At the beginning of this year, Selin Murat left his position as market manager at IDFA to take up the position of executive director of the IDFA Bertha Fund. She is taking a big step forward by taking over from Isabel Arate Fernández, one of the foundation’s founders and who served as its executive director for a whopping 23 years. Fernandez has moved on his own to become IDFA’s Artistic Director, while retaining the role of Associate Director in a part-time capacity overseeing strategic filmmaker support activities.
In an interview with Variety ahead of Holland Festival’s first run in his new role, Murat said he found the idea of becoming a financier for the first time “interesting” after more than 15 years in the field as a producer and industry programmer. “I was working in the industry with filmmakers, producers, experts and financiers who were all trying to do the same thing: make independent documentary films together,” she says.
Murat added that his first few months on the job were “like being underwater.” “We had four rounds of fundraising this year, so we spent a lot of time reading and inviting members of the selection committee.” In 2025, 16 IBF-supported films will also be screened at IDFA, including Massoud Bakshi’s All My Sisters, Maria Silvia Esteve’s Meilin, and Vladlena Sandu’s Memory. In addition to the heavy workload, there are also other major challenges in the industry, from the struggles documentary makers face to make a living from their work to how important documentary filmmaking is in times of sociopolitical unrest.
Regarding the former, Murat said documentary filmmaking is “always in crisis.” “Many filmmakers work under very tough conditions, whether it’s financial or related to conflict, war, repression, freedom of speech. We’re in this beautiful niche of the whole film industry that is in some ways the bravest. I’ve been in this industry forever, and sustainability has always been Every decade brings new challenges. It’s even better to be here now because we can work closely with the filmmakers and work together on solutions. And on top of that, we, as a foundation, can at least provide direct financial support.”
In terms of support for wartime filmmakers, the Fund has recently launched a special funding initiative for Ukrainian and Palestinian filmmakers, which speaks directly to the Fund’s mission to “strengthen independent, auteur-led documentary filmmaking in regions and communities where access to funding and distribution of independent creative documentary films is structurally difficult.” The fund currently supports projects across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and Oceania.
Murat says independent documentaries from countries such as Ukraine, Palestine, Congo and Sudan go against “easy consumption.” According to her, these films are “reflectively crafted over a long period of time, taking ownership of the story and drawing out the complexities of the human experience at its core.” Films like this, the executive added, are “why everyone should watch independent documentaries.”
“Mailin” (provided by IDFA)
Provided by IDFA
With so many urgent projects in need of funding, how does IBF choose projects? “The selection committee asks: What is the mission of the fund? What am I looking for? We try to consider artistry as much as possible,” she says. “Some funds focus on impact, and others focus on socio-political issues. Right now, IBF’s mission is to support independent filmmakers who make films with a unique perspective. That’s what we keep in mind when making decisions.”
As her first year in office nears its end, Murat is reflecting on some of her key goals for the fund. One of her main objectives is to have the foundation support not only projects and filmmakers, but also the “structure” that surrounds them and builds sustainable communities. She recalls one of the founders of the Palestine Film Fund saying that the funds could be used for “knowledge sharing so that in the future we can set up another organization sustainably.”
“We want to continue to do this in every region we serve,” she says. “Projects are always very important. It’s always about independent filmmakers, but the idea of fostering a healthy community is also important. At IBF we I don’t know how every community works. I don’t know what’s most important in a local community or region, and I can’t speak every language of the country I support. I’d love to have a sustained connection with a local, independent, like-minded community that’s doing that work on the ground. If I can support that, then so be it. ”
