Adriek van Nieuwenhuijzen
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) announced June 22 a new market service “that brings international co-production to the forefront.”
The Producers Connection, the latest addition to co-financing and co-production market IDFA Forum, will serve as a bespoke platform for fostering international co-production, providing a necessary space for sustaining this collaborative model of realizing documentary projects. Parallel to the Forum’s selection of Pitches and Rough Cut Presentations, fifteen projects will be selected for the inaugural Producers Connection event, taking place in Amsterdam on November 20 and 21 during IDFA 2021.
“The Producers Connection aims to be intimate, democratic and effective, supporting the realization of creative documentary projects within IDFA’s market activities,” says Head of IDFA Industry Adriek van Nieuwenhuijzen (pictured). “For several years, IDFA has offered a helping hand for producers to connect with each other through our various industry activities. Now, we’re delighted to take the next step of creating an intimate service devoted to bringing producers together with other producers to discuss co-production possibilities and enter into sustainable partnerships.”
Running over two days at the start of IDFA Forum, the Producers Connection will include a selection of fifteen projects in development that are looking for international co-production partners. In addition to the directors and producers of these fifteen projects, some seventy producers will be selected to attend the event, all with a proven track record in successful international co-productions both inside and outside Europe.
Short project presentations will be followed by a full day of curated one-on-one meetings between project teams and attending producers, drawing on the matchmaking expertise of the IDFA Industry team in close discussion with participants to facilitate potential collaborations. A balance of low-volume and high-volume production countries will be represented at the event, with all countries offering funding possibilities for minority co-productions.
Alongside the launch of Producers Connection, IDFA’s markets open their doors today for all project and film submissions. Filmmaking teams can now submit their entries for IDFA Forum—including the Producers Connection, Forum Pitch, and Rough Cut Presentations—as well as for IDFA DocLab Forum and Docs for Sale. Producers interested in attending the Producers Connection without a project can now apply for accreditation as well.
This year, IDFA’s markets will take place in Amsterdam, welcoming all attendees to attend in person. Should some guests be unable to travel, remote participation can be accommodated online.
The submission deadline for IDFA Forum and IDFA DocLab Forum is August 2, along with accreditation applications for the Producers Connection. The submission deadline for Docs for Sale is September 15.
