Last week, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), the world's largest event celebrating non-fiction filmmaking, announced the launch of a new development programme called IDFA Project Space, which is set to kick off online on 29 June. The initiative aims to provide year-round support for IDFA alumni as well as creative and professional development opportunities for selected filmmakers from the IDFA Competition for First Appearance, the IDFA Bertha Fund and IDFAcademy, among other IDFA talents.

On this occasion, ten international teams will join the first phase of the programme (29 June-10 July) and will receive valuable mentorship from acclaimed filmmakers such as Karim Aïnouz, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Alan Berliner, Emma Davie, Maite Alberdi, Gladys Joujou, Ollie Huddleston and Jesper Osmund.

During the first phase, the teams will work on developing their projects over the summer, followed by dedicated consultancies in the autumn. The goal of these first sessions is to complete a rough cut or a first draft of the script. One-on-one sessions, screenings, lectures and group meetings will all be part of the programme's first two weeks.

The second phase, set to start in late summer and to conclude in the autumn, will see the ten teams receiving tailor-made support and consultancy, as well as partaking in new sessions with industry professionals.

The projects selected for the first edition of IDFA Project Space are as follows:

The Castle [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Martín Benchimol
scheda film] - Martin Benchimol (Argentina)
Producer: Mayra Bottero

Do You Love Me - Lana Daher (Lebanon/Germany)
Producer: Jasper Mielke
Production company: Wood Waters Films

The Elf's Tower - Polina Kelm (Poland/Ukraine)
Producer: Gennady Kofman, Olga Beskhmelnytsina and Miroslaw Dembinski
Production companies: MaGiKa Film and Film Studio Everest

I, Poppy - Vivek H Chaudhary (India)
Producer: Vivek H Chaudhary
Production company: Unek Films

Last Days at Sea - Venice C Atienza (Philippines)
Producers: Fan Wu, Moshe Ladanga and Katrin Maria Escay
Production companies: Svemirko Film Productions and Ninjadog Studios Inc

Me, My Father and Bourguiba - Fatma Riahi (Tunisia)

The New Greatness Case [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] - Anna Shishova-Bogolubova (Russia)
Producer: Vladislav Ketkovich
Production company: Ethnofund

The Other Side of the River [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Antonia Kilian
scheda film] – Antonia Kilian (Germany/Finland)
Producers: Guevara Namer, Antonia Kilian, Frank Müller and Merja Ritola

Regarding Memory and Neglect - Ricardo Martensen (Brazil)
Producers: Felipe Tomazelli and Ricardo Martensen
Production company: Trilha Midia Producao Cinematografica LTDA

Our Land, Our Freedom [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - Meena Nanji and Zippy Kimundu (Kenya)
Producers: Meena Nanji and Zippy Kimundu
Production companies: Afrofilms International Ltd and Twende Pictures