The Amateur Photographer's Family Portrait
Nurlan Hasanli
IDFA Bertha Fund supports twelve projects with IBF Classic scheme
IDFA Bertha Fund
Wednesday, March 13
By staff
The IDFA Bertha Fund is delighted to announce the spring selection for the IBF Classic funding scheme. The twelve selected projects will receive a total support of €177,500 in development and (post-) production financing, alongside tailor-made support for filmmaking teams.
The new IDFA Bertha Fund selection includes seven projects in the development and five projects in the production and post-production categories. Selected from 250 submissions by a committee of global industry experts, nine of the twelve projects in the spring 2024 selection are notably first or second-time feature documentary filmmakers. The selection also proudly includes countries lesser represented in previous selections, including Zimbabwe, Azerbaijan, and Sudan.
Operating since 1998, IBF Classic is among the leading grant programs for documentary filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Oceania. The grant offers support to documentary projects in all stages, from starting up and developing a project to the final phases of post-production.
“During this selection round, we were presented with many proposals from filmmakers around the world expand on their definition of what a documentary film can be—beyond the strict ideas of fiction versus non-fiction. The Fund is committed to defending the artistic vision of filmmakers, providing both financial support as well as putting our network and knowledge to good use—whether that means participation in IDFA’s training programs and markets or individual consultancies to support them through creative and production challenges,” said Isabel Arrate Fernandez, Deputy Director of IDFA and Executive Director of the IDFA Bertha Fund.
Previously supported projects
The spring selection includes two filmmaking teams that previously received IDFA Bertha Fund support. Militantropos by Alina Gorlova, Yelizaveta Smith, Maksym Nakonechnyi, and Simon Mozgovyi received support from the IBF Classic – Development scheme in 2022, then titled The Days I Would Like to Forget.
In addition, Alexander Mihalkovich, whose latest project Echoes of the Future has been selected for development support, previously received IDFA Bertha Fund support for the award-winning documentary film Motherland—together with Hanna Badziaka.
Selected projects: IBF Classic – Development
IBF Classic – Production & Post-production
One anonymous project is selected within the Production and Post-production category.
Selection committee
Estelle Robin You (Producer, Grand Ourse Films), Isabel Arrate Fernandez (Executive Director, IDFA Bertha Fund & Deputy Director, IDFA), Jia Zhao (Producer, Muyi Film), Kivu Ruhorahoza (Filmmaker and Producer), Salomé Jashi (Filmmaker)
Upcoming submission deadlines
The Fund is currently accepting submissions for the NFF + IBF Co-production category, which remain open until March 25. In early May, submissions open for IDFA Bertha Fund – Classic scheme again, 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+.
