Zappa by Alex Winter
30 titles in the Best of Fests program, and 10 titles selected by Gianfranco Rosi for the Top 10 program. “Through an initial selection that spans award-winners, newcomers, and hidden gems, IDFA sets the tone for a festival edition that is significant in its creative scope,” says leading doc fest.
“With 30 films that lit up the selections of Berlin, Sundance, Cannes, and many more, the Best of Fests program applauds the irreplaceable work of film festivals today. This year more than ever, IDFA honours the festivals that, in spite of incredible circumstances, continue to champion the art of documentary filmmaking,” the festival statement continues. More festivals to be announced.
In the Top 10 program, renowned Italian filmmaker and IDFA 2020 Guest of Honour Gianfranco Rosi presents a nomadic journey through his world of cinema, in the process offering valuable entry points to decode his own oeuvre. Illustrating Rosi’s masterful approach, the festival states how “the selection invites audiences to re-discover the filmmaker through discovering the films that helped shape him, which include documentary, hybrid, and fiction titles.”
Italian masterpieces such as Anna by Alberto Grifi and Massimo Sarchielli and 10 shorts by Vittorio De Seta, never before shown at IDFA, invite film lovers to experience an Italian cinema they may be unfamiliar with.
Best of Fests
Acasă, My Home by Radu Ciorniciuc
A filmic portrait of a large Romanian family going though turbulent times. After 20 years of living in nature near Bucharest, they must return to modern, urban society—and all its problems.
Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets by Bill Ross, Turner Ross
In a dark neighborhood bar on the outskirts of Las Vegas, the regulars drop by one final time to seek refuge in alcohol and in each other. This cinéma vérité-style ode to the American dive bar evokes unexpected feelings of nostalgia.
Bulletproof by Todd Chandler
A provocative look at the industry surrounding U.S. school shootings. Restrained images of bullet-proof school furniture, shooting courses, and evacuation drills provide space to reflect on responses to gun violence in the United States.
Dope Is Death by Mia Donovan
Combining controversial political activism with the struggle for civil rights in 1970s America, Mutulu Shakur stood up for people living in poverty in New York’s South Bronx and was at the forefront of acupuncture treatment for drug addiction.
The Earth Is Blue as an Orange by Iryna Tsilyk
With bombs falling all around their home in Ukraine, Anna and her four children manage to keep the chaos of war at bay by making a film about their experiences.
El Father Plays Himself by Mo Scarpelli
A making-of documentary about a movie with an uncontrollable protagonist in the remote jungle. Sharp and moving observations reveal the dynamics of a son directing his father who’s playing his totally-off-the-rails self.
The Foundation Pit by Andrey Gryazev
This hard-hitting, found-footage film shows Russian citizens voicing their concerns and rage about Putin’s rule. Combined in this way, the clips constitute a powerful protest against a government that appears to have forgotten about its citizens.
Garage People by Natalija Yefimkina
In northern Russia, the garage is a treasured refuge for people who want space to daydream, enjoy hobbies, or just get some peace and quiet. It’s an ideal place for quirky pastimes, reflecting on life, and drinking vodka without being bothered.
Heaven Beneath My Feet by Sandra Madi
Heartbreaking stories from Lebanon, where divorced mothers have to fight for years just to see their children. Filmmaker Sandra Madi follows three women in their struggle for justice—and for motherhood.
Hey! Teachers! by Yulia Vishnevets
The idealistic approach of two young teachers is put to the test in a provincial Russian town. Beneath their students’ typical adolescent behavior, there is also deep-rooted conservatism. Russia as we rarely see it.
IWOW: I Walk on Water by Khalik Allah
A hypnotic journey along a stream of voices, images, colors, and music. The central figure in this ode to love, friendship, and religion is Frenchie, one of the many homeless on the streets of New York.
Jacinta by Jessica Earnshaw
An intense and candid portrait of an American family in which drug addiction and crime are passed on from mother to daughter. The 26-year-old Jacinta wants to break the cycle.
Jungle by Louise Mootz
A group of very vocal women with diverse backgrounds dance, laugh, fuck and dither their way through life in a Parisian suburb. The energy crackles from the screen in this intimate and cliché-crushing portrait of true Parisiennes.
Makongo by Elvis Sabin Ngaibino
A cinematic portrait of two young Aka pygmies from the Central African Republic. In their efforts to improve education for their communities, they discover that city dwellers are not as altruistic as they are themselves.
Mayor by David Osit
Emmy winner David Osit follows the likeable mayor of Ramallah through dryly humorous meetings, school visits and everyday local politics, as he tries to hold his own in a geopolitical minefield.
The Mole Agent by Maite Alberdi
In this blend of spy flick and observational documentary, 83-year-old Sergio goes undercover in an old folks’ home. Starting out as a wryly comical detective yarn, the film ultimately offers us an intimate look at affection and loneliness in old age.
Notes from the Underworld by Tizza Covi, Rainer Frimmel
What starts as a portrait of the popular Austrian singer Kurt Girk develops into a unique and powerful document of an era: the Austrian underworld in the 1960s. Packed with tall tales, bad cops and bittersweet songs.
Oeconomia by Carmen Losmann
A multilayered quest to fathom the workings of the capitalist system. Financial sector insiders grapple with simple questions such as “Where does profit come from?” and “How is money created?” Some of the staged scenes are quite telling.
Once Upon a Time in Venezuela by Anabel Rodríguez
A Venezuelan fishing community on Lake Maracaibo struggles with the decline brought about by oil pollution, political division, and neglect—a situation that reflects the deplorable state of the country as a whole.
An Ordinary Country by Tomasz Wolski
The Polish Secret Service kept a very close watch on its citizens from the 1960s through the 1980s, often using hidden cameras and microphones. This compilation paints a claustrophobic picture of a brutal and bureaucratic surveillance state.
Petit Samedi by Paloma Sermon-Daï
A warm, observational portrait of a mild-mannered man and his mother, who tirelessly supports him in his struggle with addiction. His latest attempt to stop using drugs creates tension in their close, interdependent relationship.
Please Hold the Line by Pavel Cuzuioc
A beautifully filmed allegory about communication and connection, told from the perspective of telecom engineers and their customers. Modern means of communication offer a window on the world, but also reveal what people are missing.
A Shape of Things to Come by Lisa Marie Malloy, J.P. Sniadecki
Vivid impressions of Sundog’s self-sufficient life in the Sonora desert, far removed from the unhealthy rat race of city life. Seeing his freedom and the ecosystem coming under increasing threat, he dreams up an act of eco-terrorism.
Songs of Repression by Estephan Wagner, Marianne Hougen-Moraga
The aftermath of atrocities that took place in a German sect in Chile lives on in the surviving former members. They’ve made the best of the situation by transforming the colony into a tourist attraction.
Stray by Elizabeth Lo
The stray dogs Zeytin, Nazar and Kartal the puppy trot calmly from one favorite place to another in Istanbul. The camera follows them at snout level as they join forces with other urban outcasts.
Things We Dare Not Do by Bruno Santamaria
The village of El Roblito on a peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean seems to be mainly inhabited by children. We see the machismo of the adult world only in passing in this subtle yet compelling coming-of-age story filtered through children’s eyes.
Time by Garrett Bradley
An impressive portrait of Fox Rich, who raised six sons on her own while fighting the judicial system. Her husband was sentenced to 60 years in prison for a bank robbery with a loot of just a few thousand dollars.
The Truffle Hunters by Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
For generations, the Italian town of Alba has been captivated by a rare delicacy. Wealthy gourmets, hard-working truffle hunters, shameless traders—no one can ignore the almost-mythical white truffle.
Welcome to Chechnya by David France
Russian activists take unimaginable risks to smuggle persecuted LGBTQ+ people out of Chechnya. In this chilling documentary thriller, David France films the most dangerous moments of their escapes.
Zappa by Alex Winter
With unlimited access to Frank Zappa’s extensive personal archive, Alex Winter has crafted a striking portrait from more than a thousand hours of material, presenting the brilliant musician and composer as the guide to his own eventful history.
Gianfranco Rosi Top 10
10 Shorts by Vittorio De Seta
In the 1950s, Vittorio De Seta documented the lives of south Italian fishermen, farmers, and mine workers in short films with no dialogue. He packed astonishing density of information into rhythmically edited scenes, like a poet-anthropologist.
48 by Susana de Sousa Dias (2009)
The faces of political prisoners stare straight back at us from photos in dossiers from dictatorship-era Portugal as we hear their recollections. A powerfully eloquent and multi-award-winning minimalist documentary.
Anna by Alberto Grifi, Massimo Sarchielli (1975)
Two filmmakers take in the homeless, heavily pregnant 16-year-old Anna. This cinéma vérité classic is not only a depiction of the deeply divided Italy of the 1970s, but also a fascinating portrait of the dynamics between filmmaker and subject.
Banditi a Orgosolo by Vittorio De Seta (1961)
Law-abiding shepherd Michele is falsely accused of murder. He flees, loses everything, and finds he’s left with no option but to commit a crime. A deeply authentic feature film with documentary elements.
A Bigger Splash by Jack Hazan (1974)
The camera is right there when the relationship of artist David Hockney and Peter Schlesinger implodes. A Bigger Splashwas revolutionary in both its form—all the protagonists play themselves—and its frank representation of homosexual themes.
Francesco, giullare di Dio by Roberto Rossellini (1950)
Monks at the Nocere Inferiore monastery enact nine parables from the life of St. Francis. Both Pasolini and Truffaut declared this to be one of the best films ever made—and even the Vatican concurred with their judgement.
India: Matri Bhumi by Roberto Rossellini (1959)
A journey in India in 1959, a time when modernization was replacing nature and spirituality. The life stories of two ordinary Indians illustrate the rapacious march of progress, with comments by Rossellini in his poetic voice-over.
The Mouth of the Wolf by Pietro Marcello (2009)
Melancholy pervades this unashamedly poetic film that’s difficult to pigeonhole. A raw but lyrical portrait of an extraordinary couple—ex-criminal Enzo and transgender Maria—in the port city of Genoa.
Los olvidados by Luis Buñuel (1950)
This intensively researched film by director Luis Buñuel gives a surrealistic twist to Italian neo-realism, such as in his well-known dream scene. This masterpiece dissects the destructive impact of poverty on young slum dwellers in Mexico City.
Route One/USA by Robert Kramer (1989)
This documentary-fiction hybrid travels with two men on their way from the north of America to the south, along the east coast and through the nation’s history. Their guiding theme is the 2,300-mile highway U.S. Route 1.
