How do we look back at a year in which everything was different? A year in which the film industry changed irrevocably and the consequences of the global pandemic remained unclear. While coping with the changes, great and small, brought to everyday life by the pandemic, filmmakers are also having to learn to deal with this new reality.
A reality that is forcing filmmakers to increasingly fall back on their own resources. Meetings with colleagues from around the world can no longer be taken for granted; contact with audiences has become a rarity; in many cases, it has proved impossible to complete projects as planned. Furthermore, the future is still uncertain. Quite apart from the uncertainty surrounding a return to some kind of ‘normal’, the closure of cinemas and the arrival of online festivals have transformed the screening and distribution landscape for documentaries entirely. When governments face crises, the cultural sector is generally the first to feel the financial squeeze. Within its regular contact with filmmakers, as well as within the activities of IDFA, the IDFA Bertha Fund (IBF) has responded to these changes as far as it can, continuing wherever possible to support filmmakers with advice and expertise. In this annual report, we are proud to give several IBF-supported filmmakers an opportunity to speak about their films, projects and visions for their field of endeavour.
The Fund’s selection rounds took place in 2020 without any major modifications; support activities and meetings with filmmakers were moved online as far as possible. Six years on from the launch of the IDFA Bertha Fund Europe category, it is clear that international cooperation between producers is increasing, with positive results. Six documentary films awarded an IBF Europe – International Co-production grant that were completed in 2020 premiered at renowned festivals such as Sundance, Cannes, Toronto and IDFA.
As the year progressed, the impact of the pandemic on the Fund’s operational regions became ever more apparent. On the one hand, finance possibilities are drying up as national governments cut budgets for the culture and film sectors, resulting in increased competition for international funds.
