Project team’s guide to navigating IDFA’s markets

For the past 32 years, IDFA Forum has been a vibrant platform for creative documentary and new media projects to build networks and bring outstanding projects to fruition. Each year, we host pivotal platforms to bring filmmakers, creators, producers, and industry representatives together to launch the strongest and most creative documentary and new media projects produced around the globe. So where does your project fit in?

To help you make the most of the many opportunities at IDFA, we spell out the key differences between the highly effective IDFA Forum Pitches, more intimate and collegial Producers Connection, new media-driven IDFA DocLab Forum, and finishing focused Rough Cut Presentations. Read on to find your way.

IDFA Forum is the world’s first of its kind, and the highly effective and competitive Forum Pitch Presentations gives the stage to projects in all stages of production ready to launch to financiers, collaborators, and/or distributors. In short, these pitches showcase outstanding projects with market appeal that are ready to be committed. The high-potential project teams (consisting of a producer and director) present their project to a hand-picked group of industry representatives and financiers, as well as an audience of industry observers.

The Forum Pitch is an opportunity to present the project, discuss potential partnerships, and receive constructive feedback on stage. Teams then meet with interested industry representatives over three days of one-on-one meetings.

Producers Connection presentations focus on supporting projects looking to finance their films through international collaboration and co-production. In an intimate presentation environment, we create a collaborative space for the most promising projects in progress to spark dialogue with independent producers and nurture long-term connections. In short, an event for peers.

Project teams (consisting of a producer and director) are invited to introduce themselves, their project, and the kind of collaboration they are looking for in a moderated conversation-style presentation format.

IDFA DocLab Forum gives the stage to cutting edge documentary projects in the field of new media in all stages of production and financing stages seeking new partnerships, in-depth feedback, and new ways forward. These projects explore new forms of expression in non-fiction storytelling and to advance new visions of what a documentary can be in a digital age. The DocLab Forum plays a central part in the new media ecosystem at IDFA and is closely connected to the IDFA DocLab exhibition and events program.

It offers a space for experimentation and collaboration in creative, cross-disciplinary partnerships across film, the creative arts, science, technology and social entrepreneurship.‍ Project teams (consisting of the two main creators, usually the producer and creative artist or the producer and director) present the project to a hand-picked panel of maximum three new media representatives and an audience of industry professionals.

This presentation is an opportunity to discuss the content and form of the project, set up multiple meetings, and discover which relevant steps can take the project further.

Rough Cut Presentations caters specifically to film projects in late editing – rough cut stage that are looking for gap funding, sales, distribution, or other exhibition opportunities in an exclusive very high quality showcase.

During the event in Amsterdam, the Forum hosts Rough Cut Presentations in a cinema, where project teams will show an excerpt of twenty minutes and participate in a short, moderated Q&A. All Rough Cut Presentations welcome both market passholders, gathering potential financiers and exhibitors. Like other presentations, teams meet with interested potential partners from the Forum, and can access Docs for Sale opportunities, including featuring the full rough cut on IDFA’s online platform, where it is made available to key accredited groups of acquisitions and exhibition professionals.

Until August 1, project teams can enter their entries for IDFA Forum—including the Producers Connection, Forum Pitches, Rough Cut Presentations, and IDFA DocLab Forum. You can find updated information on presentation formats, checklists, and FAQs clarifying all that IDFA markets has to offer on our Participate in IDFA’s markets page.