Delegations at IDFA 2023

Africa delegation, led by Documentary Africa (DocA) and supported by ARC and IBF
Through the CP3 program, a collaboration between DocA and Africa Real Collective (ARC), we have chosen 10 producers and filmmakers from different African regions for the upcoming festival, graciously facilitated by IDFA Bertha Fund. ARC, formed by various documentary organizations, aims to strengthen connections within the African documentary filmmaking community, both locally and globally. This initiative fosters cross-continental collaborations and cultural diversity in the wider documentary film industry.

Catalonia, led by Catalan Films
Catalan Films is the driving force behind the internationalization of the Catalan audiovisual industry, establishing international connections, and promoting the presence of Catalan productions and companies at markets and festivals. This year, we are promoting astonishing Catalan productions selected at IDFA, a co-production at IDFA Forum and around 15 companies will attend the professional activities. Join us in our Guest Meets Guest on Tuesday the 14th of November and meet our companies and their outstanding projects. See all Catalan documentaries at IDFA 2023.

Central and East Europe delegation, led by the Institute of Documentary Film (IDF) with the support of Creative Europe MEDIA
Since 2001, the Institute of Documentary Film (IDF) has supported creative documentary filmmakers in Central and Eastern Europe. IDF provides training, networking, and pitching for filmmakers at all levels, fostering international recognition, co-productions, awards, and market access. Their additional services include a CEE documentary database, festival calendar, and documentary news on dokweb.net and social media. They also offer a varied program of lectures, presentations, and screenings for documentary enthusiasts. See the IDF delegation at IDFA 2023.

Chile 
As in the previous ten years, the Chilean delegation of filmmakers and producers is coming to the festival. The delegation is interested in creating networks and closeness with the entire international industry, promoting the diversity and plurality of unique projects and films. The official Chilean delegation is led by Chiledoc, and is supported by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage of Chile, and Porchile.

Estonia, led by Ice and Fire Docs with the support of Estonian Film Institute
Ice and Fire Docs is a workshop for Estonian and Finnish filmmakers to break through to international markets. Among the alumni are Anna Hints' Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, an Oscar nominee 2024 and Einari Paakkanen's Karaoke Paradise, nominated to European Film Awards in 2022. Estonian Film Foundation (EFI), established in 1997, supports the creation, production and distribution of Estonian films. EFI runs an arthouse cinema Artis and organizes Estonian Film and TV awards Gala.

Italy, supported by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) in collaboration with Doc/it
For the twelfth year running, the Italian delegation of professionals attends IDFA, composed of producers, sales agents and distributors, festival representatives, and organized by ITA - Italian Trade Agency, the governmental agency that supports the business development of Italian companies abroad and promotes the attraction of foreign investment in Italy, in collaboration with Doc/it, the official association of Italian documentary producers and filmmakers.

Scotland, led by Scottish Documentary Institute and supported by Screen Scotland
The Scottish delegation of producers, filmmakers, and financiers come to Amsterdam to connect with audiences and the industry, and to promote their films and Scotland as a first-class place for documentary filmmaking and co-production. Screen Scotland is the globally renowned national body that drives development of all aspects of Scotland’s film and TV industry, through funding and strategic support. Scottish Documentary Institute (SDI) is an internationally recognized documentary center based in Edinburgh, specializing in documentary training, production, and distribution.

Serbia, led by DokSerbia and supported by Film Center Serbia
This year, unusually, there are no Serbian films in the IDFA program, but that only means we’re brewing up a broad range of ambitiously intriguing projects, that their authors and producers will happily present to you, accompanied by our usual cohort of curious and occasionally proactive documentary activists, executives, programmers, educators and new media pioneers.

South Africa, led by National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF)
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) was created to ensure the equitable growth of South Africa’s film and video industry, providing: Funding for the development, production, training and development of filmmakers, commissioning research and facilitating co-production projects between South African and foreign partners. The National Film and Video Foundation supports documentary films across different genres including archive.  

South Korea, led by KCA, with the support of EIDF and RAPA
The South Korean delegation is returning to IDFA. South Korean delegation has been coming to IDFA since 2013 with the support of different organizations from Korea. KCA (Korea Communications Agency) and EIDF (EBS International Documentary Festival) have been supporting and providing high-quality documentary films and aim to support the international co-production, and distribution of documentaries to enhance and competitiveness of the Korean broadcasting industry. RAPA (Korea Radio Promotion Association) has been supporting young Korean filmmakers interested in developing their documentary ideas and improving their skills as producers.

Palestine, led by the Palestine Film Institute
The Palestinian delegation will present their upcoming documentary projects at the Palestine Documentary Hub as part of the IDFA Industry Program. The project teams will have twenty minutes to present in front of leading international film producers, distributors, and sales agents, followed by one-on-one sessions. The Palestine Documentary Hub is an initiative by the Palestine film institute (PFI) in collaboration with IDFA. This year's edition is developed in cooperation with Palestine Cinema Club, Untold Palestine initiative, and with private support from the Tromsø Foundation Justice For Palestine.

UK
Doc Society and the British Film Institute are delighted to introduce our UK delegation of producers at IDFA. The BFI is the UK’s lead organization for film and the moving image. Doc Society is the BFI’s delegate partner for independent documentary filmmaking; funding creative short films, nonfiction features and immersive work and fostering connections and opportunities for nonfiction filmmakers from across the UK. The UK Group Attendance is supported by funds from the BFI National Lottery International Connections Fund.

Ukraine, led by the Ukrainian Institute with the support of the Netherlands Film Fund
The Ukrainian delegation is attending this year's festival edition. Ukrainian Institute is a public institution affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Its mission is to strengthen Ukraine's international standing through the means of cultural diplomacy. The Institute facilitates international connections between people and institutions and creates opportunities for Ukraine to interact and cooperate with the world. The Film Program of the Ukrainian Institute supports presentation and promotion of Ukrainian films abroad, facilitates international institutional cooperation in the film industry through showcases and networking programs, and connects Ukrainian film professionals with fellow professionals at the key international events. Find out more: ui.org.ua films@ui.org.ua.

USA, led by Chicken & Egg Pictures
Chicken & Egg Pictures is a US-based media organization that provides a global community of women and non-binary documentary filmmakers with creative and financial support to realize their cinematic visions and build fulfilling careers in a gender inclusive media industry. This year we are bringing to IDFA the recipients of the 2023 Chicken & Egg Award, a program that recognizes and elevates eight talented and experienced directors with a $75,000 grant and a year-long mentorship program.

American Film Showcase
American Film Showcase is the United States' flagship international film and TV public diplomacy program. AFS supports international filmmakers through cultural exchanges and mentorships and builds cross-cultural networks of creative professionals. We are thrilled to present this year's American Film Showcase delegation, consisting of global filmmakers from Colombia, Egypt, Mongolia, Romania, South Africa, Ukraine, and Vietnam at IDFA. AFS is an initiative of the US Department of State and is produced by the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.

Documentary Campus
Documentary Campus, based in Munich, Halle and Berlin, is a non-profit organization with a long and highly-valued track record in organizing high-quality training for media professionals from around the world. Since 2018, Documentary Campus GmbH has run an international festival for science and media in Halle (Saale), Germany, named SILBERSALZ. The aim of is to provide the public with access to scientific topics, thereby promoting a lively engagement with science in general.

Documentary Producers Alliance (DPA)
Established in 2016 in the United States, the Documentary Producers Alliance (DPA) is an all-volunteer, diverse coalition of nearly 500 international members ranging from emerging to Academy Award-winning documentary producers. We set standards for inclusive, sustainable and equitable business practices based on research, collective experience and input from strategic partners, amplifying the voice of documentary producers worldwide. We educate the industry about producers' essential role from development through financing, production and distribution.

dok.incubator
The dok.incubator delegation is attending this year's festival edition. dok.incubator is a tailored made workshop focused on the creative development of films in post-production. Every year we select 8 INT + 8(CZ + SK) film teams and help them with focusing the storytelling of their films and sharpening the marketing and distribution strategy. In 12 years, dok.incubator films received two Academy Award nominations, five were selected for European Film Awards, 13 for Sundance (three awarded) and 33 were released at IDFA.

La France (Grand Est), piloted by Région Grand Est
The audiovisual sector presents artistic, economic and attractiveness challenges for our regions. That's why the Grand Est Region (France) is pursuing an assertive and dynamic policy in favor of the cinema, audiovisual and immersive sectors. We are pleased to present our regional delegation of 8 professional representatives involved in international documentary production, and are delighted to have 2 projects supported by the Grand Est Region in our selection: IDFA DocLab Forum, Ceci est mon Coeur by Nicolas BLIES and Stéphane HUEBER-BLIES, and IDFA Academy Iran, my father and I by Hélène RASTEGAR. Join us for a networking cocktail party at La Ballie on November 12 evening , with Unifrance and La SCAM.

Polish Docs PRO, organized by the Krakow Film Foundation
The Polish Docs PRO delegation consists of the producers from production companies: Larmo, Furia Film, Nowhere and Chilli Productions. The key event is the showcase presenting four the most interesting Polish creative documentary projects in progress. The session is followed by individual meetings with the decision makers. The delegation is a part of Polish Docs PRO project focuses primarily on the wide-ranging promotion of the Polish documentary film industry at international events. It supports filmmakers and producers in developing their projects by facilitating access to markets. It’s and supported by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.

If you would like to explore the possibilities of creating and bringing your own group or delegations to IDFA, please contact Industry Talks and Delegations Manager, Laurien ten Houten at laurien@idfa.nl