The Circuit

by Danielle Beverly
Part theatre, part business meeting, The Forum at The International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam is a nail-biting window into the mysterious commissioning process of international broadcasters. For documentary filmmakers, it's a necessary stop on their funding quest, even if it feels like the Spanish Inquisition.

The 3-day Forum is a closed session - the only folks allowed in are Commissioning Editors (broadcasters), the 33 filmmakers pitching, and selected Observers.  Projects must have 25% funding in place, but not more than 75%.  Each must also have a broadcaster on board, who sits with the filmmakers as a way to say to their broadcaster friends "Hey gang, I believe in this project, and you should too."

Teams get 7 minutes to present their clip, and their case.  In turn, the Commissioning Editors have 8 minutes to ask difficult and probing questions, throw money at the project, or politely - and sometimes not so politely - decline to fund it.  The broadcasters are an opinionated and passionate bunch, and this is where it gets hairy.  Here are some highlights:

Nahid Persson's "The Forgotton Queen of Iran," is an intimate look at The Shah of Iran's wife, now living in exile in Paris. Sweden's SVT is a funder and the filmmakers need 361,632 Euros.

A great sample tape shows strong access, mixed with humor and real emotion.  Funders like The Sundance Documentary Fund are wowed, but warn the director not to forget to her own parallel story as a former revolutionary in Iran.  CBC (Canada), YLE (Finland) are interested, and NHK comments, "Japanese people love this kind of emotional documentary. We are romantics."  The pitch is a home run, especially because Persson's previous documentary "Prostitution Behind the Veil" has been bought by many of the broadcasters in the room. 

Marc and Nick Francis, the British directing team who made "Black Gold", is now taking on China's expansion into Zambia through access to a Chinese businessman building a shopping center.  Their doc, "Chinese Safari," has ARTE on board and needs 280,000 Euros. 

The pitch is solid, and the Commissioning Editors responsive to the important topic of "The Chinese outside of China", but also point out that next year there will be a rash of China films.  Claire Aquilar calls it "perfect for ITVS", and the confidence in the filmmakers' previous work is high.  But just when I begin to wonder if the emperor is wearing any clothes, CBC (Canada) asks if the main character will be developed more than what was shown in the tape.  And then SVT points out that maybe he isn't that interesting?  It's a mixed response, but it appears likely it will soon receive full funding.

By far the most entertaining, if confusing pitch at the Forum was Victor Kossakovsky's "Vivan Las Antipodas!"  On board is ZDF/ARTE, IDFA's Jan Vrijman Fund, and he needs 673,000 Euros more. 

The filmmaker - holding a globe and pacing back and forth - explains that he will film polar opposites of the world at the same time.  Examples include Shanghai and a small village in Argentina, North Pole and South Pole, and USA and Botswana.  While it was never clear what exactly the film will show, many of the broadcasters love this filmmaker and his process of discovery. YLE raves "Victor is a genius with the instinct of an animal!".  VPRO and NHK both say simply "We are in".  But Mette Hoffmann Meyer of DR TV (Denmark) doesn't see the story.  And mercurial Nick Fraser (BBC) boldly asks "Is this a piece of performance art?  I wonder if you should film your pitch and make a film of this.  Why not make a video installation instead of spending 900,000 Euros". 

The director sheepishly answered "You're probably right".

Danielle Beverly regularly produces for PBS, and works as a Cameraperson on independent documentaries. Her most recent feature documentary is "Learning to Swallow", which follows a bipolar artist who destroyed her digestive system in a failed suicide attempt, as she attempts to rebuild her life over four years.

by Danielle Beverly
With over 300 documentaries, the 20th anniversary of The International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam – known as IDFA – was a delightful, if daunting, treasure trove of nonfiction. Amsterdam audiences love their documentaries and will bike to the theatre in the constant rain to patiently queue inside for tickets.  Without a bike, but armed with an umbrella, I managed to score a seat at several World or European Premieres:

STRANDED by Gonzalo Arijon (France)
Winner of the Joris Ivens Competition, "Stranded" is a heartbreakingly-painful firsthand account of the infamous 1972 Andes plane crash that killed most of a Uruguayan rugby team.  Those left alive were forced to form their own “civilization” and eat human flesh. This riveting film deeply humanizes what has been a sensationalized and misunderstood story for 35 years.  The film is told through interviews with the survivors, a few photos taken during the 72-day ordeal, and surprisingly affective recreations.

WILD BLUE YONDER by Celia Maysles (USA)
One of the most talked about documentaries at IDFA, "Wild Blue Yonder" (pictured above) is the first film by Celia Maysles, daughter of Direct Cinema pioneer David Maysles, who died when the director was a child.  It follows Celia’s attempt to know her father through his films, but runs into a roadblock when David’s brother Albert Maysles won’t give access to the footage.  It’s a tough watch for any documentary maker (Albert is my personal hero) and is bound to raise debate in the industry about who owns the life of someone else.

EMOTICONS by Heddy Honigmann (Netherlands)
With a curious and respectful eye, Emoticons quietly profiles young women who find community on the internet.  Saski (14), overcomes the pain of being bullied by trouncing male opponents at violent video games.  Zineb, from Algeria, chats with other asylum-seeking teens.  Samantha (17), raped after an online encounter, nevertheless manages to positively counsel other girls about sex and relationships.

DOLLS – A WOMAN FROM DAMASCUS by Diana El Jeiroudi (Syria, Denmark)
Dolls contrasts the rise of Fulla, the Arab version of Barbie, with the day-to-day existence of a young housewife and mother, who is frustrated by her domestic life in a conservative culture.  A satisfying "chick flick", it could be a wonderful tool for women from Western and Arab backgrounds to sit down and view together. Then to talk and laugh afterward, realizing their commonalities, differences and misconceptions about one another.


Danielle Beverly regularly produces for PBS, and works as a Cameraperson on independent documentaries. Her most recent feature documentary is "Learning to Swallow", which follows a bipolar artist who destroyed her digestive system in a failed suicide attempt, as she attempts to rebuild her life over four years.