International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)

Deadline: 01/08/2010

Call for documentaries.
The 23rd International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam will take place from 18 to 28 November 2010.

General entry requirements

• No fee is charged for entry.
• It is important to enter your documentary at the earliest possible moment.
• Format, language and version
• IDFA accepts the following screening formats: 16mm and 35mm, HD Cam, Betacam SP PAL and Digibeta PAL. Presentation of other formats and video systems requires authorization from the Festival.
• Films and videos can only be shown at the festival if they have English commentary and/or English dialogue, or are in their original versions with English subtitles.

If the documentary does not meet all of these requirements, it will not be eligible for selection.

Entry requirements per section

IDFA selects some 250 new documentaries each year, divided into various competition and non-competition programs.
The General entry requirements apply to all program sections, unless it is stated otherwise below.

IDFA Competition for Feature-Length Documentary
– For films and videos longer than 60 minutes
– Only world, international and European premieres are accepted; priority is given to world premieres
– IDFA allows a maximum of two festival screenings prior to IDFA
– national theatrical release is permitted

IDFA Competition for Mid-Length Documentary
– For films and videos between 45 and 60 minutes. (Please note that this was formerly between 30 and 60 minutes)
– Only world, international and European premieres are accepted; priority is given to world premieres
– IDFA allows a maximum of two festival screenings prior to IDFA
– national theatrical release is permitted

IDFA Competition for First Appearance
– Open to first-time or second-time directors. When deciding whether this is your first or second film, IDFA not only counts your previously directed documentaries, but also fiction, animation and experimental films. Graduation projects from film schools or universities should be submitted for the IDFA Competition for Student Documentary (Section 5)
– Open to both film and video documentaries of any length
– Only world, international and European premieres are accepted; priority is given to world premieres
– IDFA allows a maximum of two festival screenings prior to IDFA
– national theatrical release is permitted

IDFA Competition for Student Documentary
– Open to (graduation) films for a film school/university. IDFA will not accept documentary exercises
– Open to film and video documentaries of any length
– Screening or broadcast in the Netherlands prior to the festival does not exclude the film, although priority will be given to premieres

IDFA Competition for Dutch Documentary
– Films from the IDFA Competition for Dutch Documentary section plus Dutch productions from the abovementioned competitions compete for the IDFA Award for Dutch Documentary (€5,000)
– Open to Dutch productions
– Only world premieres can be accepted
– Open to film and video documentaries of any length

Reflecting Images: Best of Fests
– International non-competition section containing films that have made an impact on the international festival circuit
– Open to international productions
– Open to film and video documentaries of any length
– Screening or broadcast in the Netherlands prior to the festival rules the film out. Priority is given to world, international and European premieres

Reflecting Images: Masters
– International non-competition section containing films made by renowned (documentary) filmmakers
– Open to international productions
– Open to both film and video documentaries of any length
– Screening or broadcast in the Netherlands prior to the festival rules the film out. Priority is given to world, international and European premieres

Reflecting Images: Panorama
– International non-competition section containing films that are thought-provoking in form and/or theme
– Open to international productions
– Open to film and video documentaries of any length
– Screening or broadcast in the Netherlands prior to the festival rules the film out. Priority is given to world, international and European premieres

Paradocs
– Paradocs is a program made up of experimental documentaries and documentary experiments. The form and content of these projects vary considerably from the conventional, dominant documentary formats suited to TV and the cinema
– Paradocs is open to both film and video documentaries of any length, but also to video installations and other media which are not necessarily presented in a cinema
– We also invite visual artists to submit their documentary projects
– Documentaries may have been presented or broadcast in the Netherlands prior to the festival, but IDFA gives priority to premieres

Kids & Docs
– Open to films or videos that capture the experiences of young people up to 13 years of age
– Open to film and video documentaries of any length
– Documentaries may have been screened or broadcast in the Netherlands prior to the festival, but IDFA gives priority to premieres
– Documentaries will be presented to visitors and professionals. The documentaries will be presented with English commentary and/or English dialogue, or in their original versions with English subtitles

Workshop Results
– Open to documentaries realized from a plan developed during the IDFA Documentary Workshop
– Open to film and video documentaries of any length
– Screening or broadcast in the Netherlands prior to the festival does not exclude the film
– Documentaries may be screened in the Dutch version, but an English version is preferred

IDFA Doc Lab
IDFA Doc Lab is a program section at IDFA, investigating new technologies with which to represent reality and the relationship between new media, web culture and documentary.
– open to all narrative documentary content, ranging from linear film to websites, mobile projects and installations

Requirements for films supported by the Jan Vrijman Fund
The fund has the rights for the first screening in the Benelux and will enter the film for IDFA.
All films made with financial support from the Jan Vrijman Fund will be taken into consideration for one of the regular sections as listed above. The General entry requirements and Entry requirements per section also apply to the Jan Vrijman Fund films.

Deadlines

1 May 2010 for documentaries completed between 1 August 2009 and 1 April 2010.
1 August 2010 for documentaries completed after 1 April 2010.

Juries and awards

• An international jury will select the winning film in the IDFA Competition for Feature-Length Documentary (consisting of € 12,500 and an IDFA Award). The jury has the option to grant a Special Jury Award (an IDFA Award).
• An international jury will choose the best documentary in the IDFA Competition for Mid-Length Documentary for documentaries between 45 and 60 minutes long (€ 10,000 and an IDFA Award).
• The IDFA Competition for First Appearance jury will pick the best debut (€ 5,000 and an IDFA Award).
• The IDFA Competition for Student Documentary jury will pick the best student film (€ 2,500 and an IDFA Award).
• A new international jury will grant the IDFA Award for Dutch Documentary to the best Dutch Documentary from the abovementioned competitions, plus from the IDFA Competition for Dutch Documentary (€5,000 and an IDFA Award).
• Festival audiences can also express their appreciation of the documentaries by voting in the Audience Award. The film rated highest will receive the Audience Award (€ 5,000 and an IDFA Award).
• A jury of young people (aged 15-18) will choose the best film in the DOC U! section (€ 1,500 and an IDFA Award). These films will be selected from the entire festival program.

How to apply

IDFA must receive two DVDs and a completed entry form.
Your entry will only be accepted only if all the required materials and information are received on time.

Two DVDs
– The DVDs can be Pal or NTSC.
– The DVDs should have an English, German or Dutch voice-over, dialogue or subtitles.

Please send it to:

International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
Frederiksplein 52
1017 XN Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Please go to the official website for more information.