, it was very personal, which is not usually the case most of the images from Gaza you see are created by media agencies. Mohamed’s material is different, because you get the perspective of how it feels in the streets.” Jabaly: “Last summer, before the war started, I was working with a local hospital, documenting their work. So when the war began, I immediately asked the director of the hospital if I could join the ambulance unit. I was with them all the time, all 51 days of the war. I followed them from attack to attack and experienced it all with them, as a human being and as a filmmaker. That experience made me feel even stronger that I needed to show this: that we are just normal people, and we don’t want this war.” Yaqubi: “It’s a very difficult situation to make films at the moment in Gaza. There’s a kind of amnesia: everybody is just reporting on the action. So they are reactionary films, in a way: if they put up checkpoints, they make films about the checkpoints. But filmmakers aren’t taking the responsibility to make an action themselves - to make films that can have a force in reality. We’re trying to make a change in direction, to make a different kind of film, which is really exciting.” Jabaly: “During those 51 days, I was simply filming what was happening around this hospital, how people were experiencing the war, how they react in moments when an attack happens close to them. I just carried the camera with me all the time - it was still reflective. Now, we’re in the middle of editing, and I’m trying to take some distance from it, to focus on the film. It’s hard to relive those experiences. There were many moments where I barely made it out alive, and I’m watching that material every day. It’s tiring. But have to shut it out, and be a filmmaker.” Yaqubi: “I think this story has a real chance of connecting with an international audience, while at the same time staying honest to what it’s like to live in Gaza. This is what we want the world to see, through independent, creative documentaries, not just TV reports. That’s not something that has a big tradition for us, it’s kind of a new area to discover, but it’s becoming bigger and bigger. From Lebanon to Egypt, documentary has been growing for the last four, five years. Before that, you never heard about independent documentary. I mean, there were maybe five or six main players, but now there’s a lot of new blood, developing a new aesthetic.”
9
Directors Alka Sadat and Sahra Mosawi at IDFA 2015
Alka Sadat’s film Afghanistan Night Stories was supported by IBF and screened at IDFA 2015. In Afghanistan she also runs a Women’s Film Festival in Herat. Sahra Mosawi’s film Kaloo School screened at IDFA 2012, and the fund supported her initiative Windows to Peace, fortnightly screenings of documentaries in Kabul including Q&A sessions with Afghani filmmakers.
10
IDFA BERTHA FUND
Showing the Other Side Sarah Mosawi and Alka Sadat are female filmmakers in Afghanistan, and both also organize festivals, in their home towns of Kabul and Herat respectively. Both try to stay optimistic despite the hardships their country is facing. Mosawi: “Living in Afghanistan is really difficult, and even more so as a female filmmaker. Female artists are not accepted by the fundamentalists; women should stay home, or become a teacher or a nurse. This is the mentality all men in our country grow up with: to control women, to speak on our behalf. We grow up in a kind of censorship, hiding what we really want, even from ourselves. It was only when I went outside of my country, and saw how women could live in a healthy society, that I found out that something was missing in my own life.” Sadat: “I already wanted to make Afghanistan Night Stories for three or four years. I had made several films about women’s rights, all very sad, and wanted to make something with more hope. The idea was to show soldiers from all over Afghanistan coming together to defend their nation - although in the end the film didn’t turn out that optimistic. But as a woman, I could not get access to the military, especially the elite unit the film deals with. Most people in Afghanistan don’t trust filmmakers, because they feel that foreign filmmakers come to our country and only show the bad things. Every time some of them would become more friendly, the more conservative ones would start asking me what I was doing there. I had to tell them that I was married and had children for them to confide in me.” Mosawi: “People don’t have the opportunity to leave the country, and see how people around the world are living. There’s a proverb that says: ‘How can you know your city if you don’t leave your city?’ That’s why we try to bring stories from other people in other places, to show how similar we are.” Sadat: “With the film festival, we try to teach people that film can change things. Human rights films are very important for us, and especially women’s rights films, because we have a lot of female visitors. So we want to show them films about strong women in other countries: what problems do they face, and what solutions do they find. People haven’t really had the chance to see those kinds of films.” Mosawi: “Our screenings are held at the University in Kabul, at lunch time, so that students can come to the films. It’s also good for women, because the location is in a big park, which has very high security. We’re under attack from three different sides, but people are still coming to see the films, as if there’s no war going on. People want to have some cultural activities, to be happy, to stay human, instead of only living in war and worrying.” Sadat: “We don’t know which side is which, between the Taliban, the army and Daesh. Every time you say goodbye to your family, you don’t know if you will see them again. The Taliban had taken a city near Herat just before this year’s festival was starting. People were very scared, and the day before the opening, when all our international guests were arriving, city officials said we should cancel. In the end, we managed to convince them that we shouldn’t, and the government and the city helped us a lot. But it was the first time in my life that I prayed for the festival to finish without anything happening. But all that we can do is keep going, and hope that next year will be better.” 11
Director Zhao Liang was present at IDFA 2015 with his film Behemoth
Zhao Liang is one of the fund’s oldest acquaintances and a regular guest at IDFA. Back in 2003 the fund supported his film Return to the Border and in 2006 IDFA screened City Scene in its Paradocs section. His latest documentary Behemoth was supported with a production grant in 2014. It premiered at the prestigious Venice Film Festival as the only documentary in competition and was presented in the Masters program at IDFA 2015.
12
IDFA BERTHA FUND
A Global Problem Like a documentary version of Dante’s Inferno, Zhao Liang’s Behemoth takes us on a trip from a coal-mining hell through purgatory to the empty shell of the paradise that is powered by pollution. “Starting a new film is never sudden for me - it’s not just one moment. I’m not sitting around thinking: ‘What kind of new work can I make?’ It’s an ongoing process. For me, Behemoth started three or four years ago. In China today, the environment is very important in daily life. Every day, the first thing we do after waking up is checking an app on our phones which tells us how much pollution there is in the air. If it’s bad, we don’t go out. So life revolves around pollution. “I was on a trip following the Yellow River, all the way through China. Along the way, I came to this place in inner Mongolia, where there are lots and lots of coal mines. A very barren area, a landscape made just of stone, very tough. Tough to be in, as well, because the air is full of dust. So then I knew where the pollution came from. And then, step by step, the film started to take form. “I shot a lot of different types of material over a few years: people talking while they worked, traditional interviews, the usual documentary elements. In fact, I followed a few of the people you still see in the film for two years. For instance, the person who holds the mirror, and several factory workers. But when we started editing, I just got very bored with the traditional documentary, with the talking heads. It just didn’t work for me. In the end, although they are still in the film, I didn’t want to focus on any of these people - I wanted to show the places. Those people now become our guides from this foreign region to the world we know. “During filming I had also shot a lot of images for my work in visual arts, and I started to ask myself why I was so much more comfortable with that kind of work. In the end, it should always be a combination: on the one hand, the visual arts allow me a kind of freedom. But on the other, it’s like a child, that always needs a teacher to take it by the hand. It needs that documentary element to really say something. But human beings are a visual animal, you don’t need to tell that story using words. That’s why the sound has become so important in the film: there’s hardly any dialogue in the film, so the sound really creates the ambience. That’s why I always ask the operator to play the film really loud, at all the festivals where the film has screened. “I’m very happy that the film is playing all over the world. In my previous work, I really wanted Chinese people to see it, because they dealt with subjects of importance to them. I was much more focussed on my own country with those films. But with Behemoth, I didn’t really think about the audience. It’s drawn from what’s inside myself, as an artist, just as a writer writing a book, or a painter making a painting, draws on his own experiences. I didn’t think about who would be watching it, whether it’s Chinese people or foreign people. Because this is not just a problem for China. It’s a problem that’s just as relevant in Europe, in America - it’s global.”
13
Festival director Alejandro Andujar at the opening ceremony of RDOC in the Dominican Republic
Alejandro Andujar is one of the founders of RDOC. IBF supported the first three editions of the festival, of which the third has taken place in March 2016. The festival’s goal is to screen more creative documentaries from Central America, the Caribbean and Latin America. The festival has managed to secure a place within the Dominican cultural scene and now also receives support from the local government. Andujar was invited to IDFA for the second time in 2015 to network, scout documentaries and join a special event for festival programmers set up by the IDFA Bertha Fund.
14
IDFA BERTHA FUND
Encouraging Filmmakers’ Development As one of the founders of the RDOC International Documentary Film Festival in the Dominican Republic, preparing it’s third edition for 2016, Alejandro Andujar has kept a close eye on documentary filmmaking in the Caribbean over the last few years. “In my country, people think documentaries are what you see on National Geographic, or in TV reports. Sometimes people come up to me after watching a movie at the festival and say, ‘That movie was really good, but that’s not a documentary - there’s no interviews!’ So what we want to do is show creative documentaries, show different kinds of works, and try to educate people that documentaries are cinema. “Before we started, there wasn’t much space for these kinds of films. There were already a few film festivals in the Dominican Republic, but they didn’t really screen documentaries, and the only documentaries in cinemas were some American ones showing in mainstrean theatres. Other kinds of documentaries were forgotten. So three years ago, a group of us decided to start a festival exclusively for documentaries from Central America, the Caribbean and Latin America. “We started big, right out of the gate. Ten, eleven festival days, with about 40 movies - too much, maybe. But we were very enthusiastic, so it just kept getting bigger, haha! The opening night film was a Dominican documentary called Blanca, about albino people in our country, and there were around 500 people at that screening. But other films didn’t do so well - there were a lot of films, a lot of activities, and maybe it was a little too big. So for the second edition last year, we pulled back a little bit - the festival was just one week, with about 35 films in the program, as well as Q&A’s, workshops and master classes. Usually, the films that play better are the one that have Q&A’s after the screenings - people really seem to be drawn to that. And it’s good for the filmmakers’ development to get in contact with an audience too, which was quite hard before we started the festival. “We get a lot of movies, but some of them are really bad! Around 250 films were sent in for the last festival. There’s a lot of filmmakers, but funding for documentaries is still very hard in the Caribbean and Latin America. There aren’t many funds, and so the ones that are there, like the IDFA Bertha Fund or Ibermedia, are very competitive. And private sponsors are very hard to persuade to do a documentary - they wan’t telenovellas, or fiction films. So there are a lot of people making documentaries with very little money, but a lot of heart. The works are getting better; filmmakers are thinking more about the form. There are a lot more interesting documentaries now than when we started. “It’s been really good for documentaries in the Dominican Republic. Because the films get the opportunity to hold a premiere and screen at the festival, they are getting more recognition; some have even managed to get regular distribution on the back of a premiere at the festival. The other festivals have also started to add documentaries to their programs. So we’ve seen a real change.” 15
Activities and Results 1. IDFA Bertha Fund General
IDFAcademy Summer School: Selected filmmakers supported by IBF can take part in the annual IDFAcademy Summer School, where they receive intensive coaching from leading documentary professionals from all over
Aims
the world.
Since its foundation in 1998, the IDFA Bertha Fund (IBF), formerly known
IBF Project Factory: Filmmakers and producers of supported projects
as Jan Vrijman Fund, has striven to stimulate the documentary film
are invited to IDFA and follow a special route through the IDFA Forum1,
climate in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Eastern
IDFAcademy2 and Industry Talks3 or follow the IDFA Bertha Outreach
Europe. The IBF supports independent filmmakers who make creative
Workshop.
documentaries. In addition, the Fund supports the organization of docu-
Tailor-made consultancies and feedback: Supported filmmakers can
mentary film festivals in these countries, aiming to address the shortage
receive individual consultancy in areas concerning script or editing.
of screening opportunities in developing countries. In 2015 the Fund has
The Fund can also provide advice to filmmakers on distribution, festival
added measures to stimulate collaborations between independent Eu-
strategies or entering into agreements with distributors or TV stations.
ropean producers and producers from developing countries by supporting the production and distribution of documentaries realized through
Festivals and Distribution
co-productions.
Getting a film made is one thing; getting it screened is quite another. By supporting film festivals and several other activities, the Fund
How we work
contributes to creating screening opportunities in developing countries
The IBF acts as a financier, matchmaker and promoter of talented film-
and assists its selected filmmakers in navigating the international
makers, documentaries and documentary film festivals from developing
documentary field.
countries. Each year, projects are selected for financial support. The IBF then
Support of documentary festivals in developing countries: By supporting
makes efforts to strengthen and promote these projects and to ensure
film festivals in developing countries, the Fund wishes to ensure
that filmmakers and festival organizations have access to an international
independent documentaries get screened.
network of film professionals.
International distribution of IBF documentaries: Each year, the
From 2015, the Fund comprises of four different categories, which can be
completed documentaries are presented at IDFA and entered into
each applied for in different selection rounds throughout the year. The
IDFA’s market Docs for Sale, where international distributors, festival
applications the IBF receives are assessed by an international selection
programmers and television buyers view the new documentary harvest.
committee consisting of members active in various capacities within
Festival circulation of IBF documentaries worldwide: After IDFA, the
the documentary film world. Appendix I shows the selection criteria
documentaries are often invited to countless other international
applied in making the selections and Appendix II gives an overview of the
festivals. In this way, local stories are disseminated worldwide. Screenings of IBF documentaries in the Benelux: IBF-supported docu-
selection committees in 2015.
mentaries contribute to the cultural diversity of IDFA and play a signifi-
Core activities
cant part in attracting curious audiences to the festival. Each year, a
Funding of documentary projects
number of the titles are released through the DVD label IDFA’s Delicates-
To strengthen documentary production in developing countries, the Fund
sen, included in The Best of IDFA on Tour, screened online through IDFA.
provides financial contributions to creative documentaries at various
tv, selected for special IDFA screening programs and offered to television
stages of their production. Contributions for project development during
channels, cinemas and festivals in the Benelux.
the early phase play a crucial role in starting up these projects. Financial support during the production phase allows filmmakers to make a start
IBF network
on the actual realization of their projects. During the post-production
Over the past 18 years, aided by IDFA’s status within the documentary
phase, the documentaries are edited, finished and made suitable for
industry, the Fund has built up an extensive international network of con-
screening on television, in cinemas and at (international) festivals.
tacts and a wealth of experience with local partners as well as knowledge
With the IDFA Bertha Fund Europe program, the Fund also supports the
of the documentary industry. The Fund maintains a number of structural
collaboration between producers and the distribution of documentaries
relationships with organizations in developing countries. Making these
realized through co-productions.
contacts, this experience and knowledge available to filmmakers and organizations in developing countries is one of the Fund’s core tasks. Every year,
Professionalization of documentary filmmakers
the IBF sends consultants to workshops and festivals all over the world in
By focusing on talent development and assisting the selected
order to promote the Fund and IDFA, to extend its network and to provide
filmmakers in furthering their professionalization, the Fund stimulates
concrete professional support to filmmakers from developing countries.
the development of these filmmakers, thereby also strengthening the
1 IDFA’s international co-financing and co-production market. 2 The IDFAcademy organizes workshops and training programs for emerging filmmakers during IDFA and throughout the year. 3 Talks on current developments in the documentary industry, covering such topics as rights and sales, outreach campaigning, and new financing models through branded funding.
documentary genre. The Fund offers a range of activities aimed at supporting filmmakers in their creative process:
16
IDFA BERTHA FUND
In addition, the IBF strives to bring filmmakers and organizations
meeting place for the documentary industry, and during the festival a
from developing countries in contact with the international docu-
great number of activities take place aimed at stimulating filmmakers
mentary industry. To achieve this, every year the Fund invites several
and organizations to make use of existing networks and co-produc-
filmmakers and festival programmers to attend IDFA. IDFA is a major
tion markets.
9%
18%
16%
2. Selected documentary projects and festivals in 2015
10% 14%
12%
20% 29%
In 2015, the Fund supported 32 projects with a total amount of â‚Ź 507,000 in all its 28% categories combined. The table below gives an overview of the
44%
selection in 2014 and 2015. Table 1 Selection Number of projects
Granted amount
Number of14% projects
14%
7
35.000
14%
Classic: Production & Post-Production
22
359.850
23%
14
Europe: International Co-production
n/a
n/a
n/a
9
3
40.000
32
434.850
Total
13%
% low income DAC countries
22%
44.500
22%
222.500
21%
5
200.000
20% 35%
33%
4
40.000
50%
22%
32
507.000
24%
24%
Other Activities Classic: Documentary Festivals
Granted amount
9% 2015
2014
Documentaries Classic: Project Development
% low income DAC countries 17%
31%
22%
12% 6%
14%
Explanatory notes on table 1: With support from Creative Europe, the Fund
Female filmmakers21%
has initiated the new category IBF Europe: International Co-production in
The Fund considers it important that female filmmakers are represented
41% among 29%the selected projects. The figures below show the ratio of male
2015, to stimulate co-productions between European producers and those from developing countries. Five projects were selected in this category, re-
to female filmmakers.
29%
ceiving a total amount of â‚Ź 200.000. This explains the difference between
35%
the total amounts granted in 2014 and 2015.
7% filmmakers involved in selected6% Figure 3: Female projects
Table 1 further shows that less projects were selected in the Classic cat-
% Female filmmakers in 2014
% Female filmmakers in 2015
egories compared to 2014. This is due to less financing being available in 2015, as well as the introduction of the IBF Europe scheme. Counting both the Classic category and the new IBF Europe category, the number of selected projects is exactly the same.
48%
In the Documentary Festival category, the same amount was given out
52%
58%
42%
as in 2014, but divided between four festivals in stead of three. The Fund decided to continue its support to three festivals which also received support in 2013 and 2014 for a third and final year. In addition, a new initiative from Afghanistan was supported. As in 2014, a lack of financial means meant that the Fund could not hold an open call for Documen-
Male
Female
tary Festivals. Remarkably, a larger percentage of the selected projects in the Classic
Explanatory notes on Figure 3: Since 2012, the number of selected
categories (26%) came from the low income countries on the DAC list 4;
projects by female filmmakers has grown and in 2013 and 2014 more
26% is the average for all classic categories together.
than 50% of the filmmakers were female. In 2015 this percentage has decreased to 42%. For the purposes of the figures above, both directors and producers are considered filmmakers. Director and producer often play an equal role in the creation of a documentary: the director in terms of content and the producer in the area of getting the film made. Although women are in the minority as far as absolute numbers go, more than half of the selected projects have female talent involved either as a director or producer.
4 The DAC list 2014, 2015, 2016 as drawn up by the OECD, http://www.oecd. org/dac/stats/documentupload/DAC%20List%20of%20ODA%20Recipients%20 2014%20final.pdf. As low income countries the Fund considers the two lefthand columns on the DAC list named Least Developed Countries and Other Low Income Countries.
17
Selected Projects 2015 The following projects received support from the Fund in 2015. The list below includes the amount granted and a brief description of each project. Project development 1 5 Houses Bruno Gularte Barreto, Brazil € 5.000
In a small city in Brazil there is a house whose owners died, there is a school where nuns pray, there is a haunted farm where an old man lives, there is a young gay man being beaten up on the street, and there`s an old lady playing the piano. They talk about life, death, violence, prejudice, compassion and joy.
2 Alabang Boy Monster Jimenez, Phillippines € 5.000
Joseph Tecson, at 22 years old, spends 4 years in prison, falsely accused of heading a drug syndicate. In jail he starts to paint portraits of prisoners. After his acquittal, Joseph emerges a celebrated artist, but struggles to adjust to his new reality.
3 Big Character Anqi Ju, China € 5.000
On Google Maps from ten kilometers above the unpopulated westerly region of the Gobi desert, it’s possible to see thirty huge Chinese characters and an exclamation mark - poems of Chairman Mao. How did these characters appear in the deslotate and unibhabited Gobi?
4 Inseparables Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbo, Bhutan/ Hungary | € 5.000
Tashi and Tshering grew up together in a remote village in the isolated Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. When the two 13-year-old girls both get selected into the first national women football team, an inseparable bond develops in a faraway training camp.
5 The Land of Fire Alfredo Pourailly De La Plaza, Chile € 5.000
Every piece of land has its own resources. The film pursues the stories of the people who inhabit the Land of Fire island because there, in the isolated and almost uninhabited land, we can see more clearly the way we build our world.
6 Love Song. Pastorale Tinatin Gurchiani, Georgia € 5.000
How would you love to spend last years of your life? With past, presence or future? And when the evening of the life arrives, what would you love to remember?
7 Past, Continuous Nishtha Jain, India € 5.000
Past, Continuous looks at the anachronistic existence of the jute industry in India and Bangladesh, and its umbilical ties to the original jute-opolis, Dundee in Scotland. A film essay about global capitalism, labour struggles, the eco-friendly nature of the fiber, and cinema itself.
8 The Second Revolution: A dream for the poor, a nightmare for the rich? Khalo Matabane, South Africa | € 5.000
A young militant political activist goes against the Nelson Mandela narrative of forgiveness and reconciliation to take on both the white and black South Africa elite and eradicate the widening gap between the poor and the rich.
9 Written On Your Face Simon Lokwang, South Sudan € 4.500
Twelve-year-old Turo wants to become a man but to do so he and his friends from the village must go trough the initiation ritual during three weeks out in the bush and endure the painful scarification.
Production & Post-Production 10 Ambulance Mohamed Jabaly, Palestine/Norway € 15.000
Ambulance is a raw, first-person account of the last war in Gaza, July 2014. Mohamed Jabaly, a young man from Gaza City, joins an ambulance crew as war approaches.
11 Cecilia Pankaj Johar, India/Norway € 17.500
A personal and grueling quest for justice in the case of the mysterious suicide of a 14-year-old girl in Delhi. The police believe that this live-in maid for a wealthy family committed suicide, but no one can explain what might have driven her to do such a thing.
12 Checks and Balances Malek Bensmaïl, Algeria/France € 17.500
It’s spring 2014. The Algerian presidential election is in full swing when filmmaker Malek Bensmaïl gets permission to film the newsrooms of the independent French-language daily El Watan. He encounters a microcosm that, as the hours pass by, increasingly resembles a pressure cooker.
13 Children of the War Mariana Viñoles, Uruguay € 14.000
Children of the War tells the life’s story of people who had to leave their country behind, their families, their smells, their traditions to start a new life in a far away country they knew nothing of called Uruguay.
14 Indispensable Asad Faruqi, Pakistan € 17.500
Indispensable follows two bomb disposal squad members of the KPK Bomb Disposal Unit to the front lines of the war in Pakistan. The film gets up close and personal with these bomb technicians as they penetrate enemy territory, often using just their bare hands.
15 The Letter Maia Lekow, Christopher King, Kenya € 17.500
After his grandmother is accused of being a witch, a young rapper sacrifices his street-cred by embarking on an investigation to unmask the taboos around witchcraft, and record an outspoken album to stop the killing of elders in Kenya.
16 Roundabout in My Head Hassen Ferhani, Algeria/France/Lebanon/ Qatar | € 15.000
The magnificent caverns of a slaughterhouse in Algiers serve as a microcosm of Algerian society. The abattoir is a world within a world; during their breaks the men discuss politics, the refusal of some French-Algerian soccer players to sing “La Marseillaise,” and their own expectations for the future.
18
IDFA BERTHA FUND
17 The Sound of Masks Kofi Zwana, Sara Gouveia, South Africa € 17.500
A visual account of Mozambique’s past and present told through dance. We focus on a group of people living in the Military Zone in Maputo, who were given land as a reward for fighting in the independence and civil wars. They are facing eviction to make way for housing for the rich.
18 Spiral Jeffery Kalousdian, Maria Saakyan, Armenia | € 17.000
After 30 years dancing and teaching abroad, one of the most accomplished ballet dancers from the Soviet Union returns home to Armenia to revive the national ballet. He strives to turn the insular, undisciplined troupe into a world class modern company.
19 Sumercé Victoria Solano, Colombia/UK € 17.500
Three Colombians – veteran activist Don Eduardo, rising political leader César Pachón and future human rights lawyer Wilson Arias – fight their government’s decision to allow mining companies to carve up their birthright in a battle for the future security of over 12 million Colombian campesinos.
20 Syiagul Amanbek Mairambek Uulu, Kyrgyzstan € 5.000
The 46 year-old Duisheeva Syiagul lives in Bishkek with her family. For more than seven years she cares for children with autism abandoned by their parents, while she has three adult kids of her own. In the meantime Syiagul has also been fighting with cancer for many years.
21 Trembling Mountain Kesang Tseten, Nepal € 17.000
A natural calamity of an order unseen this century in Nepal brought destruction of highland villages of mud-and-stone dwellings of Langtang, one of the most scenic trekking spots in the Himalaya. How does this mountain community deal with a calamity beyond the ordinary?
22 The Waiting Bench Suhaib Gasmelbari Mustafa, Chad/ France/Sudan | € 17.500
Ibrahim, Manar, Soliman and Eltayeb, 4 filmmakers and close friends since more than 45 years, furrow Sudanese roads with their traveling cinema. The Waiting Bench is the story of their journey to look for a new movie screen and their cinema attempt in a wounded country.
23 When the Guns Go Silent Natalia Orozco, Colombia/France € 17.000
After half century of armed struggle, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the oldest guerrilla in the world, are preparing to silence their weapons and undertake the transition into the political realm. This documentary follows the FARC’s commander Pablo Catatumbo.
Unique perspective of an unknown country
Inseparables is the second documentary project from Bhutan ever supported by IBF. The inseparable friends Tashi and Tshering have one big dream: to become part of the first Bhutanese national women’s soccer team. Their story comes to symbolize the rapid modernization of Bhutan, where television was introduced as late as 1999. Filmmakers Dorottya Zurbó and Arun Bhattarai reflect on the crossroads between traditional and western values.
19
IBF Europe International Co-Production 24 Fathers & Sons - The Legacy of War Talal Derki, Germany/Syria € 40.000
Fathers and Sons tells the story of the young generation in Syria and asks about the future of children, who grew up in the war.
25 Freedom Fields Naziha Arebi, Libya/Scotland € 40.000
In post-revolution Libya a group of women are brought together by one dream: to play football for their nation. As the country descends into civil war and the utopian hopes of the “Arab Spring” begin to fade, can they realise their dream?
26 The Grown-Ups Maite Alberdi, Chile/The Netherlands € 40.000
A group of friends with Down syndrome have attended the same school for over 40 years. They’re aging and they have not been allowed to live adulthood on their own.
27 Hissène Habré, A Chadian Tragedy Mahamat Saleh Haroun, Chad/France/ Senegal | € 40.000
Hissène Habré, Chad president from 1982 to 1990, is to be judged for his crimes in 2015. Victims have been seeking to bring him to justice for 23 years.
28 The Iron Demon - A Journey into a Broken Land Jude Ratnam, France/Sri Lanka | € 40.000
In 1983, a Sri Lankan Tamil boy escapes an ethnic massacre by fleeing on a train. Today, now 30 years later a filmmaker, he boards a new train to revisit the recently ended civil war that tore his country apart.
Documentary Film Festival 29 Cine-DOC Tbilisi 2015 Artchil Khetagouri, Georgia € 10.000
Ciné-DOC Tbilisi Documentary Film Festival is an international documentary festival in the South of Caucasus that focusses on creative documentary. The IDFA Bertha Fund supported the 1st edition in 2013, the 2nd edition in 2014, and the 3rd edition in 2015.
30 RDOC, Int. Documentary FF Alejandro Andujar, Ana Poala van Dalen, Dominican Republic | € 10.000
The International Documentary Film Festival of Dominican Republic and Caribbean, RDOC, is the first meeting space and broadcast point for documentary film in Dominican Republic. The IDFA Bertha Fund supported the 1st edition in 2014, the 2nd edition in 2015, and will support the 3rd edition in 2016.
31 Wathann Film Festival Thu Thu Shein, Myanmar € 10.000
The Wathann Film Festival is a platform for Myanmar filmmakers to show their films in the field of documentary, fiction and experimental films to the Myanmar public. The IDFA Bertha Fund supported the 3rd edition in 2013, the 4th edition in 2014 and the 5th edition in 2015.
32 Window to Peace Documentary FF Sahra Mosawi, Afghanistan € 10.000
A monthly screening event of documentaries in Kabul including Q&A sessions with Afghani filmmakers which takes place from June 2015 to June 2016.
New talent develops into a master
The Grown-Ups is the second documentary project from Maite Alberdi supported by IBF. Her previous documentary Tea Time received production funding in the IBF Classic scheme and screened at more than 30 international festivals after its World premiere at IDFA 2014 and won 11 awards. During her IDFA visits she met her new Dutch co-producer Volya Films, who received the IBF Europe grant for Co-production support for The Grown-Ups.
20
IDFA BERTHA FUND
3. Funding of documentary projects 3.1 IBF Classic
Selected documentary applications
The IDFA Bertha Fund’s Classic categories support independent docu-
Of the 619 applications, 23 projects were selected. This constitutes less
mentary projects by both experienced and talented young filmmakers.
than 4% of applications received. Some of the documentaries supported
In addition, the IBF is one of the few funds in the world that supports
by the Fund are from unstable areas or countries with limited freedom
projects at the development stage, as well as projects dealing with risky
of expression, an essential precondition for an independent film indus-
topics or shot in dangerous situations. Often, projects by young, talented
try. In 2015, 12 projects (52%) were selected from countries where the
filmmakers who have almost no chance of finding finance elsewhere are
situation concerning freedom of the press is difficult and 4 projects (17%)
selected. In this way, the Fund strives to encourage a new generation of
from countries where the situation is very difficult.6 In total, 70% of the
male and female filmmakers to develop a voice and style of their own.
selected projects come from a country in which freedom of expression is
The diagrams below give an overview of the geographical distribution of
limited. All mentioned percentages are nearly the same as in 2014.
applications received, applications selected and documentaries realized.
New makers are well represented in the selection as a whole. Of the
9%
18%
10% 14%
23 selected projects, 14 projects (61%) are the director’s first or second
12%
Documentary applications received
16% documentary.
In 2015, a total of 619 applications were received for documentary projects
Of the selected projects, 22% were from the low income countries on
20%
29% the DAC list, a higher percentage than in the applications received.
from Africa, Asia, Latin America, parts of Eastern Europe and the MENA5
28%
region. The percentage of applications from the low income countries as
44%
Figure 2: Geographical distribution of selected projects
specified on the DAC list was 11% in 2015, compared to 12% in 2014.
% Selected projects in 2014
% Selected projects in 2015
Figure 1: Geographical distribution of applications % Applications received in 2014
9%
18%
16%
% Applications received in 2015
12%
17%
10% 14%
14%
31%
28%
44%
Total selected projects: 29 Africa
Asia
17%
Latin America
14%
22%
22%
35%
24%
29%
Africa
13% 9%
20%
Total applications received: 555
14%
Total applications received: 619 MENA
14%
Latin America
21%
Total selected projects: 23 MENA
Eastern Europe
12% 6%
Explanatory notes on Figure 2: There are a number of notable shifts in
Eastern Europe
13%
Asia
22%
the selection. The most prominent change can be seen in the 41%Africa re-
29%
Explanatory notes on Figure 1: As shown in9% the diagrams, the geo-
gion, increasing from 14% in 2014 to 22% in35% 2015. However, in absolute numbers the amount 29% of projects from Africa has not changed. The in-
14% distribution of applications received has changed quite a lot. graphical 31%
crease is not 7% hard to explain: the Fund selected fewer 6%projects in 2015,
However, the incredibly large amount of Brazilian 22% applications (132 of
35%received the total of 619), skews these figures. In past years, the Fund
but gave preference to African projects because there were many good
24%
around 25 applications from Brazil, but because the national film fund
applications from this region. In some previous years, little applications
communicated the IBF deadline very actively this year, the IBF was
from Africa had stood up to the quality that the Fund is searching for.
overwhelmed by 182 applications from Brazil, of which 132 actually fell
Secondly, fewer projects from Eastern Europe were selected than
within the Fund’s guidelines. This number greatly 6% the image of 12%skews
before. Every year new Non-EU Eastern-European countries are eligible
seems to have decreased by 9%, but when we disregard the extra
these countries can no longer apply for IDFA Bertha Fund support. Thus
41% in Brazilian projects there is only a decrease of 4%. The 16% increase
the number of applications from Eastern Europe is steadily declining,
14%
21% the geographical distribution. The number of applications from Asia
for the Creative Europe52% Program, which means 48% 58%that filmmakers 42% from
29%
applications from Latin America is largely35% due to the Brazilian contribu29%
resulting in a smaller selection. In 2015 filmmakers from Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia & Herzegovina were no longer eligible.
tions; disregarding them leaves an increase of only 4%. The percentage
7%received from Africa and MENA have of applications decreased only 6%
The high percentage of selected projects from Asia (35%) has
slightly - in absolute numbers it’s just a decrease of 12 projects. The
remained virtually unchanged for several years now. However, as op-
number of applications from Eastern Europe is slightly up.
posed to recent years when most projects where from India or China,
5 MENA = Middle East-North Africa
6 Based on the World Press Freedom Index 2015: http://index.rsf.org/#!/
48%
52%
58%
42%
21
Table 2 Selection of Human Rights Projects
there was more diversity: from the Philippines, Nepal and Bhutan to Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan. The percentage of selected projects from the MENA region is steadily
Documentary Project
Director
declining, from 9 projects in 2013 to 4 in 2014 and only 2 in 2015. How-
Cecilia
Pankaj Johar
m/ f m
India
ever, 2013 constituted a high-water mark: the political unrest in several
Indispensable
Asad Faruqi
m
Pakistan
MENA countries led to a greater number of urgent projects from the
The Letter
Maia Lekow, Christopher King
region in 2012 and 2013, which also led to a larger selection. The ongo-
Sumercé
Victoria Solano
f
Colombia
ing unrest is now allowing fewer projects to be made.
When the Guns Go Silent
Natalia Orozco
f
Colombia
f/m
Country
Kenya
Human Rights & Social Injustice
IDFA Human Rights Day
With support of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Fund
As part of the program, IDFA collaborated with the Movies that Matter
launched a program (2014-2015) for human rights and social injustice
Festival in organizing a Human Rights Day during IDFA 2015. This
documentaries. The program focusses on stories of human rights viola-
Movies that Matter Day consisted of a program of four films from the
tions which would not be seen or reflected upon without these docu-
IDFA programme: Lampedusa in Winter, Censored Voices, I Am Sun Mu
mentaries. Stories which denounce social injustice through powerful
and Guantanamo’s Child: Omar Khadr. Each screening was followed by
means such as witness accounts. Stories whose revelation put their
Extended Q&A’s with the filmmakers.
makers, defenders of human rights, at risk. Each year five documentaries receive a production grant. In addition to
Bertha Foundation/IDFA Outreach Workshop
funding, guidance is offered during production and editing. The selected
The filmmakers of all projects selected for the human rights
filmmakers also participate in an outreach workshop, guiding them in
program were invited to IDFA, where they participated in the Bertha
using their films to draw attention to certain themes and subjects. Con-
Foundation/IDFA Outreach Workshop. A total of ten filmmakers and
nected to this program, a day of human rights films is held during the
producers attended the workshop, given by the Bertha Foundation and
IDFA festival.
Britdoc, two institutes experienced in creating campaigns for message films. The one-day workshop started with a plenary session in which
Selection human rights program
case studies were used to explain the basic tenets and possibilities
From the applications, five projects from Pakistan, India, Kenya and
of outreach campaigns. The workshop then split into smaller groups,
Colombia were selected. The projects focus on individuals who are at risk
allowing experts and participants to focus on individual projects,
in their home countries, fighting for their own rights or for the rights of
taking the first steps towards creating their own campaigns.
their community. Cecilia premiered at IDFA 2015. The other four films are
The selected filmmakers all indicated that they want to have a wide
still in production.
distribution of their films and not necessarily through traditional
Fighting for peace in Colombia
When the Guns Go Silent received production support from IDFA Bertha Fund via the Human Rights and Social Injustice program of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project is about the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the oldest guerilla organization in the world, and their preparations to silence their weapons and undertake the transition into the political realm. During IDFA 2015 the filmmakers participated in the Bertha Foundation/IDFA Outreach Workshop.
22
18%
14%
12%
16%
IDFA BERTHA FUND
20% 29%
28%
44%
screens. Their stories are all of importance in their home countries,
Explanatory notes on Figure 4: The number of realized projects was
while several could also be used as part of an international campaign.
slightly higher in 2015 than it was in 2014. For the past three years, the Fund was able (as it wasn’t in 2012) to hold two selections round per
Documentaries14% realized 17%
year, increasing the number of supported documentaries in production
13%
22% from In 2015, 17 documentaries that previously received a contribution
and thus the number of realized projects. The Fund is expecting this
9%
increase to continue in the upcoming years.
the Fund were realized. Of these, 12 were selected for IDFA 2015, 4
were14% debut films and 2 were made in a country from the low income 31% countries of the DAC list. 22% 35% 24%
With regards to geographical distribution, it is notable that most projects come from Asia and MENA. In 2012 and 2013 many documentaries from MENA were selected, as the start of the Arab Spring
Figure 4: Geographical distribution of documentaries realized
resulted in an increase of applications from the region. The resulting
Documentaries realized 2014
films are now starting to be released. In addition, Asia has long been a
Documentaries realized 2015
front-runner in both the number of selected projects and the number
14%
12% 6%
21%
29%
tions being sent in and selected in the last few years, resulting in 6 out of 17 projects realized in 2015 (35%) hailing from these two countries.
41%
35%
29%
of realized projects. China and India in particular saw many applica-
Unfortunately there is a decrease in the number of realized projects from Africa, even though the amount of selected projects has changed very little over the last few years. A number of projects from
7%
6%
Total: 14
Total: 17
this region are taking longer than expected to reach the finish line, but the Fund expects to see these films realized in the next few years.
Africa
Asia
Latin America
MENA
Additionally, a number of African projects which received development support from IBF did not enter production, because the film-
Eastern Europe
makers could not get financing. The Fund, too, rejected applications
48%
52%
58%
for production support for these projects, as they did not comply
42%
with the Fund’s quality requirements.
The upcoming MENA region
One of the projects from the MENA region was Roundabout in My Head by Algerian director Hassen Ferhani, which portrays daily life in an Algerian slaughterhouse. The fund supported Roundabout in My Head with a production grant in 2015 and could proudly present the film in the First Appearance Competition at IDFA 2015, where it won the Special Jury Award.
23
3.2 IBF Europe 2015 saw the launch of a new funding scheme, IDFA Bertha Fund Europe,
Explanatory notes on figure: The number of applications from The
to support the production and distribution of international co-produc-
Netherlands was surprising, as Dutch documentary producers are not
tions between Europe and developing countries. By focusing on funding
usually very active with regards to international co-productions. Their
documentaries from developing countries through these European
colleagues in France and Germany are more active in comparison:
partners the Fund will be able to increase the support to these films, to
co-productions are more common in these countries because more op-
strengthen the creative participation of the European partners and to
portunities for the financing of co-productions are in place.
stimulate the circulation of documentaries from developing countries in
The Fund is eager to attract producers from countries where possibili-
a world that is mostly dominated by western media.
ties for co-productions are scarcer, and will give more attention to this
In 2015 a first selection round was held for the category IBF Europe:
in upcoming selection rounds.
International Co-production support. The first selection round for IBF Europe: Distribution support for International Co-productions will take
Selected projects
place in 2016. The tables below give an overview of the applications
Of the 24 applications, 6 projects were selected. In the end, one se-
received and selected.
lected project fell through: the contract with the Fund was terminated after the co-producers decided to part ways. Therefore, the percent-
Applications for International Co-production support
ages in this report reflect 5 selected projects for IBF Europe: Interna-
For this first selection round, the Fund received 24 applications, entered
tional Co-production. All filmmakers of these selected projects have
by producers from a.o. France, The Netherlands, Estonia, the UK and
dealt with the Fund before: three projects were previously supported
Portugal, co-producing with a wide range of countries in Africa, Asia,
through IBF Classic, and in two other cases the Fund supported previ-
Latin America, the Middle-East and Eastern Europe.
ous works by the filmmakers. IBF expects to be able to present all films realized with the IBF Europe support at IDFA 2016. For an overview of all selected projects, see
Table 3: Applications for Co-production support Estonia France Germany Italy
1 6 3 1
The Netherlands Norway Portugal United Kingdom
page 16.
7 1 1 4
Learning a different approach in editing
Inadelso Cossa from Mozambique worked with editing mentor Menno Boerema on his project Kula: A Memory in Three Acts during the IDFAcademy Summer School. “It was crucial for me to get a different approach to editing and Menno played a very important role in achieving this”, Cossa says. “I came to the Summer School with a narrow vision and wrong ideas about the use of narration and voice over. Menno’s masterclass showed me that this can be an important tool to grab the audience and move the audience forward. I went home with new tools to work with and new ideas about openings and beginnings.”
24
IDFA BERTHA FUND
4. Professionalization of filmmakers Since a few years, the IDFA Bertha Fund has made it a priority to not
Since 2008, filmmakers with projects selected by IBF have been able
only give financial support to filmmakers, but also provide tailor-made
to participate in the IDFAcademy Summer School. In 2013 the Fund set
practical guidance. IBF offers its selected filmmakers a number of
up the IBF Project Factory. Both programs offer supported filmmakers
training opportunities to stimulate their development and strengthen
different opportunities to receive consultancy on the development,
their documentaries. The Fund aims to support filmmakers in their
editing and distribution of their projects.
creative process and where necessary, help them bring their work to an international level. In most countries where the Fund is active, there is
IDFAcademy Summer School 2015
little or no film training and hardly anything that could be called a film
From June 29 through July 4, young filmmakers, editors and pro-
industry. Often there are no funds offering support to documentary
ducers from 13 different countries gathered at De Brakke Grond in
filmmaking and filmmakers struggle with inadequate screening op-
Amsterdam for the eighth IDFAcademy Summer School. A week full
portunities for their documentaries.
of discussions, lectures and workshops helped participants take their documentary projects to the next level. Two workshop tracks were offered, focusing on writing and editing respectively. In 2015, a total of 16 projects were selected for the Summer School, seven of which were supported by the IBF.
Table 4: IBF Participants at the IDFAcademy Summer School 2015 Documentary project
Country
Summer School Category
Filmmakers / participants
M/F
Have a nice day!
Brazil
Development
Tali Yankelevich & Rachel Vianna
F/F M/F
Inseparables
Bhutan/Hungary
Development
Arun Bhattarai & Dorottya Zurbó
Anonymous project
Paraguay
Development
anonymous
The Sound of Masks
South Africa
Development
Kofi Zwana & Sara Gouveia
M/F
Spiral
Armenia
Development
Jeffery Kalousdian & Maria Saakyan
M/F
Kula: A Memory in Three Acts
Mozambique
Editing
Inadelso Cossa
Winners
Iran
Editing
Omid Abdollahi & Emad Jalali Bostanoo
M
M M/M
Explanatory notes on Table 4: Of the seven IBF projects that participat-
2015. The Summer School helped in founding the focus of
ed in the IDFAcademy Summer School 2015, six are still in production
the documentary.
and one is completed. Most projects were selected for the develop-
Lyari Notes had its world premiere in the Panorama section of IDFA
ment category, meaning they were at the beginning stages of their
2015 and was nominated for the Alliance of Women Film Journalists’
creation in summer of 2015. Most of these projects will be finished in
EDA Award for Best Female-Directed Documentary. The Summer
2016, with some following in 2017. In addition, three documentaries
School in 2013 was very special for this project: the director from
that participated in previous editions of the Summer School were
Pakistan and the director from India met in real life for the first time.
realized in 2015. Two of them screened at IDFA 2015: Ukrainian Sheriffs
During the Summer School the filmmakers structured the narrative
(Ukraine) and Lyari Notes (Pakistan/India). Both projects attended the
and found a European co-producer in their Summer School mentor.
Summer School to work on the development of the story.
The Shadow Lawyers (Egypt) and Winners (Iran) were also realized in
Ukrainian Sheriffs had its world premiere in the IDFA Competition for
2015, but unfortunately didn’t reach the IDFA 2015 selection.
Feature-Length Documentary and won the Special Jury Award at IDFA
25
Table 5: Overview IBF Summer School projects 2008-2015 Since the first Summer School in 2008, the Fund has facilitated participation by a number of supported projects. Table 5 shows the course these projects have taken, and the final outcome.
Documentary project
Year Summer School
Country
Status
Cinema Komunisto
2008
Serbia
completed
The Caviar Connection
2008
Serbia
completed
IDFA Forum
2007
IDFA
Docs for Sale
Total Festivalscreenings
Total Awards
2010: FA Competition
2010
31
5
2008: FA Competition
2008
32
5
The Devil Operation
2008
Peru
completed
2010: Panorama
2010
45
4
King Naki and the Thundering Hooves
2008
South Africa
completed
2011: FA Competition
2011
7
2
Retiro Shelter
2008
Argentine
completed
2008: Panorama
2008
14
3
Good Old Bad Times
2008
Bolivia
on hold
Therapies in Tehran
2008
Iran
in production
expected for 2017
The Death of Jaime Rold贸s
2009
Ecuador
completed
2013: Panorama
2013
17
10
My Name is Salt
2009
India
completed
2013: FA Competition
2013
73
28
2012
34
5
Other
IDFA Award for Best First Appearance
Sand Fishers
2009
Mali
completed
2012: Panorama
World without Shadow
2009
Maleisia
completed
rejected for 2011
The Iron Demon
2009
Sri Lanka
in production
expected for 2016
5 Broken Cameras
2010
Palestine
completed
2011: FA Competition
2011
64
22
Oscar Nomination 2013, IDFA Audience Award & IDFA Special Jury Award
Are you Listening!
2010
Bangladesh
completed
2012: Panorama
2012
31
5
Opening Film Leipzig Int. F.F.
Citadel
2010
Bolivia
completed
2011: Panorama
2011
8
1
2012
29
5
2014
13
3
3
Where the Condors Fly
2010
Chile
completed
2012: Panorama
Bukom Fighter
2010
Ghana
in production
expected for 2016
In the Dark
2011
Serbia
completed
Lost in Shanghai
2011
China
completed
Waiting for Heaven
2011
Palestine
on hold
What Will Tomorrow Bring
2011
Nigeria
on hold
The White Volta
2011
Ghana
in production
2011 online
2014: Panorama
1
rejected for 2014
expected for 2016
The Devil's Lair
2012
South Africa
completed
2012
2013: Best of Fests
2013
19
I, Afrikaner
2012
South Africa
completed
2009
2013: FA Competition
2013
15
Red Wedding
2012
Cambodia
completed
2011 online
2012: ML Competition
2012
24
4
IDFA Award for Best Mid-Length Documentary
Camera / Woman
2012
Morocco
completed
2012 online
2012: ML Competition
2012
48
3
IDFA Nomination for Best Mid-Length Documentary
The Cleaner
2012
Morocco
on hold
GITI - Paradise in Hell
2012
Rwanda
in production
Logs of War
2012
Kenya
in production
Whose Country?
2012
Egypt
in production
The Mulberry House
2013
Yemen
completed
2013: Panorama
2013
17
3
2013
54
8
3
expected for 2016 expected for 2016 2011
expected for 2016
The Silence of the Flies
2013
Venezuela
completed
2013: Panorama
Little Red Dragonfly
2013
South Africa
in production
expected for 2016
Die Before Blossom
2013
Indonesia
completed
2014: FA Competition
2014
7
Lyari Notes
2013
India
completed
2015: Panorama
2015
1*
The Shadow Lawyers
2013
Egypt
completed
rejected for IDFA 2015
2015
26
IDFA Nomination for Alliance of Women Film Journalists' EDA Award for Best Female-Directed Documentary
IDFA BERTHA FUND
The Donkey that Carried the Cloud on its Back
2013
Kenya
in production
expected for 2016
Mother of the Unborn
2014
Egypt
completed
2014: FA Competition
2014
23
5
IDFA Peter Wintonick Special Jury Award for First Appearance
Tea Time
2014
Chile
completed
2014: FA Competition
2014
32
10
IDFA Alliance of Women Film Journalists' EDA Award for Best FemaleDirected Documentary
Another Wall in the Sugar Fields
2014
Dominican Republic
in production
expected for 2017
Bukom Fighter
2014
Ghana
in production
expected for 2016
God's Ambassador's Netball Club
2014
Kenya
in production
expected for 2016
Kula: A Memory in Three Acts
2014
Mozambique
in production
expected for 2016
Proposition for a Revolution
2014
India
completed
expected for 2016
Ukrainian Sheriffs
2014
Ukraine
completed
2015: Feature Length Competition
2015
1*
1
IDFA Special Jury Award for Feature Length Documentary
Have a Nice Day
2015
Brazil
in production
expected for 2016
The Sound of Masks
2015
South Africa
in production
expected for 2017
Spiral
2015
Armenia
in production
expected for 2016
Stories from the Field
2015
Bhutan
in production
expected for 2017
Anonymous project
2015
Paraguay
in production
expected for 2017
Kula: A Memory in Three Acts
2015
Mozambique
in production
expected for 2016
Winners
2015
Iran
completed
rejected for IDFA 2015
2011
FA Competition = IDFA Competition for First Appearance, ML Competition = IDFA Competition for Mid-Length Documentary, FL Competition = IDFA Competition for Feature Length Documentary, *These films had their world premiere or international premiere at IDFA 2015 and are starting their festival careers in 2016.
Explanatory notes on Table 5: Since 2008, 50 IBF projects have partici-
A little over half of all the projects have now been realized (29 completed
pated in the IDFAcademy Summer School. Two projects have partici-
projects, 58%). Of these 29 realized projects, 24 were selected for IDFA
pated twice, in both the script as well as the editing workshop. Both
(83%). Exactly half of these films (12) were screened in one of the festi-
of these projects are from Africa: Bukom Fighter from Ghana and Kula:
val’s competitions, and half of those again (6) won awards at IDFA.
A Memory in Three Acts from Mozambique. These countries have no
Of all the projects, 17 (34%) are still in production and 4 projects (8%)
educational programs for filmmakers, who also have little to no access
are on hold due to safety concerns or a lack of production funds. Of the
to consultants or other training opportunities, so the IDFAcademy
projects still in production, 13 (76%) are expected to be completed in
Summer School provides a much-needed push. Both films are expected
time for IDFA 2016.
to be finished in 2016.
27
IBF Project Factory 2015 From November 19-25, IBF filmmakers from eighteen projects in
program, attend lectures and discussions, consult with experts in the
production and one realized documentary were invited to attend the
area of development, editing or outreach and meet other internation-
third edition of the IBF Project Factory during IDFA 2015. For an entire
al documentary professionals. The Fund has flown all participants to
week, the participants were able to immerse themselves in the IDFA
Amsterdam and facilitated their participation in these programs.
Table 6: Participants at the IBF Project Factory 2015 Documentary project
Country
Participants
Ambulance
Palestine, Norway
Mohamad Jalaby Mustafa
The Second Revolution: A dream for the poor, a nightmare for the rich?
South Africa
Khalo Matabane, Neil Brandt
The Waiting Bench
Chad, France
Marie Balducci
M/F
Pitch at IDFA Forum + pitching workshop M M/M F
IDFA Forum Observer Children of the War
Uruguay
Mariana Viñoles, Stefano Tononi
F/M
Freedom Fields
Libya, UK
Naziha Arebi, Flore Cosquer
F/F
Hisséne Habré, A Chadian Tragedy
Chad, France
Florence Stern
The Iron Demon - A Journey into a Broken Land
Sri Lanka, France
Jude Ratnam, Julie Paratian
F M/F
Love Song. Pastorale
Georgia
Tamar Gurchiani
F
The Oldies
Venezuela, Canada, UK, Cuba
Rosana Matecki
F
IDFAcademy program 5 Houses
Brazil
Bruno Gularte Barreto, Jéssica Luz
M/F
Alabang Boy
Philippines
Monster Jimenez, Mario Cornejo
M/M
The Land of Fire
Chile
Alfredo Pourailly De La Plaza
The Letter
Kenya
Maia Lekow, Christopher King
M F/M
Love Song. Pastorale
Georgia
Tamar Gurchiani
F
Syiagul
Kyrgyzstan
Amanbek Mairambek Uulu
M
Ambulance
Norway, Palestine
Mohanad Yaqubi
M
Bertha Foundation/IDFA Outreach Workshop Cecilia
India, Norway
Pankaj Johar, Sunaina Kapoor
M/F
Indispensable
Pakistan, USA
Asad Faruqi, Clare Vance
M/F F/M
The Letter
Kenya
Maia Lekow, Christopher King
Sumercé
Colombia, Argentina, UK
Victoria Solano, Paul Vaccaro
F/M
When the Guns Go Silent
Colombia, France
Natalia Orozco, Julian Giraldo
F/M
Pitching, networking and getting feedback
Director Khalo Matabane and producer Neil Brandt were invited to IDFA Forum to present their project The Second Revolution at a Round Table pitch. “Pitching at IDFA was an exhilarating experience. Being able to constructively engage with some of the best minds in documentary financing really helps you come to grips with the international potential of your film, and bring it to the attention of those that have the power to funds and access to the market and global audiences. As a result of our pitch we are now in advanced discussions with numerous broadcasters and institutional funders from around the world.” Producer Neil Brandt from South Africa.
28
IDFA BERTHA FUND
Tailor-made consultancies and feedback
Explanatory notes on Table 6: Each project was invited to participate in one of IDFA’s industry or educational programs. Six projects attended
The timing of the IDFAcademy Summer School and the IBF Project Fac-
the IDFA Forum as an observer to broaden their network and to meet
tory is not convenient for all filmmakers in relation to their production
possible financiers or co-producers. Three projects, Ambulance, The
process. In order to still offer support to these filmmakers, the Fund
Second Revolution and The Waiting Bench, were selected for the IDFA
offers feedback from the IDFA staff on rough cuts of the films. In 2015
Forum for a round table pitch to a panel of commissioning editors
feedback was given to Lyari Notes, Sonita, Cecilia, Winners, Ukrainian
and attended a pitch workshop. IBF facilitated the participation of
Sheriffs, Afghanistan Night Stories and Wedding: A Film. Five of these
the projects in the Forum as well as the pitch workshop, helping them
seven films subsequently screened at IDFA.
prepare their presentation. For The Waiting Bench the manager of the
In terms of the business side of documentary making, the filmmakers
IBF assisted the pitch itself as a financier of the project.
can also approach the Fund for advice on distribution, on festival strat-
Seven projects took part in the IDFAcademy, an intensive four-day
egies or on agreements with distributors or TV stations. To provide
training program for emerging filmmakers and producers. And the five
this, the Fund makes use of the knowledge present within IDFA as well
projects from the human rights program (see page 20) participated in
as its extensive international network.
the Bertha Foundation/IDFA Outreach Workshop. Three projects took part in two of these various programs. In light of its new IBF Europe category, the Fund also invited a number of European co-producers for the first time. Of the six projects selected as Forum Observers, three come from the IBF Europe selection.
Crash course in the documentary industry
Kenyan director Maia Lekow was part of a live brainstorm during the IDFAcademy session Blending impact & distribution. The Letter was one of the projects that participated in the IDFAcademy, where directors Lekow and Christopher King had the opportunity to meet a broad spectrum of highly esteemed documentary professionals, gain up-to-date market knowledge and receive practical tips and advise on pitching and impact strategies and an outreach campaign.
29
5. Festivals and Distribution Screening opportunities for documentaries in general and especially in
Table 7 reflects the development of these festivals over the past years.
the countries where the IDFA Bertha Fund is active are often limited. By
All of the above mentioned festivals were selected for the last time. The
providing financial support to documentary festivals, the Fund creates
Fund hopes the festivals can stand on their own two feet after three
new opportunities for the screening of independent documentaries in
years of support. They have grown significantly in these years, both in size
developing countries. Furthermore, various means are used to promote
and in quality, and have managed to connect with various other partners.
IBF documentaries among festivals and distributors worldwide. Most
The programmers were invited to attend IDFA for the third time in
of the documentaries realized are presented at IDFA, an important
order to network, get to know the IDFA organization and to follow a
starting point for the international career of a documentary. Docu-
special program for festival programmers, organized by IBF for the
mentaries that screen at IDFA and are included in Docs for Sale often
second time. This program consisted of two roundtable sessions on
go on to have many more screenings at international festivals or to be
obtaining sponsorship and generating funds and on audience building
broadcast on television worldwide.
and programming strategies, followed by networking drinks. The first session was led by Marthe Jongmans, who was responsible for spon-
Support of documentary festivals
soring and fundraising at IDFA 10 years. Filmmaker and festival director
The Fund supported three festivals which were also supported in 2013
Manolo Sarmiento from the festival Edocs from Ecuador (which exists
and 2014. This is in line with the decision in 2013 to emphasize creating
since 2002) was invited to guide the second session.
long-term relationships with supported festivals, by supporting at
Additionally, a new initiative was added to the festival selection in
least three consecutive editions of every festival. In addition, the Fund
2015: the Windows to Peace festival in Afghanistan. This new festival
offers guidance regarding programming, organization and financing,
was picked up by the Fund after it was entered at the Movies That
where needed, allowing these festivals to lay the foundations on which
Matter Foundation, for which the IBF Manager is a member of the
to build an independent future. In 2015, the Fund continued its support
selection committee. Due to the festival’s broad programming range,
for the Wathann Film Festival in Myanmar (September 2015), Ciné-Doc
it was a better fit for the IDFA Bertha Fund. Throughout one year,
Tbilisi in Georgia (October 2015) and RDOC in the Dominican Republic
Windows to Peace organizes monthly screenings of documentaries and
(March 2016).
feature films at the University of Kabul, followed by Q&A’s. The initiative will run through June 2016.
Table 7: Festival support Ciné-doc Tbilisi Number of selected films
2013 61
2014 41
2015
RDOC
2014
2015
2016
Wathann Film Festival
2013
2014
2015
40
Number of selected films
39
39
n/a
Number of selected films
35
23
37
Numer of screenings
85
70
57
Numer of screenings
39
39
n/a
Numer of screenings
56
54
59
Audience Attendance
4.900
6.500
7.500
Audience Attendance
2.700
2.450
n/a
Audience Attendance
2.634
1.115
4.131
Reknowned filmmaker Audrius Stonys gives a presentation on truth and illusion in documentary film for Georgian documentary professionals
Festival director Ana Paola van Dalen in a conference with a.o. Spanish filmmaker Raul Riebenbauer at RDOC
The support of three consecutive years of Ciné-Doc Tbilisi by IBF had an impact on the whole Georgian film industry, says Artchil Khetagouri, director and founder Ciné-Doc Tbilisi. “Due to the long cooperation with IDFA and the IDFA Bertha Fund there were so many Georgian documentary professionals at IDFA this year, more than ever before. Even the Georgian National Film Centre highlighted the importance of IDFA and the IDFA Bertha Fund for the Georgian film industry.”
“The existence of RDOC accelerated the support for documentary production in the DR”, says Alejandro Andujar, director and founder of RDOC. “In the last few years the DR film commission organized documentary workshops and it started to support two documentaries every year. The Dominican filmmaking communities also embrace the existence of RDOC as it not only allows them to watch the documentaries being made in the region, but also to have a place to interact with international documentary filmmakers and learn from their experience.”
30
Award ceremony of the Wathann Film Festival “The three years of funding were important for the festival, looking at the development of Myanmar in this time and the development of the media sector”, says Thu Thu Shein, director and founder of the Wathann Film Festival. “It is very important to have a film festival celebrating artistic films and giving the Myanmar filmmakers the confidence to have their own voices heard.”
IDFA BERTHA FUND
Explanatory notes on Table 7: The festival in Eastern Europe (Ciné-Doc
International distribution of IBF-supported documentaries
Tbilisi) managed again to attract a high number of visitors to its third
IDFA 2015
edition in 2015. Over its three years of existence, the audience numbers
In 2015, 13 documentaries supported by IBF were presented at IDFA.
have gradually increased.
Twelve of these were new films, while one was an older IBF-supported
The festival in Latin America (RDOC) was held for the second time in
film (Tishe!) selected for Sounds Real, a theme program focused on the
2015. The audience numbers decreased slightly. As is visible in the table
use of sound in documentary. Three of the newly presented docs were
above the audience numbers at the 2015 Wathann Film Festival (4.131
selected to participate in a competition program. Roundabout in My
visitors) were significantly higher than the previous edition. The festival
Head won the IDFA Special Jury Award for First Appearance, Ukrainian
had to relocate last minute in 2014, but managed to solve this problem
Sheriffs won the IDFA Special Jury Award for Feature-Length Documen-
in 2015, which is reflected in the numbers. The Wathann Film Festival
tary and Sonita won the Bankgiro Loterij IDFA Audience Award.
has grown enormously on social media as well: from 7,000 followers on
2015 was a unique year for the IBF harvest at IDFA; a high amount of
Facebook in 2014 to 21,058 followers in 2015.
IBF films were selected for special theme programs and for special audiences. The Chinese Mayor, Checks and Balances and Ukrainian
Of the four selected festivals, the Wathann Film Festival from Myan-
Sheriffs were selected for the highly acclaimed theme program
mar and Windows to Peace from Afghanistan are from the low income
Benjamin Barber: Jihad vs. McWorld 2015. The films were chosen by
countries of the DAC list (50%). Together, the four events accounted for
Benjamin Barber himself out of the whole IDFA selection. After the
screenings of 121 films, of which on average 71% were drawn from their
screenings of The Chinese Mayor and Checks and Balances, Extended
own continent. These events attracted a total of 14,441 visitors.
Q&A’s were held with Barber and the filmmakers. Sonita and
As there were no selection rounds in 2014 and 2015, no new festival
Ukrainian Sheriffs were selected for the youth program CJP serveert
applications were received. The Fund hopes to find a new financier in
and Behemoth, The Siren of Faso Fani and Ukrainian Sheriffs were
2016 to be able to reopen this category in 2017, allowing new festivals
screened during the World Documentaries Program, a compilation
to be discovered.
program consisting of three films supported by the IDFA Bertha Fund. Checks and Balances and the Chinese Mayor were placed in special
Chinese City Politics Go Global
The Chinese Mayor gives a special, rarely seen insight in Chinese society and was therefore one of the more popular films on the festival circuit in 2015. It premiered at Sundance, travelled to another 33 festivals worldwide, was selected for IDFA’s Best of Fests section and is continuing its world tour in 2016. It is striking that The Chinese Mayor has not yet been screened very often in its own region, Asia. Therefore it is all the more significant that the film won the Golden Horse Award in Taiwan, a prestigious prize famous in the Chinese community.
31
sponsor days; the former first in the TV5MONDE day and the latter
the forced marriages of minor girls. Additionally, Sonita was screened
in the Volkskrant IDFA day. The Chinese Mayor was also screened for
during IDFA’s school program, dedicated screenings for school kids of
members of Club IDFA. Debate center De Balie chose The Siren of Faso
all ages held every morning during the festival.
Fani and Sonita to be screened with an Extended Q&A, including a
At the close of the festival Ukrainian Sheriffs and Sonita also became part
very special conversation after the screening of Sonita with Mabel
of the Best of IDFA program, consisting of award-winners of the festival.
van Oranje, co-founder of Girls not Brides, an organization fighting Table 8: IBF documentaries selected for IDFA 2015 IDFA Competition for Feature Length 1 Sonita Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami Iran/Germany/Switzerland, 2015, 90' WP 2 Ukrainian Sherrifs Roman Bondarchuk Ukraine/Latvia/Germany, 2015, 80' WP IDFA Competition for First Appearance 3 Roundabout in My Head Hassen Ferhani Algeria/France/Lebanon/Qatar, 2015, 100' IP Masters 4 Behemoth Liang Zhao China/France, 2015, 90' DP 5 Checks and Balances Malek Bensmaïl Algeria/France, 2015, 97' DP Best of Fests 6 The Chinese Mayor Hao Zhou China, 2015, 87' DP 7 The Siren of Faso Fani Michel K. Zongo France/Burkina Faso/Germany, 2014, 89' 8 Surire Ivan Osnovikoff, Bettina Perut Chile/Germany, 2015, 80' DP Panorama 9 Afghanistan Night Stories Alka Sadat Afghanistan, 2015, 60' WP 10 Cecilia Pankaj Johar India/Norway, 2015, 85' WP 11 Lyari Notes Miriam Chandy Menacherry, Maheen Zia India/Pakistan, 2015, 80' WP 12 Please Remember Me Qing Zhao China, 2015, 78' WP Sounds Real 13 Tishe Victor Kossakovsky Russia, 2002, 80'
Illegally living in Tehran, an 18-year old Afghani refugee named Sonita dreams of being a rapper in this exciting document of her search for her own path in life. A tragicomic portrait of a two-man team of sheriffs in a remote Ukrainian village disturbed by everyday incidents and political developments.
The magnificent caverns of a slaughterhouse in Algiers serve as a microcosm of Algerian society.
The Chinese mining industry has devastating effects on people and nature, creating something more akin to Dante’s Hell than the intended prosperous paradise. A nice observation of daily life in an Algerian newsroom, where the country’s political reality is conveyed with talent, intellect and humor.
The mayor of the Chinese city of Datong embarks on an immense demolition and building project to transform his city into a tourist attraction. The enforced privatization of the Faso Fani textile plant brought an end to prosperity in Koudougou, where the dream of a return to its heydays is still kept alive. Perut and Osnovikoff’s magnificent wide shots and beautiful close-ups observe life on the Salar de Surire, a protected salt flat in the Chilean Andes.
A special commando unit was set up within the Afghan army to fight against the Taliban. Sadat records everyday life of the soldiers and follows them on their dangerous, often nocturnal, missions. A personal and grueling quest for justice in the case of the mysterious suicide of a 14-year-old girl in Delhi, the daughter of the 54-year-old housekeeper of filmmaker Pankaj Johar. Four girls from the violent Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, Pakistan, get free weekly music lessons, oftfering them a ray of hope in their dire circumstances. 88-year old Lou has had Alzheimer's for the last 10 years and recognizes almost no one except for her husband Feng. The elderly couple in Shnghai gracefully struggles with age, illness and memory loss. From his window, Victor Kossakovsky filmed the endless roadwork on a St. Petersburg street over the course of a year.
WP = World Premiere, IP = International Premiere, EP = European Premiere, DP = Dutch Premiere
32
IDFA BERTHA FUND
Sonita steals audiences’ hearts
Right after the world premiere director Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami thanked her protagonist Sonita with a generous hug. The audience’s warm response and four standing ovations visibly moved both the filmmaker and Sonita. After the premiere the film immediately conquered the first position in the audience favorites ratings list and stayed there for the remainder of the festival. Eventually Sonita won IDFA’s Audience Award.
Table 9: Audience Attendance at IDFA
The number of tickets sold and the occupancy rate of the theatre are listed separately for each screening. 1
Screenings
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
IDFA Competition for Feature Length Sonita
732
100%
223
96%
141
99%
334
87%
148
99%
407
85%
177
100%
4.6991
100%
Ukrainian Sheriffs
382
100%
305
99%
244
100%
532
73%
192
100%
223
96%
77
44%
3.114
100%
3
1.7302
100%
8.591 5.069
IDFA Competition for First Appearance 97
55%
47
36%
51
39%
90
67%
63
70%
348
Checks and Balances
147
48%
43
11%
60
46%
77
44%
71
53%
398
Behemoth
52
50%
36
20%
175
100%
218
57%
77
44%
558
The Chinese Mayor
306
100%
195
63%
233
32%
285
75%
191
100%
The Siren of Faso Fani
59
56%
51
38%
77
54%
77
44%
Surire
72
69%
47
47%
96
100%
115
37%
Afghanistan Night Stories
87
64%
136
100%
82
91%
76
75%
Cecilia
75
42%
51
38%
34
35%
79
58%
Lyari Notes
108
80%
94
54%
56
58%
118
91%
376
Please Remember Me
90
100%
133
99%
75
83%
90
100%
388
55
41%
121
97%
Roundabout in My Head Masters
Best of Fests 728
100%
191
100%
132
100%
2261 264
174
99%
504
57
59%
296
Panorama 381
Sounds Real Tishe
176 19.610
Total 1. S onita screened in the IDFA Audience Favorites, Docs around the Clock and The Best of IDFA. 4.699 is the total audience number for these 9 screenings together, all of which were at 100% capacity. 2. Sonita was onderdeel van de schoolvoorstellingen. 1.730 is the total audience number for the 15 schoolscreenings together. 3. U krainian Sheriffs screened in The Best of IDFA program, which showed in five auditoria. 3.114 is the total number of tickets sold for these auditoria together, all of which were 100% sold-out.
33
Explanatory notes on Table 9: The many screenings and selections for
Cecilia
24
81
special programs made 2015 a very successful year for the Fund, which is
Lyari Notes
13
78
reflected in the viewing numbers. A striking feature of the figures given in
Please Remember Me
4
26
the table above is the audience numbers for Sonita and Ukrainian Sheriffs.
Fireflies in the Abyss
2
25
Both were award-winners and therefore automatically included in the
Total
287
1435
IDFA 2014 Harvest
Docs for Sale @ IDFA 2015
Docs for Sale online 2015
Die Before Blossom
NA
68
Mother of the Unborn
NA
117
Tea Time
NA
176
The Storm Makers
NA
122
The Dream of Shahrazad
NA
130
Beats of the Antonov
NA
108
Ady Gasy, the Malagasy Way
NA
84
Fest of Duty
NA
82
In the Dark
NA
49
Saken
NA
39
Total
NA
975
sold-out Best of IDFA program, reaching an audience of 6,228 through these screenings alone. Because it won the Audience Award, Sonita was also placed in the IDFA Audience Favorites program and Docs around the Clock, reaching another audience of 1,585 people. Another notable fact is the sheer number of screenings of Sonita, Ukrainian Sheriffs and The Chinese Mayor. This is because these films were all selected for multiple programs, resulting in a great number of extra screenings and thus a larger audience. Counted together, all 94 screenings of IBF documentaries during IDFA sold 19,610 tickets, against 6,131 tickets sold with 53 screenings of 13 documentaries in 2014. This enormous increase can be explained of course by the difference in the amount of screenings and also by the success of Sonita and The Ukrainian Sheriffs as explained above. A disappointing point, however, are the audience figures for the World Documentaries program, a compilation program consisting of three films supported by the IDFA Bertha Fund. While this program usually
Explanatory notes on Table 10: This overview shows the 2015 Docs for
sells out, it was visited by only 231 people in 2015, an occupancy rate of
Sale viewing figures for the IBF harvest of 2014 and 2015. The figures
44%. A possible explanation is the fact that audience figures for IDFA in
show that films screened at IDFA live a long life online, as the 2014 har-
general were lower than in the previous year.
vest remained popular in the online library throughout 2015, especially titles such as the award-winning Tea Time, Mother of the Unborn, The
Docs for Sale 2015
Storm Makers, Beats of the Antonov, and The Dream of Shahrazad, each
In 2015, 13 new documentaries supported by IBF were included in Docs for
registering more than a hundred views.
Sale; in the Docs for Sale festival catalogue (during IDFA) as well as the
Sonita is especially popular from the 2015 harvest, due to it being a big
online library (starting from November 2015). Twelve of these were part
success at the festival and winning the audience award. In fact, it was
of the official IDFA selection, while one was rejected for IDFA. Besides the
the film with the most views of all 484 films offered at Docs for Sale
new documentaries, 10 older films of the 2014 IBF harvest were still avail-
2015. Ukrainian Sheriffs and Behemoth also reached a satisfactory audi-
able in the online library throughout 2015. Docs for Sale is IDFA’s docu-
ence, mostly through online views, especially considering these titles
mentary market, with an extensive online catalogue available throughout
were in 2015 only available online in November and December. In total
the year and a video library during IDFA where the documentary industry
the IBF films at Docs for Sale garnered 2,697 views.
can watch the latest films. It is a major meeting point for distributors, sales agents, television buyers and festival programmers worldwide. The
Cooperation with sales agents
Fund pays for all IBF-supported titles to be offered in Docs for Sale as well
The newest IBF harvest selected for Docs for Sale is made available
as Docs for Sale Online for a period of one year, in order to reach those
online in early November, several weeks ahead of the festival, to allow
documentary professionals who couldn’t be at IDFA in person.
sales agents to view films before coming to Amsterdam. The Fund brings its documentaries to the attention of world sales agents and tries to negotiate when there is potential for cooperation between a
Table 10: Docs for Sale viewing figures IDFA 2015 Harvest
Docs for Sale @ IDFA 2015
Docs for Sale online 2015
Sonita
87
516
Ukrainian Sherrifs
52
170
Roundabout in My Head
15
80
Checks and Balances
14
78
Behemoth
23
195
The Chinese Mayor
15
44
The Siren of Faso Fani
10
27
Surire
8
46
Afghanistan Night Stories
20
69
sales agent and an IBF filmmaker. In 2015 these contacts have been strengthened further because the Fund invited world sales agents and distributors to take a seat in the selection committee for the new IBF Europe category. This allows these sales agents and distributors to get acquainted with the IBF projects at an earlier stage. Although the Fund doesn’t hold the Benelux rights for its films anymore since 2013, the Fund will however continue to promote selected documentaries in the Benelux, and forward requests to the relevant sales agents.
34
IDFA BERTHA FUND
Festival circulation of IBF documentaries worldwide
number of festival screenings and the number of awards won gives an
After IDFA, most of the documentaries go on to have a lot of screenings
important indication of the international appreciation for a documen-
at international festivals. In 2015, IBF documentaries screened on the
tary, which in turn can give an impulse to local production, inspire new
international circuit at major festivals like the Venice Film Festival, the
filmmakers who are just starting out and ensure that filmmakers are
Berlinale and the Sundance Film Festival as well as the Hot Docs Festival,
able to build a reputation, making it easier to find financing for their
Fespaco, Film Festival Locarno and the Guadalajara Film Festival. The
next project.
Table 11: Circulation of IBF-supported documentaries at film festivals in 2015 Documentaries from:
Africa
Asia
Latin America
MENA
Eastern Europe
Total
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
Number of IBF films shown at festivals
6
7
16
8
12
7
8
10
5
1
47
2015 33
Number of festivals that selected IBF films
47
110
131
105
94
72
81
71
8
12
361
370
% national screenings at festivals
6%
8%
26%
3%
9%
15%
3%
2%
0%
17%
13%
7%
% regional screenings at festivals
6%
10%
7%
9%
38%
24%
12%
11%
50%
33%
17%
13%
% international screenings at festivals
88%
82%
67%
88%
53%
61%
85%
87%
50%
50%
70%
80%
5
19
30
18
23
20
15
15
0
3
73
75
Total number of awards
Explanatory notes on Table 11: In 2015, a total of 33 IBF documentaries
African documentaries which started their festival careers in 2015.
were screened at 370 festivals worldwide. This is a notable decrease
In Asia, too, the percentage of films screened in their own region is
when compared to 2014, when a full 14 titles more were circulating on
notably low, with a marked decrease from 2014. Films such as Gulabi
the festival circuit. Nevertheless, these 33 films garnered more screen-
Gang, My Name Is Salt and Powerless were very popular on their home
ings than the 47 in 2014, and even won slightly more awards.
turf in 2014, causing a high-water mark in those numbers. All three are
33% of the circulating documentaries was screened at 15 or more festi-
from India, a country with quite a lot of film festivals. In 2015, most of
vals in 2015 (17% in 2014). The extremely popular films were screened at
the Asian titles circulating came from China, Cambodia, Bangladesh
a remarkably long list of festivals, such as Tea Time (30 festivals), Beats
and Indonesia, countries with only one or a few film festivals.
of the Antonov (35 festivals), The Chinese Mayor (35 festivals), My Name As in 2014, Latin American titles did very well with regional audiences.
is Salt (32 festivals), The Siren of Faso Fani (23 festivals), The Storm Mak-
National and regional festivals account for 39% of all screenings in 2015. Es-
ers (25 festivals) and Mother of the Unborn (20 festivals).
pecially popular in South America were Surire, Tea Time and for the second year running The Silence of the Flies, which world premiered at IDFA 2013.
The number of IBF films circulating in 2015 was approximately the same for every region (around ten titles each), with the exception of Eastern Europe, from which only a single film was visible at 2015 festi-
From Eastern Europe there was only one film (In the Dark from Serbia)
vals. The number of films from Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe
entering the festival circuit in 2015, which did very well in its own region.
has decreased slightly in 2015 when compared to 2014. In opposition,
Screenings of IBF documentaries in the Benelux
the number of films from MENA and Africa has increased.
In 2015 in the Benelux, IBF-supported documentaries were shown at The largest number of IBF films circulating on the festival circuit came
IDFA, online, on TV, at festivals and in special themed programs.
from the MENA region. This has been gradually increasing over the last
Beats of the Antonov was part of the program IDFA in Kriterion. Sonita,
few years, with the beginning of the Arab Spring especially bringing
Ukrainian Sheriffs and The Chinese Mayor were screened at satellite
many applications and selections by the Fund. All these films were real-
festival IDFA @ Vlieland. In addition, Sonita was part of the IDFA school
ized in 2014 and 2015 and subsequently travelled the world. It is notable
screenings, where 1,730 high school students saw the documentary.
that only a very small percentage of these films get screened in their
Furthermore, a number of films were available on-demand through
own region, possibly due to their sensitive subjects and the dwindling
several Interactive TV services, including Ziggo, Cinetree and The
infrastructure for film festivals in these conflict territories.
Entertainment Group (TEG), which manages a number of platforms, including services for KPN TV-subscribers, Tele2 subscribers as well as
Although only one more film from Africa was in circulation in 2015 (7)
Videoland On Demand, MovieMax Online and MeJane.com.
compared to 2014 (6), the number of festival screenings more than
The Dutch public broadcasters purchased some older IBF-supported
doubled. The seven documentaries from this region circulating in 2015
titles, including Nero’s Guests, My Name Is Salt and Gulabi Gang, to be
were shown at a stunning 110 festivals worldwide, with 82% of the
screened through the digital channel NPO Doc in 2015. Furthermore, 98
screenings in the international circuit and a smaller number of national
IBF-supported documentaries were available through IDFA.tv during
or regional screenings, due to the minimal screening possibilities in Afri-
2015, of which 81 were already available in 2014 and 17 were new addi-
can countries. Beats of the Antonov, The Siren of Faso Fani, The Dreams of
tions to the catalogue.
Shahrazad and Ady Gasy, the Malagasy Way were the four most popular 35
Table 12: Screenings in the Benelux of IBF-supported documentaries
Film Screenings Benelux Tolhuistuin
Amsterdam
Sonita
IDFA in Groninger Forum
Groningen
Sonita
IDFA @ Vlieland
Vlieland
Sonita + Ukrainian Sheriffs + The Chinese Mayor
IDFA at Lumière Cinema
Maastricht
Sonita
IDFA schoolvoorstellingen
Amsterdam + Nijmegen
Sonita
Club IDFA
Amsterdam
The Chinese Mayor
Architecture Film Festival
Rotterdam
The Chinese Mayor
IDFA in Lux
Nijmegen
Ukrainian Sheriffs
De Nieuwe Kolk
Assen
Tea Time
Cinema Arabe
Amsterdam
From My Syrian Room
Vlaams-Nederlands Huis deBuren
Belgium
On the Way to School
Yunus Emre Institute
Belgium
On the Way to School
IDFA in Kriterion
Amsterdam
Beats of the Antonov
Oude Raadhuis
Hoofddorp
5 Broken Cameras
Lumière
Maastricht
Vivan las Antipodas!
TV Screenings Benelux NPO Doc
The Netherlands
Nero's Guests + My Name is Salt + Gulabi Gang
VPRO Zomergasten
The Netherlands
fragment Last Train Home
Video on Demand Ziggo
The Netherlands
Return to Homs
Videoland
The Netherlands
Vivan las Antipodas + 5 Broken Cameras + Last Train Home
Cinetree
The Netherlands
Return to Homs + 5 Broken Cameras
Dalton VOD
The Netherlands
Return to Homs + Vivan las Antipodas!
IDFA TV
The Netherlands
98 IBF supported documentaries
Up-close and personal
After the screening of Sonita in De Balie, Princess Mabel van Oranje led a conversation about child marriage with Sonita Alizada herself, representatives of NGO Girls not Brides and the audience. The film Sonita was very popular in the Benelux as is clearly visible in the screenings overview above. The presence of protagonist Sonita at the festival allowed for intimate Q&A’s with the audience.
36
IDFA BERTHA FUND
6 IBF Network The Fund has an extensive industry network, which encompasses both
Central-America. Each partner brings its own set of expertise to the
the international film industry and organizations active in the regions
table. The collaboration started in 2014 when the Fund was closely
the IBF focuses on. In addition to its core activities as outlined above,
involved in the early stages, advising on the structure of EMC-Docs’
the Fund utilizes this network to provide information to filmmakers,
guidelines and categories. The partnership was continued in 2015,
organizations and other interested parties. For example, European
when the Fund was involved in training sessions for selected projects.
producers and filmmakers often approach the Fund for contacts within a specific region or country the Fund is active in, and vice versa.
International partner organizations
This experience and network function was also utilized in several coop-
The Fund has a number of close relationships with other organizations
erations with other organizations in 2015.
working with filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle
The new IBF Europe category further extended this network in 2015,
East and Eastern Europe, such as the Sundance Institute Documentary
and the Fund hopes to be able to use this network to connect European
Fund from the United States, the Hubert Bals Fund of the International
producers with filmmakers from developing countries.
Film Festival Rotterdam, the Movies that Matter Foundation in Amsterdam and Dutch crowdfunding platform Cinecrowd. New organiza-
Local partner organizations
tions the Fund has started a relationship with in 2015 are the rough cut
In 2015, the Fund continued and reinforced partnerships started in
service, an international platform for filmmakers to receive consults
previous years and also instigated new collaborations.
from experienced editors on documentary rough cuts, and Dare to
For the fifth consecutive year, IDFA and the IBF were partners in the
Dream Asia, a documentary series on the dreams, aspirations and
Durban FilmMart in South Africa, the annual co-finance market for
frustrations of Asian youth, a Finnish/South African initiative. These
documentary projects from the region at the Durban International Film
organizations are important additions to the IBF network.
Festival. The aim of this collaboration is to stimulate the documentary
The Fund exchanges information on filmmakers, projects, contacts
industry in Africa. In the first three years, IDFA and IBF contributed to
and organizations with the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund,
the day-to-day operation of the Durban FilmMart. The last two years
the rough cut service and Dare to Dream Asia.
IBF and IDFA took part in project selection and played an advisory role
Since 2014 the IBF and IDFA have collaborated with Cinecrowd
in the formation of the program.
to give IBF-supported films the chance to start a crowdfunding
2015 saw the launch of New Dimensions: A Virtual Reality Lab in South
campaign. The IBF and Cinecrowd advise these filmmakers on their
Africa, for which the IBF and IDFA played an advisory role. The IBF has
texts, contacts and teaser materials, and both IDFA and IBF help in
been in contact with organizers Big World Cinema for several years,
promoting the campaign through their newsletters, website and
and for this new initiative the Fund supplied contacts and connected
social media channels. For Cinecrowd, this is a way of finding interna-
the organizers to IDFA DocLab, IDFA’s department which showcases
tional projects as well as to connect with the IDFA brand, while the
interactive non-fiction storytelling and explores how the digital revolu-
collaboration allows IBF to help projects find additional funding as
tion is reshaping documentary art.
well as international attention. In 2015 both IDFA and IBF promoted
Since 2007, the Fund has maintained good contacts with the Syrian or-
the campaign for the project Laila at the Bridge from Afghanistan and
ganization of the Dox Box festival. In 2013 began a process of reshaping
started with the preparations for the campaign of Inseparables from
Dox Box to a center for Syrian and Arab filmmakers, which took shape
Bhutan, to be launched in early 2016.
in Berlin in 2014. In 2015 they started a residency editing program for
The IBF has maintained a good relationship with the Hubert Bals Fund
six Syrian documentaries and laid the foundations for an academy
for many years now. The two funds often compare notes on working
program. IBF plays an advisory role through the organization’s board.
processes, subsidy applications and contacts. In 2015 the Fund has es-
Additionally, the Fund is in contact with several organizations in partner
pecially consulted HBF for the initiation of the new IBF Europe category
countries to exchange information and knowledge about documen-
for European co-producers of projects from developing countries. The
taries, filmmakers, organizations and contacts. In 2015 there were
IBF and HBF are part of a network of co-production funds which also
particularly intense contacts with DOCUBOX in Kenia, a film fund in
includes World Cinema Fund, Aide au Cinema du Monde and Torino
Eastern Africa, Afridocs in South Africa, a weekly broadcast stream for
Filmlab. These funds consult each other on a regular basis and share
mainly African documentaries to be screened across 49 countries of sub-
experiences and evaluations. The network lobbied successfully with
Saharan Africa, and the NAAS Network in the Middle East, a network of
the European Union to include a scheme for co-production funds in the
independent arthouse cinemas and cultural agencies in Egypt, Jordan,
new Creative Europe program that is operational as off 2015.
Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan, Tunesia and the United Arab Emirates which
Every year IDFA is host to official delegations from various countries.
is aimed at developing a common cinema culture in the Arab region.
The Fund is closely involved with several of these contacts and helps
In 2015 the Fund also continued its collaboration with EMC-Docs
put together an activity program. In 2015, delegations from China,
(Estímulo México-Centroamericano para Cine Documental), an initia-
Chile and South Africa as well as a delegation from the Arab Funds for
tive by the Mexican film fund IMCINE to support documentaries from
Arts and Culture (AFAC) from Lebanon were assisted in this way.
37
Consultancy worldwide
their documentary project as well as advice on fundraising in general
Each year, the Fund sends consultants to workshops and festivals all
and on the IDFA Bertha Fund in particular. In 2015, such working visits
over the world. During these visits, concrete support is provided to indi-
were made to documentary events in South Africa, Colombia, Uruguay,
vidual filmmakers from the region, local organizations are incorporated
India, Mexico, Palestine, Egypt, Brazil and Turkey.
into the Fund’s network, the Fund is promoted in developing countries
This table also includes travels to Croatia, Germany, Qatar, Taiwan and
and the knowledge and contacts obtained are shared. During indi-
France. These are not countries where the Fund is active, but are regu-
vidual consulting sessions, filmmakers are given concrete feedback on
larly visited by filmmakers from regions where the Fund is active.
Table 13: Consultants at festivals in 2015 Country
Documentary Event
Activity
Bosnia
Sarajevo Film Festival
Individual meetings with filmmakers
Colombia
BAM Bogota Audiovisual Market
Individual meetings with filmmakers
Croatia
ZagrebDox
Panelist for project pitches and individual meetings with filmmakers
Egypt
Caïro (bijeenkomst)
Part of Network Meeting and Part of Panel about Arabic Films
France
Cannes International Film Festival
Individual meetings with filmmakers and presentation about IBF
Germany
DOK Leipzig
Individual meetings with filmmakers
Germany
Berlin International Film Festival
Individual meetings with filmmakers and presentation Coproduction Funds
India
Docedge Kolkata
Individual meetings with filmmakers and part of pitching panel
Mexico
EMC Workshop
Individual meetings with filmmakers and presentation IDFA + IBF
Mexico
Guadalajara Film Festival
Individual meetings with filmmakers
The Netherlands
International Film Festival Rotterdam
Presentation Coproduction Funds
Palestine
Ramallah Docs
Individual meetings with filmmakers and part of pitching panel
Qatar
Qumra
Individual meetings with filmmakers
Taiwan
CCDF Pitching Forum
Part of pitching panel for a.o. Chinese filmmakers
Turkey
Greenhouse
Part of pitching panel
Uruguay
DocMontevideo
Presentation about IBF and how to apply
Meeting at IDFA
Another important meeting place at IDFA are the daily Guests Meet
Each year, the Fund invites all filmmakers of IBF-supported documen-
Guests drinks, an opportunity for all documentary professionals to
taries selected for the IDFA program, as well as a number of program-
come together in an informal setting. This is also an excellent occasion
mers from festivals in developing countries, to attend IDFA. Addition-
for the Fund to introduce filmmakers to specific people from its own
ally, the Fund organized the third IBF Project Factory during IDFA 2015
network who can be of use to the filmmakers.
(see page 26). Attending IDFA is a great opportunity for documentary
A new addition in 2015 was IDFA’s Industry Office. Housing Guest
professionals to expand their networks, as well as to see many docu-
Services, the Press Desk, a box office, the writing room and the First
mentary films unavailable in their own region. They can then make di-
Aid Doc Clinic, the Industry Office is a place for all pass holders to meet
rect contact with the approximately 3,000 international professionals
up, network and do business. New services included consultancies on
who are present in Amsterdam during the festival. During IDFA, many
various subjects, daily Industry Sessions on subjects such as film rights,
activities take place aimed at stimulating filmmakers to make use of
video-on-demand and editing, and meetings with upcoming talents
existing networks and co-finance markets, such as the IDFAcademy,
from the festival program as well as IDFA staff. For IBF filmmakers, as
the IDFA Forum, the Industry Talks and the Guests Meet Guests drinks.
for others, this became an important hub to meet up with contacts and
IBF-supported filmmakers were able to attend plenary sessions at the
extend their professional knowledge.
IDFAcademy, structured as master classes by established filmmakers, producers and other documentary experts. These sessions are not only
Network building for Filmmakers with a selected documentary
of great educational value, but are also important opportunities to
All directors and producers of the 13 IBF-supported documentaries se-
meet documentary professionals.
lected for IDFA 2015 attended the festival – 21 directors and producers
IBF-supported filmmakers present at IDFA can also visit the IDFA Forum,
in total. After IDFA, the Fund sent out a survey to the filmmakers of the
IDFA’s annual co-financing market. This is one of the major meeting
12 new documentaries (thus excluding the director of Tishe!).
places for filmmakers and the industry, which gives the Forum a very
83% filmmakers stated that they considered their attendance at IDFA
significant networking function.
to be valuable, primarily because it enabled them to expand their
At the daily Industry Talks during the festival, attending professionals
network. 83% of the makers invited stated that they met other film
further their knowledge of the documentary industry and get up to
professionals and filmmakers. In addition, the survey revealed that a
speed on its latest developments. Topics included rights and sales, out-
lot of the filmmakers 67% gained knowledge about the documentary
reach campaigning and new financing models through branded funding.
industry and used their visit to watch other documentaries 75%.
38
IDFA BERTHA FUND
25% of the filmmakers were introduced to the IDFA Forum, and three
sessions on obtaining sponsorship, generating funds, audience building
IBF supported projects still in production were also selected to pitch:
and programming strategies the festival programmers not only received
Ambulance, The Waiting Bench and The Second Revolution: A dream for
information and guidance by the mentors, but could also exchange ideas
the poor, a nightmare for the rich. Filmmakers also actively participated
and experiences with each other. This proved to be a valuable experience
in networking events such as the IDFA Bertha Fund lunch 42%, Guests
for building their network.
Meet Guests 67%, Filmmakers Breakfast 42% and Docs for Sale 42%.
Other opportunities to meet each other were provided during Guests Meet Guests and at Docs for Sale, IDFA’s documentary market where
Network building for Festival programmers
these programmers have access to a catalogue of close to 500 selected
The Fund invites festival programmers to IDFA to bring them into con-
documentaries as well as opportunities to get in touch with filmmakers
tact with documentary organizations from all over the world, to see the
and world sales agents at the Docs for Sale Happy Hour.
documentaries selected for IDFA, to pick up ideas for the organization of their own festivals and to expand their networks. In 2015, organizations
Network building for Filmmakers selected for the IBF Project Factory
from Iraq, Afghanistan, the Dominican Republic, Myanmar, Georgia and
The third IBF Project Factory gave filmmakers in attendance the opportu-
Morocco were invited. The Fund covers all expenses for these visits to
nity to not only broaden their knowledge and skills, as described in para-
IDFA. Without this support, it would be almost impossible for the organi-
graph 4, but also increase their networks. During IDFA, they had various
zations from these countries to attend IDFA and meet the international
opportunities to meet the international documentary industry, during
documentary industry. Most of the festival programmers were invited
the IDFAcademy program, Guests Meet Guests and the IDFA Forum.
for the 2nd or 3rd time. The festival programmers from Iraq, the Dominican Republic, Myanmar, Georgia and Morocco took part in the festival program created by IBF for the 2nd year. The setup of the round table
Master Meets Talent
Algerian talent Hassen Ferhani (director of Roundabout in my Head) and Algerian master filmmaker Malek Bensmaïl (director of Checks and Balances) met again at IDFA 2015. Both their films give insight into Algeria’s society and soul using a strong visual language. The films show two fascinating microcosms within Algerian society: a newsroom and a slaughterhouse. Hassen worked with Malek before as his assistant director, and the two were happily reunited at IDFA.
39
APPENDIX I: Selection Criteria
Selection Criteria IBF Classic:
Feasibility of project (maximum score 20 points) • Feasibility of the budget
General criteria for selection:
• Feasibility of the finance plan
• Intrinsic qualities of the proposed project
• Assessment of the proposed expenditure of the grant
• The cinematographic qualities of the project
• Feasibility of finalizing production before end 2016
• The importance of the subject • Originality of the subject, the perspective on the subject and/or the style of the proposed film • The narrative structure of the proposed project
Artistic quality of the team (maximum score 20 points) • Experience of the filmmaker • Artistic quality of previous work • Professional experience of the applicant
Secondary criteria for selection:
• Professional experience of other co-producer(s) from Europe
• Trust in the filmmaker and the proposed project • Need for financial aid from the fund to achieve the proposed project
o=(if applicable) • Professional experience of the co-producer(s) on the DAC list
• The situation of the documentary climate in the region or the country • The presence of a documentary tradition and options for fundraising
Quality of the co-production structure (maximum score 20 points)
• Intensity of general documentary productions
• Level of artistic involvement of applicant in the project
• The position of the producing country on the DAC-list of the OECD
• Added value of IDFA Bertha Fund - Europe program compared to other co-production schemes in applicant’s country of origin
Selection Criteria IBF Europe International Co-production
Quality of the global distribution and marketing strategy (maxi-
In selecting the projects the selection committee uses the following
mum score 15 points)
criteria, for which a maximum of 100 points can be attributed:
• Distribution plan • Analysis of potential target groups
Quality of the proposed project (maximum score 25 points)
• Timeline
• Originality of the subject, point of view, style • Subject matter • Narrative structure and treatment • Cinematography • Audiovisual presentation (trailer, demo, edited sequence)
Getting Inspired and Exchanging Ideas
Taher Alwan, director of the Baghdad International Film Festival, explained the challenges of organizing a festival in a country like Iraq during the round table sessions for IBF festival programmers. At this session the participants advised and inspired each other based on their own experiences and received guidance from two mentors adding extra ideas and presenting case studies. The programmers kept in touch after IDFA and are taking into consideration the option to exchange programs, for example a Myanmar film program in the Dominican Republic and vice versa.
40
IDFA BERTHA FUND
Appendix II: Organization 2015 Board
Selection committee IBF Classic:
The board has the following members:
The selection committee of the documentary projects is composed of
Chairman: Walter Etty, partner at Andersson Elffers Felix
a group of alternating members and guest readers for each selection
Member: Jan Hoekema, mayor of Wassenaar, former Ambassador for
round. The committee consists of five or six members per round.
International Cultural Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Member: Adrienne van Heteren, director small media foundation
Selection committee February 2015:
London
• Adriek van Nieuwenhuijzen, Head of IDFA Industry Office
Member: Marischka Leenaers, consultant in fundraising and sponsoring
(the Netherlands) • Carmen Cobos, producent, Cobos Films (Spain/the Netherlands)
Member: Marijn Wiersma, Senior Financial Inclusion Officer FMO
• Iikka Vehkalahti, producer IV Films & former commissioning editor
Staff
YLE (Finland)
Director: Ally Derks
• Isabel Arrate Fernandez, IDFA Bertha Fund manager (the Netherlands)
Fund Manager: Isabel Arrate Fernandez
• Peter Jager, former CEO, Autlook Filmsales (Austria)
Project Manager: Mélanie de Vocht
Selection committee May 2015:
Producer: Malka Jonas
• Isabel Arrate Fernandez, IDFA Bertha Fund manager (the Netherlands)
Pre-selection committee for IBF Classic:
• Don Edkins, producer, Steps International (South Africa)
All projects submitted for IBF Classic are first assessed by a pre-selec-
• Fleur Knopperts, producer, Volya Films (the Netherlands)
tion committee. This committee is composed of IDFA staff members
• Orwa Nyrabia, producer, Proaction (Syria/Germany)
and documentary experts on specific regions.
• Elizabeth Wood, founder and director of DocHouse (UK)
Pre-selection committee February 2015:
Selection committee IBF Europe:
• David Teigeler, IDFA viewer (the Netherlands)
All projects submitted for IBF Europe are assessed by a selection com-
• Isabel Arrate Fernandez, IDFA Bertha Fund manager (the Netherlands)
mittee composed of IDFA staff members and internationally renowned
• Joost Daamen, programmer IDFA Program Department
documentary experts. • Adriek van Nieuwenhuijzen, Head of IDFA Industry Office
(the Netherlands) • Laura van Halsema, Special Programs coordinator and Press &
(the Netherlands) • Isabel Arrate Fernandez, IDFA Bertha Fund manager (the Netherlands)
Publicity coordinator (the Netherlands) • Laurien ten Houten, coordinator IDFA Docs for Sale (the Netherlands) • Mélanie de Vocht, IDFA Bertha Fund project manager
• Iikka Vehkalahti, producer IV Films & former commissioning editor YLE (Finland) • Peter Jager, former CEO, Autlook Filmsales (Austria)
(the Netherlands) • Raul Niño Zambrano, programmer IDFA Program Department (the Netherlands) Yorinde Segal, coordinator IDFA Forum (the Netherlands) Pre-selection committee May 2015: • David Teigeler, IDFA viewer (the Netherlands) • Isabel Arrate Fernandez, IDFA Bertha Fund manager (the Netherlands)
Colophon
• Joost Daamen, programmer IDFA Program Department (the Netherlands)
Text: Joost Broeren, Isabel Arrate Fernandez, Mélanie de Vocht,
• Judy Kibinge, director East African Fund DOCUBOX and filmdirector (Kenya)
Marloes den Hoed Translation: Joost Broeren
• Laurien ten Houten, coordinator IDFA Docs for Sale (the Netherlands)
Production: Mélanie de Vocht
• Mélanie de Vocht, IDFA Bertha Fund project manager
Lay-out: Sjoukje van Gool
(the Netherlands)
Photography: Bram Belloni, Nichon Glerum, Felix Kalkman,
• Malka Jonas, IDFA Bertha Fund producer and IDFA Forum
Corinne de Korver, Michiel Landeweerd
producer (the Netherlands) • Yorinde Segal, coordinator IDFA Forum (the Netherlands)
This is a publication of the IDFA Bertha Fund
41
Appendix III Statement of Income and Expenditure 2015 Foundation Jan Vrijman Fund, Amsterdam
2015
2014
FNL. STMNT 2015
BUDGET 2015
FNL. STMNT 2014
€
€
€
INCOME Government grants Other grants
307.428
360.000
150.000 530.000
460.000
460.000
Other income
44.269
55.000
46.388
811.697
875.000
726.388
EXPENDITURE
Administration costs Staff
29.999
28.350
29.006
Housing/support costs
35.230
37.000
39.288
Total administration costs
65.229
65.350
68.293
Activity costs
Staff
78.266
77.550
80.358
Projects and programmes
682.008
732.100
581.704
Total activity costs
760.274
809.650
662.062
Contingency Net result
-
-
-
825.503
875.000
730.356
-13.806
-
-3.968
42
Contact: IDFA Bertha Fund / E: idfaberthafund@idfa.nl / P: 31 20 6273329 / www.idfa.nl/idfaberthafund