IDFA Bertha Fund announces spring selection for IBF Classic

Operating since 1998, IBF Classic is among the leading grant programs for documentary filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America. In addition to the grant, the selected project teams will receive tailor-made support from IDFA’s Filmmaker Support department.

The spring selection includes six projects in the development and seven projects in the production and post-production categories, selected from 475 eligible applications. Ten of the thirteen projects in the spring 2025 selection are first or second-time feature documentary filmmakers. Projects come from Argentina, Azerbaijan, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Hong Kong, India, Morocco, Philippines, Tunisia, and Vietnam. Two of the awarded projects will remain anonymous for the time being.

“This selection celebrates thirteen projects that tell necessary stories, each contributing to a chorus of courageous independent thought and creative storytelling. The Fund is committed to supporting filmmakers’ artistic visions and ambitions—not just with financial support, but through the strength of our community network and knowledge sharing. This commitment feels especially relevant against today’s political backdrop. On Monday March 24, Hamdan Ballal, one of the filmmakers of No Other Land was brutally attacked and detained by Israeli army. Although he has been released, filmmakers around the world face censorship and violence at an alarming rate, we must continue to connect as a solidary international community,” said Selin Murat, Executive Director of the IDFA Bertha Fund.

Several projects selected this spring previously received IBF Classic support for development and participated in IDFA’s talent development programs. These include Nurlan Hasanli's The Amateur Photographer’s Family Portrait and Quang Nong's Baby Jackfruit Guava. Other returning filmmakers are Pallavi Paul with How Love Moves and Jewel Maranan with The People Outside. The selection also welcomes back Tala Hadid with her latest hybrid documentary project Bardi. Her previous film, House in the Fields, was backed by IDFA Bertha Fund and screened at IDFA 2017.

• Anonymous project
• Anonymous project

Jia Zhao (Producer, Muyi Film), Ayman El Amir (Director/Producer, Felucca Films), María Campaña Ramia (Independent Curator, Writer), Isabel Arrate Fernandez (Deputy Director, IDFA, Former Director IDFA Bertha Fund), Selin Murat (Executive Director, IDFA Bertha Fund).

The NFF + IBF Co-production call is open until May 12. Applications for IBF Classic reopen at the end of April, with a deadline of June 10. For more information, click here.

The IDFA Bertha Fund is supported by Bertha Foundation, Creative Europe Media, JustFilms / Ford Foundation, Nationale Postcode Loterij, Netherlands Film Fund, and Special Friends+.