Organization

The size of the IDFA team is fluid; in 2023, the team consisted of 70.5 FTE (compared to 63 FTE in 2022). The permanent workforce is made up of staff with permanent contracts (an increase from 23.8 FTE in 2022 to 26.1 in 2023) and temporary contracts (21.4 FTE in 2022, to 22.8 FTE in 2023). In the run-up to the festival, the organization is expanded with freelance employees (17.9 FTE in 2022, to 21.6 in 2023), interns (2.9 FTE in 2022, to 1.9 FTE in 2023), and 417 volunteers.

Internationalization of the workplace has become increasingly important. Each year, the employee policy is aimed at recruiting a good team and creating working conditions in which everyone can excel and contribute to IDFA’s activities from their divergent perspectives. 

As part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring the institute of IDFA remains safe and inclusive, IDFA developed a code of conduct for dealing with undesirable behavior, such as (sexual) harassment, intimidation, aggression, violence, discrimination, and bullying. There are two confidential counselors within IDFA. In addition, IDFA is affiliated with Mores.online, the independent disclosure office for undesirable behavior in the Dutch cultural and creative sector, which offers advice and support by independent confidential counselors. 

The Fair Practice Code is applied within IDFA’s employee policy. In addition to fair financial compensation and transparency, this also concerns involving the team with the development of the organization (policy and annual plans), preserving knowledge by maintaining more sustainable work relationships, establishing work processes, and conducting evaluations with employees. 

Together with other film festivals, Bureau Berenschot conducted research into the market conformity of IDFA salaries in 2023 and carried out an employment conditions comparison. Film festivals are lagging behind in certain areas in terms of fair pay. To repair the salary structure alone, € 1,200,000 per year would have to be made available. The government has allocated €275,000 to the four film festivals in the basic cultural infrastructure (BIS) from additional resources for fair pay. Under the guidance of Platform ACCT, the film festivals will draw up a Film Festival Working Code in 2024. This will include: a joint salary structure, a conversion tool for freelancers that aligns rates with salaries, a joint set of secondary employment conditions, and a coordinated training policy. 

Foundation IDFA endorses the Governance Code Cultuur, the Fair Practice Code, and de Code Diversiteit & Inclusie. With the aim of strengthening IDFA as an institute with a unified vision, the two foundations IDFA and IDFA Bertha Fund were reorganized to operate under the guidance of one Supervisory Board led by chairperson Marry de Gaay Fortman in 2021.  

Two changes took place to the Supervisory Board in 2023. Bregtje van der Haak left the board (following her new role as director of Eye Filmmuseum). Ramsey Nasr and Julia Noordergraaf joined the board. The additional members include: Femke van der Laan, Henk Siebren de Jong, and Michael Kembel. At the end of 2022, an intern will be affiliated with the Supervisory Board: Orcun Ersungur. The members do not receive compensation and the maximum term of office is two periods of four years. 

Orwa Nyrabia and Cees van ‘t Hullenaar are IDFA’s directors. Isabel Arrate Fernandez is director of IDFA Bertha Fund. The directors receive remuneration in line with the WNT salary standard. The Supervisory Board meets on a weekly basis, and the directors have a weekly management meeting. The directors manage the various departments. Each department develops a year plan that is monitored and evaluated by the directors annually. Part of that evaluation includes setting KPIs, which consists of performance figures, financial figures, and results from various satisfaction surveys.