EN EL MISMISIMO MOMENTO by Rita Pauls & Federico Luis Tachella won the IDFA Award for Best Short Documentary, produced by Manuel Abramovich & Juan Pablo Labonia, RUIDO. The award is accompanied by a €5,000 cash prize. "For its simplicity, spontaneity, and transparency in dealing with people, things, and small details, and for the depth of the questions raised in it that are profound despite their apparent simplicity, and for its smooth and intense cinematic work, especially photography and lyrical editing, the jury awards the IDFA Award for Best Short Documentary to AT THAT VERY MOMENT by directors Rita Pauls and Federico Luis Tachella," reported the jury. The jury members for the IDFA Competition for Short Documentary were Nadim Jarjoura, Brigid O’Shea. 

 

 

A special mention in the IDFA Competition for Youth Documentary went to the German documentary BOYZ by Sylvain Cruiziat. "For a film that immerses us in the universe of young boys becoming men. With a non-intrusive look, but a great access to his protagonists, the director takes us on a discovery journey into their daily lives. The film unveils their uncertainties regarding relationships, their tenderness, and the bonds of friendship. The Special Jury Mention goes to BOYZ directed by Sylvain Cruiziat." reported the jury. The jury members for the IDFA Competition for Youth Documentary were Maria Vittoria Pellecchia, Ileana Stanculescu, Pawel Ziemilski. 

 

 

The Special Jury Award for Creative Technology (worth €2,500) went to BORDERLINE VISIBLE  (Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, USA) by Ant Hampton. The jury members for the IDFA DocLab Competition for Digital Storytelling were Zuraida Buter, Miri Chekhanovich, Jay Kim.

 

 

Browse all awards and jury statements of 36 IDFA here.

 

 

 

 

 

with opening film  A PICTURE TO REMEMBER by Olga Chernykh, an Ukrainian, French, German coproduction and showcasing HELKE SANDER: CLEANING HOUSE by Claudia Richarz among others.  

IDFA 2023 takes place from November 8 to 19 in more than 30 theaters and festival locations throughout Amsterdam. In those venues, IDFA will present 270 films and 32 new media projects from 137 countries. This 36th edition will welcome over 3000 professional delegates and guests who will be able to immerse themselves in a diverse program that includes films, interactive projects, an exhibition, performances, events and workshops.

 

 

LineUp of German productions and co-productions

• AFRICA, I WILL FLEECE YOU by Jean-Marie Teno, ©1992 [Focus: 16 Worlds on 16]_
• AL DJANAT, THE ORIGINAL PARADIESE by Aïcha Chloé Boro, 84min, [Best of Fests]
• AT THAT VERY MOMENT | EN EL MISMISIMO MOMENTO by Rita Pauls, Federico Luis Tachella, 12min, P: RUIDO Buenos Aires – Juan Pablo Labonia & RUIDO Berlin – Manuel Abramovich [DAAD], [Short]_
• BACKGROUND by Khaled Abdulwahed, 64 min, P: pong film, [Signed]
• BORDERLINE VISIBLE by Ant Hampton, 78min, P: Time Based Editions, [Digital Storytelling]_
• BOYZ by Sylvain Cruiziat, 72min, P: HFF Munich, madfilms Cruiziat & Egert GbR, [Youth Documentary]
• CAPITAL by Basma al-Sharif, 17min, P: Basma al-Sharif, [Corresponding Cinemas]
• DAMNATIO MEMORIAE by Thunska Pansittivorakul, 100min, coP: Jürgen Brüning Filmproduktion, [Envision]
• DE FACTO by Selma Doborac, 130min, WS: sixpackfilm, [Paradocs]
• THE ECHO | EL ECO by Tatiana Huezo, 102min, WS: The Match Factory, [Signed]
• EMBODIES CHORUS by Mohamad Moe Sabbah, Danielle Davie, 72min, P: HEARTWAKE films GmbH, Wild Fang Films, madame le tapis, [Luminous]
• HELKE SANDER: CLEANING HOUSE | HELKE SANDER: AUFRÄUMEN by Claudia Richarz, 82min, P: Claudia Richarz Film, [Luminous]
• HOLLYWOODGATE by Ibrahim Nash'at, 90min, WS: Cinephil, [Best of Fests]
• HUNTING PARTY | JAGDPARTIE by Ibrahim Shaddad, 42min © 1964 [Corresponding Cinemas]_
• IN WOLF COUNTRY | IM LAND DER WÖLFE by Ralf Bücheler, 102min, P: if... Productions Film,  [Frontlight]
• LA SINGLA by Paloma Zapata, 95min, coP: inselfilm produktion, WS: Rise and Shine, [Best of Fests]
• MALQUERIDAS by Tana Gilbert, 75min, WS: Square Eyes Film, [Best of Fests]
• MRS. FANG by Wang Bing, 86min, WS: Asian Shadows Int. Sales Ltd, ©2017 [Retrospective]
• OMNI  NOBU – THE NEW MAN by Carlos Yuri Ceuninck, 64min, P: Néon Rouge, AUTENTIKA FILMS, Kori Kaxoru Films, Black Balance Artistic Production, [Luminous]
• OUR LAND, OUR FREEDOM by Meena Nanji, Zippy Kimundu, 100min, coP: AUTENTIKA FILMS, [Frontlight]
• A PICTURE TO REMEMBER by Olga Chernykh, 72min, P: Real Pictures, LuFilms, Tama Film, [Envision]
• #RACEGIRL – THE COMEBACK OF SOPHIA FLÖRSCH | #RACEGIRL – DAS COMEBACK DER SOPHIA FLÖRSCH by Sonia Otto, 95min, P: Gebrüder Beetz Film, [Frontlight]
• SULTANA'S DREAM by Isabel Herguera, 87min, WS: Square Eyes Film, [Best of Fests]
• TOGOLAND PROJECTIONS by , 96min, P: Les films de l’oeil Sauvage, maxim film, Universal Grace Production, WS: Andana Films, [Best of Fests]
• UKI by Shu Lea Cheang, 80min, P: Shu Lea Cheang, Jürgen Brüning Filmproduktion, D: GMfilms, [IDFA]
• WAKING UP IN SILENCE | IM STILLEN ERWACHEN by Mila Zhluktenko, Daniel Asadi Faezi, 18min, WS: Square Eyes, [Best of Fests]
• WHERE ZEBUS SPEAK FRENCH | SITABAOMBA by Nantenaina Lova, 103min, P: Endemika Films,  NIKO FILM, Adala Films, Diam Production SARL, [Luminous]
  
  
  
  

 

 

 

 

Competitions and other sections among others are:

• International Competition The best of the art. Singular films that are artistically confident, well-rounded, and universally relevant. An international jury of five jurors will award the best film as well as other films that champion the craft and innovation of filmmaking.
• Envision Competition With stylistic integrity and courage, these films traverse our current reality, offering visions of a documentary art form that can, might, and will be. An international jury of five jurors will award the best film as well as other films that champion the craft and innovation of filmmaking.
• IDFA DocLab Competition for Immersive Non-Fiction A testament to the power of exceptional non-fiction storytelling across media and technologies, the selected works for the IDFA DocLab Competition for Immersive Non-Fiction reveal the full spectrum of immersive art. An international jury of three jurors will award the best project in addition to handing out a special jury award.
• IDFA DocLab Competition for Digital Storytelling The selected projects in the IDFA DocLab Competition for Digital Storytelling illustrate all the different ways to create stories in new ways to innovate and re-imagine the potential of interactive storytelling, often moving between the digital and the physical. An international jury of three jurors will award the best project in addition to handing out a special jury award.
• IDFA Competition for Short Documentary The IDFA Competition for Short Documentary has titles that showcase a healthy boom for the short film form. A mosaic of styles and themes defines this selection, exploring everything a short documentary can be. An international jury of three jurors will award the best film.
• IDFA Competition for Youth Documentary The IDFA Competition for Youth Documentary offers world-class films that challenge the definition of youth documentary. Selected titles are presented for two distinct age groups: 9- to 13-year-olds, and 14-year-olds all the way to adulthood.
• Luminous The premiere-only section’s lineup includes a wide range of styles and formalist approaches, from observational to personal to experimental. Through vivid recollections and a wealth of archival footage, Helke Sander: Cleaning House by Claudia Richarz invites audiences to revisit the filmmaker and feminist's work and activism. 
• Frontlight The premiere-only section take an artistic approach to exploring the urgent issues of our time. In Wolf Country by Ralf Bücheler documents the return of wolves to Germany, and the polarizing and political debates that ensue in the name of safety—but who are we setting out to protect?
• IDFA on Stage The IDFA on Stage selection presents a boundary-breaking program of live cinema events—bridging film, new media, and the performing arts. Highlights include Simple as ABC #7: The Voice of Fingers by Thomas Bellinck, the multimedia performance and documentary theater play examines fingerprint technology as an instrument of control and symbol for inequality. Starting from the tiny ridges of our fingertips, the performance inquires into how the administrative tool enables the free crossing of EU borders to some, and the exclusion of others.
• IDFA DocLab Spotlight Documentary art across disciplines, presenting emerging media works and research projects by masters and new talents.
• Paradocs Pushing the limits of the documentary form. A showcase of the year’s best experimental documentary art.
• Best of Fests Prize-winners, public favorites, and high-profile titles from the international festival circuit.
• Signed The latest films by the most interesting contemporary filmmakers whose filmographies we highly appreciate, and for whose work we wait with excitement.
• Top 10 Ten films selected by IDFA’s Guest of Honor, from influential masterpieces to hidden documentary gems.
• Retrospective A tribute to the festival’s yearly Guest of Honor with a celebration of their oeuvre.
• Focus A selection of new and canonical films curated around a thematic point of focus.
• Coreesponding Cinemas presents a series of films and conversations on the invisible connections between filmmakers – offering a glimpse into cinema’s endless relay of creative connections.

 

 

 

 

 

MARKETS take place from Sunday November 12 until Wednesday November 15 onsite in Amsterdam, returning to a new and improved Felix Meritis floor plan. IDFA hosts a dynamic marketplace that caters to filmmakers, producers, and industry professionals throughout the full life cycle of documentary film and new media making at IDFA Forum (November 12-15, 2023) and Docs for Sale (November 10-15, 2023).

Docs for Sale during IDFA: The full 2023 catalogue will be published on IDFA's website November 1 and can be accessed by Acquisition passholders by logging into your MyIDFA account. Once you are logged in, you can keep track of the titles you have watched in the ‘Professionals’ space.

• Producers Connection + Rough Cut presentations – Sunday November 12 Afternoon
• Forum and DocLab Forum Presentations – Monday-Tuesday November 13+14 Morning
• All One-on-One Meetings for selected projects will take place Monday-Tuesday November 13+14 Afternoon + Wednesday November 15 morning.
• Forum Lunches take place Monday-Tuesday November 13+14.
Questions? Don’t hesitate to contact the industry team at idfaforum@idfa.nl or docsforsale@idfa.nl

 

 

64 projects are selected for 31st edition of IDFA Forum including

• LIGHTS (WT) by Mila Teshaieva, Marcus Lenz, 90min, Germany, Ukraine
  Beginning with the liberation of Bucha and following five characters as they navigate their life through conflicts, trauma, and hopes, the film tells a story of transformations of the nation shaped by war. Sequel to awardwinning  WHEN SPRING CAME TO BUCHA ©2022.

 

 

 

Docs for Sale IDFA takes place November 10-15, 2023, and facilitates the sales and distribution of high-end documentary films, providing bespoke services including matchmaking, consultancies, sales and distribution workshops, and strategic know-how for IDFA-selected and Docs for Sale-selected films. Meet here
• Filmmakers looking to maximize their launch with sales and distribution opportunities
• Sales agents looking to showcase their roster and scout new films
• Buyers, distributors, and festival programmers looking for the best creative documentaries for their festival program or TV, cinema, or platform slot.

 

Catalogue 2023—2024 A leading showcase of the most recent documentary films, series, and shorts seeking distribution and exhibition opportunities, including about two dozen German productions and c-productions. This year's Docs for Sale catalogue features some 330 films from more than 80 countries, with a clear trend towards films dealing with social and historical topics through personal lens, as well as stories about sidelined communities fighting the challenges of the globalized world.  

German productions and co-productions in the Docs for Sale 2023–2024 Catalogue

• 27 STOREYS by Bianca Gleissinger, 82min, P: Mischief Films, Egoli Tossell Film AG [Docs for Sale]
• AL DJANAT, THE ORIGINAL PARADIESE by Aïcha Chloé Boro, 84min, [Best of Fests] [Docs for Sale]
• ALL INCLUSIVE by Thorsten Ernst, 90min, WS: Rise and Shine, [Docs for Sale]
• EMBODIES CHORUS by Mohamad Moe Sabbah, Danielle Davie, 72min, P: HEARTWAKE films GmbH, Wild Fang Films, madame le tapis, [Luminous] [Doc For Sales]
• THE GATE by Jasmin Herold, Michael Beamish, 88min, WS: Deckert Distribution GmbH, [Docs for Sale]
• HELKE SANDER: CLEANING HOUSE | HELKE SANDER: AUFRÄUMEN by Claudia Richarz, 82min, P: Claudia Richarz Film, [Luminous] [Docs for Sale]
• IGOR LEVIT – NO FEAR by Regina Schilling, 118min, WS: Filmdelights, [Docs for Sale]
• IN WOLF COUNTRY | IM LAND DER WÖLFE by Ralf Bücheler, 102min, P: if... Productions Film,  [Frontlight] [Docs for Sale]
• IRON BUTTERFLIES by Roman Liubyi, 84min, P: Trimafilm, Babylon '13, WS: Rise and Shine, [Docs for Sale]
• JACKIE THE WOLF by Tuki Jencquel, 93min, WS: Deckert Distribution, [Docs for Sale]
• LIFE AFTER LIBERTATION – HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS IN POST-WAR GERMANY by Hans Pfeifer, 52min, WS: Irem Özgökceler for Deutsche Welle, [Docs for Sale]_
• LIFE, AS IT HAPPENS by Emre Korkmaz, 53min, Pergamon Pictures, [Docs for Sale]_
• LONELY OAKS | VERGISS MEYN NICHT by Fabiana Fragale, Kilian Kuhlendahl, Jens Mühlhoff, WS: NEW DOCS, [Docs for Sale]
• LONG DISTANCE SWIMMER – SARA MARDINI by Charly W. Feldman, 88min, P: DOCDAYS Productions, WS: NEW DOCS, [Docs for Sale]
• MALQUERIDAS by Tana Gilbert, 75min, WS: Square Eyes Film, [Best of Fests] [Docs for Sale]
• THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES | KADIB ABYAD by Asmae El Moudir, 96min, P: Insightfilms, Fig Leaf Studio, WS: auTLOOK Filmsales,  [Docs for Sale]_
• NUCLEAR NOMADS by Kilian Armando Friedrich, Tizian Stromp Zargari, 70min, WS: Rise and Shine, [Docs for Sale]
• OUR LAND, OUR FREEDOM by Meena Nanji, Zippy Kimundu, 100min, coP: AUTENTIKA FILMS, [Frontlight] [Docs for Sale]
• A PICTURE TO REMEMBER by Olga Chernykh, 72min, P: Real Pictures, LuFilms, Tama Film, [Envision] [Docs for Sale]
• PLASTIC FANTASTIC by Isa Willinger, 101min, P: Trimafilm, WS: Rise and Shine, [Docs for Sale]
• RUSSIA vs LAWYERS by Masha Novikova, 90min, WS: NEW DOCS, [Docs for Sale]
• SULTANA'S DREAM by Isabel Herguera, 87min, WS: Square Eyes Film, [Best of Fests] [Docs for Sale]
• TANJA – UP IN ARMS by Marcel Mettelsiefen, 84min, WS: MAGNETFILM GmbH, [Docs for Sale]
• TOTAL TRUST by Jialing Zhang, 97min, WS: Cinephil, [Docs for Sale]
• TOGOLAND PROJECTIONS by Jürgen Ellinghaus, 96min, P: Les films de l’oeil Sauvage, maxim film, Universal Grace Production, WS: Andana Films, [Docs for Sale]
• UKRAINIAN STORYBOX – A WOMAN'S WAR by David Belton, 81min, P: LOOKSfilm, YaRD44, WS: LOOKS International, [Docs for Sale]
• VIENNA CALLING by Philipp Jedicke, 83min, P:Amour Fou, Fruitmarket Arts & Media, WS: Filmdelights, [Docs for Sale]
• VIKA! by Agnieszka Zwiefka, 74min, WS: Deckert Distribution, [Docs for Sale]
• WAR ON PROPAGANDA by Saskia Geisler, 89min, P: Berlin Producers, WS: Rise and Shine, [Docs for Sale]
• WHERE ZEBUS SPEAK FRENCH | SITABAOMBA by Nantenaina Lova, 103min, P: Endemika Films,  NIKO FILM, Adala Films, Diam Production SARL, WS: Eva Lova-Bély for Papang Films, [Luminous] [Docs for Sale]
• WORKING FOR THE ENEMY – FORCED LABOUR IN THE THIRD REICH | UNTER DEUTSCHEN – ZWANGSARBEIT IM DRITTEN REICH by Matthias Schmidt, 3x52min, P: LOOKSfilm, WS: LOOKS International, [Docs for Sale]

 

 

 

as single page
• IDFA 2023
• IDFA 2022
• IDFA 2021
• IDFA 2020
• IDFA 2019
• IDFA 2018
• IDFA 2017

upcoming 37 IDFA November 13-24, 2024 at Amsterdam.

SUBMISSIONS send films, performances, and interactive/immersive projects to be considered for the 37th edition of IDFA, taking place November 13 to 24, 2024.
• Early deadline for films April 25
• Deadline for new media projects seeking presentation support April 25
• Deadline for performances April 25
• Second deadline for films May 30
• Deadline for new media projects  July 2
• Final deadline for films July 11