Yesterday saw the close of one of IDFA’s most important professional ventures, the Forum for International Co-Financing of Documentaries. IDFA organized the first Forum in 1993 and has seen the event grow in stature, number of projects and interest from film and television funders and programmers. The original aim was to establish an international network that would facilitate contact between independent documentary producers and television broadcasters. This has expanded to include international sales agents, private financiers and film festival programmers, to round out the financing and distribution prospects for the projects on tap.

The Forum not only provides the perfect atmosphere for pitch sessions but also delves into the challenges facing documentary film that are remarkably similar in all countries. This year, aside from the traditional subjects of financing and distribution, the Forum is offering an arena for cross-media projects that look at the opportunities in the new media distribution platforms for both financing and dissemination of newly created nonfiction work.

This year, the Forum selected projects from more than 350 submissions worldwide. These projects were pitched in various categories, depending on their development and financing stages. During the pitching sessions, filmmakers and producers have an opportunity to explain their intentions to a panel of commissioning editors and to highlight the unique aspects of their projects in terms of both content and execution. A moderated question-and-answer period allowed the editors the opportunity to get more information from the pitch team, as well as to express their initial opinions on the projects.

For independent producers, the Forum is ground zero for finding international financing. The results of the past have been quite impressive with 9 out of 10 projects finding additional financing as a result of the exposure. Aside from strictly securing coin, filmmakers from around the world become familiar with the current trends and the new possibilities offered by the new media platforms of distribution.

And of course, the networking that results at this kind of intensive event is valuable in and of itself. Many producers are returning here this year with their second or third projects, having made valuable contacts in previous years that allow them to stimulate instant awareness and recognition and to help them on the long road of securing distribution and financing. For more information on the program, visit: http://www.idfa.nl/industry/the_forum.aspx

Sandy Mandelberger, IDFA Dailies Editor
IDFA Dailies