The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) is the world's largest documentary film festival held annually since 1988 in Amsterdam. Over a period of twelve days, it has screened more than 300 films and sold more than 250,000 tickets. Visitors to the festival have increased from 65,000 in 2000 to 285,000 in 2018.
Sergio is a 2009 documentary film based on Samantha Power's biography, Sergio: One Man's Fight to Save the World. The film revolves around the story of United Nations diplomat, Sérgio Vieira de Mello, who worked for the UN for more than 34 years and was ultimately killed in the Canal Hotel bombing in Iraq on August 19, 2003. The work includes extensive interviews with William von Zehle, a U.S. Army First Sergeant in 2003, who spent hours trying to rescue de Mello from under a 9m stack of concrete and other debris of the collapsed building.
Thomas Furneaux Lennon is a documentary filmmaker.
Ulrik Imtiaz Rolfsen is a Norwegian film director, producer and writer. He is best known for his action drama IZZAT (2005), his TV series TAXI (2011) as well as documentary films Voluntarily Forced (2014) and Recruiting for Jihad (2017). He often addresses national- and global discussion concerning immigration and racism both in his films as well as being an outspoken newspaper columnist and television debattant. In 2012 he founded the Oslo-based production company Curry Film AS. Other films directed by him, are the crime thriller Varg Veum - Bitter Flowers (2007) and the slacker comedy The Last Joint Venture (2008).
Gidi Avivi is an Israeli film producer, the founder of Vice Versa Films.
Keirda Bahruth is an American filmmaker based in Los Angeles, CA. She began her career working on Music Videos and Commercials before a move to New York teamed her up with legendary Saturday Night Live director James Signorelli, famous for his commercial parody sketches. As Signorelli's assistant, she began shooting behind-the-scenes footage of life at SNL for the show’s 25th Anniversary Special, which gave her complete access to the inner workings of the show. After three full seasons at SNL, Bahruth returned to Los Angeles in 2001 and joined the nascent world of reality television. She has worked as a director and producer on shows for the Discovery Channel, E!, Fox, NBC/Universal, The WB and BET.
Mehrdad Oskouei is an Iranian independent producer, director and screenwriter of documentary films and film educator.
The Return to Homs is a 2013 Syrian-German documentary film written and directed by Talal Derki. It is produced by Orwa Nyrabia and Hans Robert Eisenhauer while Diana El Jeiroudi served as the associate producer. The film premiered in-competition at the 2013 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam on November 20, 2013, as the opening film of the festival.
Sepideh – Reaching for the Stars is a 2013 Persian-language Danish documentary film written and directed by Berit Madsen. The film premiered in-competition at the 2013 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam on November 24, 2013.
Candescent Films is an American film production company that produces and finances documentary and narrative films that explore social issues.
Willem Baptist (1979) is a Dutch filmmaker and documentary-director.
An Insignificant Man is a 2017 Hindi/English Indian socio-political documentary co-produced and directed by Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla and also co-produced by filmmaker Anand Gandhi. and is about the rise of anti-corruption protests in India and the formation and rise to power of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The film received a standing ovation at its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and has gone on to have sold out screenings at major festival across the world including the BFI London Film Festival & Busan International Film Festival.
Shadows of Liberty is a 2012 British documentary film directed by Canadian filmmaker Jean-Philippe Tremblay. The documentary examines the impact of corporate media and concentration of media ownership on journalism and the news. It is based on the book The Media Monopoly by Ben Bagdikian. The film’s title is borrowed from a Thomas Paine quote: "When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon."
WG Film is a Swedish production company that produces national and international documentaries. The company is located in Malmö and was founded in 1994 by documentary filmmaker Lars Westman and journalist Fredrik Gertten.
Dan Gitlin is an American Film Editor based in Los Angeles.
City of Ghosts is a 2017 Arabic-language American documentary film about the Syrian media activist group Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently as they face the realities of life undercover, on the run, and in exile after their homeland is taken over by ISIS in 2014. The film was directed by Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Matthew Heineman.
Mohammed Ali Naqvi is a Pakistani filmmaker based in New York City. He is known for documentaries which shed light on the socio political conditions of Pakistan, and feature strong characters on personal journeys of self-discovery. Notable films include Insha’Allah Democracy (2017), Among the Believers (2015), Shame (2007), and Terror’s Children (2003).
Instant Dreams is a 2017 documentary directed by Dutch director Willem Baptist. It premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) 18 November 2017 where it screened at Tuschinski Amsterdam in the Dutch Documentary Competition and First Appearance Competition. On 14 December 2017 the film was theatrically released in the Netherlands and Belgium. Slamdance Film Festival hosted the American festival premiere on 21 January 2018 in Park City, Utah. April 2019 the film was theatrical released in the US and Canada, starting with select screenings in New York and Los Angeles.
Joshua Z Weinstein is an American independent filmmaker based in New York City. He directed the A24 film Menashe (2017), and the feature documentaries Driver's Wanted (2012) and Flying on One Engine (2008). His director of photography credits include Bikini Moon (2017), Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me (2013), and Code of the West (2012). Weinstein was nominated for Best First Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards and Breakthrough Director at the Gotham Awards. He has been nominated for a Cannes Lion for his advertising work and won a first place POY for his work with The New York Times.
RocKabul is a documentary film that was produced between 2009 and 2016 in Afghanistan by Australian filmmaker Travis Beard. The film had its world premiere at the 2018 Rotterdam International Film Festival. It has been featured in over 40 film festivals, and had a limited cinema release within Australia in 2019. Bill Gould from the American alternative metal band Faith No More is an Executive Producer on the film and describes it as “A coming of age documentary which deals with youth identity and freedom of expression”
