IDFA Forum unveils 47-project slate for 34th edition, with revised presentation formats

Mixed · 2The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) has announced the 47 projects selected for the 34th edition of IDFA Forum, its co-production and co-financing market. 1 2 Mixed · 2The Forum runs Nov. 15-18, and the festival itself runs Nov. 12-22. 2 1 Mixed · 2The Hollywood Reporter says the Forum received 859 entries, assessed by 42 external experts; Deadline says the lineup was culled from almost 900 submissions. 1 2

Mixed · 2The projects, in development, production and near completion, are spread across four strands: Forum Pitches, Roundtable Presentations, Rough Cut Presentations and IDFA DocLab Forum for new media. 2 1 Centre · 1Deadline reports that 29 projects were chosen for the Forum Pitches and Roundtable Presentations, six for the Rough Cut Presentations (20-minute excerpts for buyers, festival representatives and funders) and 12 for DocLab Forum. 2 Mixed · 2Established filmmakers on the slate include Wang Bing (Jiabiangou), Vitaly Mansky (Odesa.Mama), Rachel Leah Jones (Podium (You Have Three Minutes)) and Liang Zhao (Ship of Fools). Deadline adds Paraguayan director Juanjo Pereira with Examination, his follow-up to Under the Flags, the Sun (2025). 1 2

Mixed · 2Other titles include Being North Korean, The Contract of the Century (on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline), Artificial Clouds (an AI's travelogue through Chile), Camels of the Sea, Resisting Residents and, in DocLab, Mine Land and How to Make a Chiffon Cake. 2 1 Mixed · 2IDFA says the projects come from around the world, including Paraguay, Tunisia, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Namibia and Palestine, and that gender balance has been achieved across all formats. 1 2 Mixed · 2Organisers say they revised the presentation formats because the documentary market has become increasingly fragmented and harder to navigate. Projects will now be shown either to a larger audience at the Forum Pitches or in the more intimate Roundtable Presentations, and both offer access to one-on-one meetings with industry professionals; co-production and producer-to-producer meetings remain central. 1 2

Mixed · 2Adriek van Nieuwenhuijzen, head of IDFA Industry, said that despite market challenges in finance and distribution, the Forum should provide space for filmmakers who approach their craft with courage and curiosity. 1 2