Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 20 sees the opening of the 26th edition of the largest documentary event in the world, The Netherlands’ IDFA. Screening approximately 150 new feature documentaries, plus additional retrospective programming, shorts, and transmedia projects through Sunday, December 1, Amsterdam’s fest will play host to hundreds of the nonfiction world’s top buyers, broadcasters, and programmers, not to mention its over 120,000 general attendees. While I’ve attended the event for the past four years, I’m very sadly missing this one. Still, I’ve diligently (and wistfully) scoured through the lineup to construct my wishlist, if I were attending, broken down by section. As in the past, the fest’s sheer size necessitates breaking this down into two posts – today’s looks at IDFA’s competitions, while tomorrow’s will look at the non-competitive line-up.
The festival hold several competitions, with the main one, for best Feature-Length film, including a €12,500 prize. I’m curious about all sixteen contenders, but would especially highlight the following: Michael Obert’s SONG FROM THE FOREST, which follows an ex-pat who’s been living in central Africa as he returns to America with his pygmy son; Berit Madsen’s SEPIDEH – REACHING FOR THE STARS (pictured), about a young Iranian woman with astronaut dreams; Alexander Gentelev’s PUTIN’S GAMES, uncovering the rampant corruption behind the upcoming Sochi Olympics; Svetoslav Draganov’s LIFE ALMOST WONDERFUL, on three wildly different Bulgarian brothers and their grandmother; Ventura Durall’s THE WILD YEARS, a portrait of three Ethiopian street children; Niels van Koevorden and Sabine Lubbe Bakker’s NE ME QUITTE PAS, about the friendship between a pair of broken men; and Agnes Sós’ STREAM OF LOVE, a look at love among elderly Hungarian villagers.
IDFA is one of the few festivals that gives films their due in that awkward too-long-for-a-short, too-short-for-a-feature 30-60 minute range, providing the winner of the Mid-Length competition with an impressive €10,000 prize. Of the fifteen films here, I’m most intrigued by: Alina Rudnitskaya’s BLOOD, about a Russian blood bank; Shirly Berkovitz’s THE GOOD SON, following a young Israeli MTF during his transition, kept secret from his family; Jaap van Hoewijk’s KILLING TIME, a countdown to a convicted rapist’s execution; Paul Anders Simma’s OLGA – TO MY FRIENDS (pictured), a portrait of the sole woman in a remote Russian reindeer brigade; Mona Friis Bertheussen’s TWIN SISTERS, about the unique bond between two Chinese twins, separately adopted as infants; Anna-Karin Grönroos’ ECOPOLIS CHINA, in which a Finnish engineer seeks to build a sustainable city with the help of a Chinese multimillionaire; and Keren Shayo’s SOUND OF TORTURE, exposing the plight of Eritrean refugees falling prey to kidnappers as they cross the Sinai Desert
Fifteen first-time feature docmakers vie for a €5,000 prize in the First Appearance competition, which includes: Kristóf Kovács’ MEN WITH BALLS , about the impact of a new tennis court in an economically-depressed Hungarian village; Eszter Hajdú’s JUDGMENT IN HUNGARY, following the trial of right-wing extremists for murdering Roma; Gaël Mocaër’s THE COAL MINER’S DAY, about the experiences of Ukrainian mining work; Martijn Payens’ BROADCASTING THE END – A TALE ABOUT A MAGIC MOUNTAIN, on what happens to a small French village that’s singled out as a refuge from the December 2012 apocalypse; Mehrdad Ahmadpour’s BARRE’S SILENCE (pictured), about an Iranian village’s relationship with a competitive bull; Joe Piscatella’s #CHICAGOGIRL – THE SOCIAL NETWORK TAKES ON A DICTATOR, about a Chicago college student’s role in the Syrian revolution; and Rachel Beth Anderson’s FIRST TO FALL, following two young men who leave their homes in Canada to fight for Libya’s freedom.
The festival’s Dutch competition includes various local features from other strands, as well as nearly a dozen that are unique to this section, including Aliona van der Horst’s 15 ATTEMPTS, a curious exploration of misunderstanding; and Menna Laura Meijer’s 69: LOVE SEX SENIOR, focusing on sexuality in the twilight years. The Student competition consists primarily of shorter work, but there are four feature pieces, including Danielle Zini’s WHITE SOLDIER (pictured), about an Israeli artist’s confrontational performance art as a solider; and Natalia Mikhaylova’s ZELIM’S CONFESSION, on a Chechen man forced under torture to falsely confess to a terrorist attack.
what (not) to doc 