If you are an industry professional who works in the world of documentaries, it is a pretty sure bet that you are spending this week in Amsterdam at the IDFA International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. Aside from the hundreds of completed films on display, the Festival sponsors a co-production market for filmmakers to network with potential financiers and distributors for new projects (that will most probably come to IDFA next year as completed films).  IDFA’s annual c...

Monday, November 27---Aside from the extensive public events and screenings here at the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam (IDFA), a number of professional events are in high gear as the Festival moves into its mid-way point. The IDFA FORUM, a co-production and financing networking extravaganza, creates networking opportunities for a number of selected documentary producers and directors, who get a chance to pitch and dialogue with visiting commissioning television editors, dis...

Thursday, November 23----The International Documentary Film Festival (IDFA), the largest showcase and market for non-fiction films, kicked off in high style this evening, with the world premiere of the film 4 ELEMENTS, the feature directorial debut of Dutch director Jiska Rickels. Throngs crowded the City Cinemas for two almost parallel screenings of the film (one beginning at 8:00pm, the other beginning at 8:30pm), followed by the Festival's Opening Night bash....one of the major events o...

Monday, November 20----One of the unique professional programs at the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam (IDFA), which will begin this coming Thursday, is the IDFA Forum, a major co-production and co-financing professional conference that parallels the public screening event. The Forum is Europe's largest gathering of television commissioning editors and independent documentary producers. IDFA first organized the Forum in 1993, as a way for documentary producers to interest bro...