IDFA reveals the first title of the short documentary section

IDFA, one of the world’s leading documentary festivals, announced the first title of its short documentary section, revealing the signed Best of Fest, Paradoc’s sidebar lineup.

The 38th edition of the festival will be held in Amsterdam from November 13th to 23rd.

Some titles from the short documentary competition use archival footage to explore how personal memories reveal political history. “Cross-Memory” by Shayma’Awawdeh presents portraits of young people who spent time under occupation on the West Bank of Palestine. In “As I Lay Dying,” Mohammadreza Farzad and Pegah Ahangarani revisited the volatile footage of a social protest in Tehran in 2009.

This choice welcomes several filmmakers returning to IDFA with new works, including a russellinder with “Air Horse One.”

A deep, personal story is revealed in Ollie Launspach’s “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.” How the filmmaker’s transition affects his girlfriend, revealing complex questions and anxiety.

signature
The signed signature presents the latest works of “some of the most original filmmakers of our time” and celebrates “people with unique artistic signatures.”

With this year’s selection, some acclaimed names will return to IDFA. Following his IDFA Bertha funded debut, “Kabul, City in the Wind,” Aboozar Amini’s “Kabul, Prayer Room” presents an intimate portrait of a Taliban soldier sandwiched between ideology and unpredictable reality. IDFA’s 2020 Honorary Guest Guster Gianfranco Rosi returns with “Dowery The Clouds,” a mosaic documentary exploring the city of Naples and its volcano depths.

The choice includes deep personal filmmaking. In “Together with Hasan of Gaza,” Kamal Al-Jafari revisits footage of a 2001 road trip through Gaza.

Touching the important importance of journalism and literature, the award-winning “Covering” of Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus offers a dark portrait of the United States through the lens of Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hirsch.

Critic-acclaimed Claire Simon relies on the classroom with a portrait of “Life Life – Annie Elnau,” a portrait that captures the living power of Nobel Prize-winning and contemporary feminist icon Annie Elnau.

Best of Fest
The Best of Fest Section presents the most eye-catching and famous films of various festivals.

Some films look at belongings and the meaning of home. In “Imago”, Déni Oumar Pitsaev follows the filmmaker’s journey of personal discovery after inheriting the land in Georgia’s estranged homeland. By a poetic portrait of his mother, “attachment” by Mamadou Khouma Gueye documents the forced relocation of her residential community in Dakar.

Other films depict urgent stories of resistance and grassroots activity. Reports from the frontlines of the refugee crisis, “travelers” by David Bingon document the young African migrants trying to enter Europe at the strict protected borders of Morocco and Spain. Brittany Shine’s meditative film “The Species” captures the daily lives of black farmers in the American South as they struggle to live and maintain the lands of their ancestors.

Paradox
Paradoc presents non-fiction film art from 2018, in which visual artists and filmmakers present their exploration in non-fiction filmmaking.

This year’s choice “emphasize speculative and imaginative, history, memories and fantasy.”

In his essay film, “Blknws: Thread & & & and as and of,” Kahlil Joseph offers the journey of Afro-Futurists through black history, identity and possibilities. Maureen Fazendeiro’s “The Seasons” combines archaeological field notes, local legends and dreamy 16mm footage to paint a lyrical portrait of the Alentejo region of Portugal.

Isabel Pagliai blurs the line between fiction and documentary in “Fantasy,” introducing the protagonist through diary entries and the inner world. In the “Underground,” Kaorioda guides Japan’s underground spaces: caves, tunnels, artificial lakes, and more.

IDFA Competition for Short Documentaries