Industry
In 2022 over 3000 accredited guests visited the festival, of whom a large part found their way to the program for international professionals. This program, that consists of Forum, Docs for Sale, Industry Talks and more, took place at new festival locations Felix Meritis and Internationaal Theater Amsterdam. Also IDFAcademy, IDFA’s talent development program, got their own place at these locations.
Industry program
ITA, a new IDFA location where a lot of Industry activities took place. (Jakob van Vliet)
IDFA's Industry program gathered the world’s documentary community to discuss the evolution of our industry, offer surprising new perspectives, and build long-lasting connections. The extensive program of high-profile talks, presentations, matchmaking, and think tanks runs for six days, annually welcoming some 3,000 documentary filmmakers and professionals.offered follow-up talks, sessions and consultations for professionals to keep abreast of the latest developments in the documentary industry. During the 2022 festival, professionals visited 18 different Industry Talks, such as the one about (co-)productions in a changing financial lanscape, 4 Filmmaker Talks with well-known documentary filmmakers, including a conversation with filmmaker Nishtha Jain, and various social events. The offer for professionals also included the Industry Sessions in which experts talk about various topics, for example about how to position a film and how to work with a sales agent.
Forum
IDFA Forum: Pitches day 1 at Felix Meritis. (Melle Meivogel)
IDFA Forum, IDFA’s international co-production and co-financing market, celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022, with over 60 projects selected for IDFA Forum from 684 submitted projects. From a European platform with a focus on financing documentary films produced for TV broadcasting, the Forum has evolved into a four-day event with a worldwide selection of ground-breaking creative documentary projects. Documentary films and new media projects are offered the opportunity to present their projects and connect with leading industry professionals, such as financiers, public and commercial broadcasters, and (S)VOD platforms. Kani Lapuerta's project Niñxs won the IDFA Forum Award for Best Pitch, Alison O'Daniel's The Tuba Thieves won the IDFA Forum Award for Best Rough Cut, and the DocLab Forum Award went to We Speak Their Names In Hushed Tones by Omoregie Osakpolor.
Docs for Sale
Docs for Sale One-on-One meetings at Felix Meritis. (Coen Dijkstra)
Docs for Sale has grown into one of the world’s premier markets for artistic documentary makers from all over the world. The market facilitated one-on-one meetings, bespoke services, and knowledge exchange in the festivals’ new location Felix Meritis this edition. In addition, Docs for Sale offers an online viewing service of IDFA’s online catalogue. This year, the Docs for Sale catalogue offered 414 documentary films (compared to 468 in 2021). During the festival, independent producers and sales agents could present their films and networked with film teams, TV buyers, festival programmers, and distributors. Docs for Sale received 7,123 visits this edition, an increase compared to 5,457 visits in 2021.
IDFA Forum is supported by Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands, and Creative Europe Media.
