IBF Network
Connecting people
IBF Network
The IBF has an extensive industry network, which encompasses both the international film industry and organizations active in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, the regions the Fund focuses on. The Fund utilizes this network to provide information to filmmakers and organizations and to mediate between supported projects from emerging countries and the international film industry.
Meeting at IDFA
Each year, the Fund invites all filmmakers of IBF-supported documentaries selected for the IDFA program, as well as a number of supported filmmakers of projects that are still in production, to attend IDFA. Attending IDFA is a great opportunity for documentary professionals to expand their networks, as well as to see many documentary films unavailable in their own region
They can make direct contact with the approximately 3.300 international professionals who are present in Amsterdam during the festival. During IDFA many activities take place aimed at stimulating filmmakers to network, such as the IDFAcademy, IDFA’s Industry Program and the daily Guests Meet Guests drinks.
Collaboration with international organizations
To further encourage networking between IBF-supported filmmakers and producers at the festival, the Fund organizes a get-together every year for all IBF filmmakers and producers, European co-producers involved in IBF-supported projects, as well as IBF partners and selection committee. Given the informal setting and the profiles of the attending guests, this IBF get-together proved to be a great networking session.
Roundtables for documentary professionals at IDFA Industry Program 2018
IBF at IDFA Forum
Of the 51 projects selected for IDFA Forum, 4 were previously supported by the Fund. In addition, 1 IBF-supported project was selected on the spot for a Central Pitch, a sort of surprise pitch (the selection process is known as the moderator's hat). During IDFA Forum, these projects were presented to an industry delegation of 652 film professionals from around the world.
Besides the public pitches, the project representatives were able to pitch their ideas and plans to interested commissioning editors, sales agents, distributors and funders in pre-arranged one-on-one meetings.
IBF facilitated the participation of all projects in the Forum, organised a pitch workshop for 3 of them and represented the projects at the pitch itself as a financier.
IBF Projects selected for IDFA Forum
Children of Las Brisas – Marianela Maldonado – Venezuela/France/UK - Round Table Pitch
The Half Truths – Hemal Trivedi – India/USA - Rough Cut Pitch
The Platform – Nino Orjonikidze & Vano Arsenishvili – Georgia - Round Table Pitch
The Revisited – Mehrdad Oskouei – Iran/Norway - Central Pitch
Smog Director – Vincent Du & Meng Han – China - Selected on the spot for a Central Pitch
Forum Observers
In addition to the IBF projects selected at IDFA Forum, the Fund invited the producers and co-producers of two IBF projects to attend IDFA Forum as observers to broaden their network and to meet possible financiers or co-producers:
Between Two Wars – Ukraine/Latvia
Smog Director - China
Sunless Shadows (working title: The Revisited) being pitched by director Mehrdad Oskouei, producer Siavash Jamali and IBF managing director Isabel Arrate, during the Central Pitch at IDFA Forum 2018. The project received both development and production & post-production support in the IBF Classic category.
Collaboration with International Organizations
Throughout the year, the Fund is in contact with various organizations to exchange information and knowledge about documentaries, filmmakers, organizations and contacts, such as Dox Box in Berlin, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program in the US, DOCUBOX in Kenia, Afridocs in South Africa, the Hot Docs-Blue Ice Documentary Fund in Canada, AFAC in Lebanon, In-Docs in Indonesia and the Movies that Matter Foundation.
The IDFA Bertha Fund is also part of a network of co-production funds which includes the Hubert Bals Fund, World Cinema Fund, ACM Distribution, Torino Filmlab and Sørfund. These funds consult each other on a regular basis and share experiences on the implementation of the co-production schemes in the Creative Europe program.
The Fund also maintains a number of structural relationships with organizations in IBF countries. Every year, the IBF sends consultants to workshops and festivals all over the world in order to promote the Fund and IDFA, to extend its network and to provide concrete professional support to filmmakers from IBF countries. Through these visits local organizations are incorporated into the Fund’s network. In 2018, such working visits were made to documentary events in Argentina, Armenia, Chile, China, Cuba, Egypt, Georgia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, South Africa, Ukraine and Uruguay.