IDFA Unveils 51 Projects Selected for Forum Section

Amsterdam documentary festival IDFA has unveiled 51 projects selected for IDFA Forum, the festival’s co-production and co-financing market, which received 841 entries.

IDFA Forum takes place in Amsterdam’s Pathé City cinema, ITA and @droog from Nov. 16 to 19.

Producers Connection and the Forum Pitch
The Forum Pitch and Producers Connection feature 33 projects. The selection includes leading filmmakers who make their return to IDFA.

Mohamed Jabaly, whose “Life Is Beautiful” scooped the IDFA Award for best directing in 2023, will present “My Sister Gaza,” co-helmed with his siblings Rima and Ibrahim Jabaly, and co-produced with Idioms Film, Palestine. Elhum Shakerifar serves as executive producer.

“Punctuated by the rhythms of war, this collaborative film presents a poignant first-person documentation of the daily reality in Gaza in the early days of the genocide, as lived and chronicled by Rima and Ibrahim Jabaly,” the festival said. “These scenes are continually entwined with conversations with their older brother, exiled filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly.”

Alexandru Solomon, whose multiple films have enjoyed screenings at IDFA (“Cold Waves” in 2007, “Kapitalism: Our Improved Formula” in 2010, and more recently, “Arsenie. An Amazing Afterlife” in 2023), heads back to pitch “Small Expectations,” alongside executive producer Ada Solomon of microFILM.

Unfurling during Romania’s presidential race, the documentary follows former civic activist Nicușor Dan who takes the helm of the troubled office.

A roster of emerging directors also bolsters the lineup. In “Four Comrades, One Echo,” Kiva Liu focuses on four sisters in China’s Sichuan, each of whom mothered her through different episodes in life.

“Leaning into the imagination spaces of shared story-writing, the sisters conjure up alternative selves, maintaining the sole bond that has sustained them in the politicized society,” IDFA said.

Sam Howard (Roisin Agnew’s “The Ban,” IDFA 2024) and Alexander Dickerson-Watson debut their feature “The Video Guy.” From a humble hustle shooting music videos for local rappers, the project morphed into a sprawling decade-long endeavor that follows five African-American youths set to become the next Kendrick, all the while unpacking the hyperreal fantasies, projected onto—and in part perpetuated by the men—and the few paths open to them.

Among further notable standouts is Alison O’Daniel’s viscerally experiential and experimental “Inframince” (“The Tuba Thieves,” the IDFA Forum Award 2022 for best rough cut, IDFA 2023) on the Havana Syndrome, the alleged “sonic attacks” on U.S. diplomats, initially reported in Cuba.

Stretching the possibilities of film, O’Daniel turns the subject into form, articulated “ecstatically and expansively” through a sensorial cinematic language. The inquiry into the mysterious phenomenon gradually unfolds into a cinematic probe of sound itself and its weaponization.

In Loretta van der Horst’s “The Documenters,” the labor of gathering evidence of war crimes reveals the perils of “witnessing” along with the inequities of international justice.

Another searing project comes from Javier Lovera. “ExCoded” (executive producer Ina Fichman, Intuitive Pictures Inc.) centers on the rise of facial recognition technology and surveillance infrastructures that have penetrated public spaces and personal lives, often escaping scrutiny.

This year’s crop also features a number of titles that have been previously supported by the IDFA Bertha Fund, including Alyx Ayn Arumpac’s “Tongues of Fire,” Juan Pablo Polanco’s “Trail on the Water,” Luis Gutiérrez Arias and Zaina Bseiso’s “Todo Lo Sólido” and Hao Zhou’s “All Fixed Up.”

Rough Cut Presentations
Six projects have been selected for Rough Cut Presentations at this year’s IDFA Forum.

Lucas Paleocrassas’ “Bugboy” opens a conversation about difference and self-acceptance through a gentle portrait of a teenager, George, with a rare eye condition that affects his self-image. Anchored in intimate, unobtrusive observational footage, the film takes a playful yet thoughtful approach to form, crafting cinematically stylized sequences that immerse the viewer in the world of crickets, which the boy retreats into for companionship.

Among other standout projects is Nolwenn Hervé’s “The Cord” (a production of Estelle Robin You of Grande Ourse Films), set in Venezuela where giving birth is often a life-endangering act.

Exploring the themes of womanhood and coming of age, “Dreams of the Wild Oaks” by Bakhtiari director Marjan Khosravi and producer Milad Khosravi embraces elements of a fictionalized narrative and magical realism to subtly approach the sensitive topics of child marriage and environmental destruction in rural Iran.

IDFA DocLab Forum
The market’s new media strand IDFA DocLab Forum presents 12 projects in various stages of development and production. The selection spans diverse formats, including interactive narrative VR 360°, multi-user VR game installation, AR, AI, multimedia installation, live performance, AR multi-user VR room scale, and multimedia multi-user installation, among others.

The lineup showcases a range of projects that engage with such themes as gender and sexual identities, war trauma, mobility, cultural heritage in the context of displacement and digital obsolescence, and perspectives on ecosystems.

Highlights include a multi-person, collective documentary VR experience, “Fear City Paradise” by Darren Emerson, the creator behind “In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats” (IDFA 2022). “Fear City Paradise” takes us on a nocturnal journey, this time to the New York of the 1970s to meet the real people of disco: the city’s queer, Black and Latino communities.

Another highlight comes from Marcel van Brakel’s “Amasonic,” which presents a living sound archive of the Amazon, gathered over the span of five years with data and tales from scientists and local communities. In the XR installation, the sound archive may be accessed from the perspective of a human or non-human lifeform inhabiting the river.

Cutting the distance between self and the other, Yimit Ramírez and Tony Alonso’s “The Eyes of Mila Kaos” burrows into the mind of Mila Kaos, a drag queen in Havana’s underground shows and an empowering alter ego of a young actor, Tony Alonso, who formed her to cope with trauma from sexual assault.

IDFA Forum
This year’s IDFA Forum will welcome film teams, industry representatives, and observers from Nov. 16 to 19.

Affirming the crucial role of international co-productions as a key financing model for artistic documentaries, this year the Producers Connection Presentations will take place alongside the Forum Pitches as part of the same program on Nov. 17 and 18 at ITA. This integrated setup allows all IDFA Forum accredited guests to attend the Forum Pitches and Producers Connection Presentations. Meanwhile, the Rough Cut projects will be presented on Nov. 16 in the Pathé City cinema. The DocLab Forum Presentations are set for Nov. 17 at @droog.

At this year’s edition, the IDFA Forum also launches new thematic “Informative Panels” that will offer filmmakers practical insights on navigating the documentary financing landscape. The sessions will take place as the IDFA Forum discontinues the conventional post-pitch feedback format. One-on-one meetings will remain integral to the Forum, allowing for in-depth discussions on creative intent, financing strategies, and potential collaborations.

Alongside the Forum events, IDFA’s premier market and distribution incubator for creative documentary films, Docs for Sale, runs concurrently from Nov. 15 to 19. This year, Docs for Sale will be held at a new location in the heart of Amsterdam, Het Documentaire Paviljoen.

Forum Pitch
A Film for One, dir. Alexandre Donot-Saby, prod. Valérie Montmartin/Little Big Story (France), co-prod. Audrey-Ann Dupuis-Pierre/PORTAGE FILMS (Canada)

All Fixed Up, dir. Hao Zhou, prod. Jenny Wu (China), co-prod. Tyler Hill (United States)

Codename: Guster, dir. Katharina Warda, Jascha Hannover, prod. Alexandre Tondowski/Tondowski Films (Germany), co-prod. Alexandre Tondowski/Tondowski Films, Thandi Davids/Storyscope (South Africa)

ExCoded, dir. Javier Lovera, prod. Hannah Donegan/Have Magic Media, Marc Serpa Francoeur/Lost Time Media (Canada)

I’ve Always Said We, dir. Lucia Sanchez, prod. Lucia Sanchez/Les Films d’Ici, Marie Régis/Anoki (France), co-prod. Michèle Massé (Spain)

Inframince, dir. Alison O’Daniel, prod. Maya E. Rudolph/Louverture Films (United States) Karsai vs Hungary, dir. Marcell Gerő, prod. Sara László/Campfilm (Hungary), co-prod. Jean-Laurent Csinidis/Films de Force Majeure, Mátyás Prikler/MPhilms (Slovakia, France)

Lonesome Land, dir. Virpi Suutari, prod. Virpi Suutari/Euphoria film oy (Finland)

My Name Is Khalil, dir. Bilal Alkhatib, prod. Tania El Khoury/Les films de l’Altaï (Palestine, France, Lebanon)

Never Arrive, dir. Tenji Takakura, Sansan Liu, prod. Jia Zhao/Muyi Film, Takahito Kanegawa/Temjin TV Production Co Ltd (The Netherlands, Japan)

Nighthawk, dir. Adam James Smith (China, United States)

Small Expectations, dir. Alexandru Solomon, prod. Ada Solomon/microFILM (Romania), co-prod. Frederik Nicolai (Belgium)

Sundays, dir. Justine Martin, prod. Amélie Tremblay/Nemesis Films inc (Canada)

Talia after Talia, dir. Pedro Speroni, prod. Tomas Raimondo/El Ojo Silva, Pedro Speroni/El Ojo Silva (Argentina)

The Face of Power, dir. James Jones, prod. Sasha Odynova, James Jones (United Kingdom)

The Documenters, dir. Loretta van der Horst, prod. Claudio Montesano Casillas/The Waves, Ilja Roomans/Docmakers (The Netherlands)

The Path That Walks, dir. Efthymia Zymvragaki, prod. Efthymia Zymvragaki/Gris Medio (Spain), co-prod. Iris Lammertsma/Witfilm (The Netherlands), Eirini Makedona Pangkopoulou/Sisilo (Greece)

The White Doctor, dir. Zippy Ms Kimundu/Afrofilms International, prod. Colum McKeown/Little Wing Films, Zippy Ms Kimundu/Afrofilms International Company Ltd (Kenya, Ireland), co-prod. Alex Tondowski/Tondowski Films (Germany)

Todo Lo Sólido, dir. Luis Gutiérrez Arias, Zaina Bseiso, prod. Luis Gutiérrez Arias/Bahia Colectiva, Zaina Bseiso/Bahia Colectiva (Cuba), co-prod. Rémi Grellety/Warboys Films, Sara Skrodzka/Warboys Films, Daniela Muñoz Barroso/Estudio ST (France)

Untitled Petra Costa Project, dir. Petra Costa, prod. Rémi Grellety/Busca Vida Filmes (Brazil) Untitled Watermelon Pictures Documentary, editor. Rabab Haj Yahya, prod. Ayah Selene

Producers Connection
Eleven Ears, dir. Yashaswini Raghunandan, prod. Yashaswini Raghunandan (India), co-prod. Heejung Oh/Seesaw Pictures (South Korea)

Flying like a Bird, dir. El Mahdi Lyoubi, prod. Hicham Falah/Cinema Salama (Morocco), co-prod. Marie Dubas/Deuxième Ligne Films, Louise Bansard/GoGoGo Films (France)

Four Comrades, One Echo, dir. Kiva Liu, prod. Kiva Liu (The Netherlands)

Into the Mist, dir. Azadeh Moussavi, Kourosh Ataee, prod. Azadeh Moussavi, Kourosh Ataee/Fanoos Films (Iran)

My Sister Gaza, dir. Mohamed Jabaly, Rima Jabaly, Ibrahim Jabaly, prod. Mohamed Jabaly/Palarctic Productions AS (Palestine, Norway), co-prod. Mohanad Yaqubi/Idioms Films (Palestine)

Resisting Residents, dir. Nikos Pilos, prod. Kalafati Dafni/FILMIKI S.A (Greece)

Serraria, dir. Ricardo Imakawa, Matias Borgström, prod. Matias Borgström, Ricardo Imakawa /Salga Filmes (Brazil)

The Pylon and the Lake, dir. Sylvain Yonnet, prod. Cécile Lestrade, Elise Hug/Alter Ego Production (France)

The Video Guy, dir. Sam Howard, Alexander Dickerson-Watson, prod. Erica Starling Productions (United Kingdom)

The Black Wedding – 7 Years of Eternal Mourning, dir. Dragan Nikolić, prod. Jovana Nikolić (Serbia)

Tongues of Fire, dir. Alyx Ayn Arumpac, prod. Alyx Ayn Arumpac/Guerreros (Philippines) Trail on the Water, dir. Juan Pablo Polanco, prod. Laura Nogal/Los Niños Films (Colombia)

Rough Cut Presentations
Architecture as Invention, dir. Michael Madsen, prod. Per Damgaard Hansen/Paloma Productions (Denmark), co-prod. Ove Rishøj Jensen/Auto Images, Cecilie Bolvinkel/Auto Images, Heino Deckert/Majade filmproduktion GmbH (Germany, Sweden)

Bugboy, dir. Lucas Paleocrassas, prod. Rea Apostolides/Anemon Productions, Yuri Averof/Anemon Productions (Greece), co-prod. Maria Stevnbak Westergren/Toolbox Film ApS, Adam Leibovitz/Flach Film Production (Denmark, France)

Dreams of the Wild Oaks, dir. Marjan Khosravi, prod. Milad Khosravi/Seven Springs Pictures (Iran), co-prod. Stephanie von Lukowicz/Lukimedia S.L., Thibaut Amri/Avant la Nuit (France, Spain)

Getting the Message, dir. Neasa Ní Chianáin, prod. David Rane/Soilsiu Films (Ireland), co-prod. Hanne Phlypo/Clin d’oeil films, Ilja Roomans/Docmakers (Belgium, The Netherlands)

Sweet Belonging, dir. Benjamin Bucher, prod. Olivier Zobrist/Langfilm (Switzerland) The Cord, dir. Nolwenn Hervé, prod. Estelle Robin You/Grande Ourse Films (France)

DocLab Forum
Amasonic, dir. Marcel van Brakel, M. Cecilia Oliveira, prod. Corine Meijers/Studio Biarritz (The Netherlands)

Anatomy of Revolution, dir. Lara Baladi, prod. Lara Baladi (Egypt)

Body Count, dir. Cris Bringas, prod. Mica Oliveros, Sönke Kirchhof/INVR.SPACE (Philippines, Germany)

Cripping Up, dir. Amy Crighton, Meg Fozzard, prod. Meg Fozzard/Unlikely Tangent Studios (United Kingdom)

Fear City Paradise, dir. Darren Emerson, prod. Dan Tucker/East City Films (United Kingdom) Ghost Towns, dir. Robin Coops, prod. Floris Smit/UPscaleXR, Robin Coops/Coops&Co (The Netherlands)

I’m in Love With My Testo, dir. Juno Álvarez, prod. Nell Córdova/Cacao Cinema (Spain), co-prod. Paola Álvarez (Germany)

Inside A Stripper’s Mind, dir. STORRY, prod. Karimah Zakia Issa/KZI Films (Canada)

Like Every Cloud (Zayy Kulli Ghaima), dir. Bentley Brown, prod. Bentley Brown /Aboudigin Films, Turki Al Mutairi (Chad)

Metramorphosis, dir. Laura Yilmaz, prod. Fanni Fazakas/RumeXR (New Zealand, Hungary)

Reframing Queer Exile, dir. Emma Hamilton, prod. Anne-Lise Miller/Adventice (France)

The Eyes of Mila Kaos, dir. Yimit Ramírez, Tony Alonso, prod. Patricia Pérez Fernández/Free Hundred Media (Spain), co-prod. Boris Prieto/Vega Alta Films (France)