IDFA, Amsterdam’s famous documentary film festival, has had a long year. Last year, pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the stage at the event’s opening ceremony, raising slogans seen as a cry for liberation for Palestinians but seen by those who support Israel as an expression of hostility. , the festival came under great scrutiny. Just five weeks after the events of October 7, the film plunged headlong into murky waters, with filmmakers pulling out of the festival as the team tried to navigate a complex political climate.
This year’s production, which runs from November 14th to 24th, will go through a “careful process of discussion, thought and reflection,” said the festival’s artistic director, who recently announced he will step down at the end of June. Oluwa Nirabia says. “A lot of the let’s-get-our-way mentality today is a little bit like what George W. Bush said: We need to defend our way of life. I think it also needs to be improved.”
“When it comes to festivals of this size, IDFA is the first one to take place since October 7 last year and I have to say we were upset,” the director continued. “We find ourselves trying to do the right thing, but also trying to avoid the traps. To me, that’s a pretty dangerous place to be. The main point this year is to recalibrate.”
Nairabia was positive about the industry’s response to IDFA’s stance since then, saying the festival had received a record number of film and project submissions. “People understand that they can trust our self-critical processes; [IDFA]. They want us to get through the crisis successfully. ”
For Nairabia, one of the main lessons learned from this long process of self-evaluation is that the festival cannot claim neutrality when it comes to polarizing issues. “We can’t rely on ostrich-like policies that claim they’re neutral. We’re programming, we’re designing, but it’s completely full of statements and independent “It’s not a process,” he says.
“The traditional claim of film festivals was to select only the best. That’s why they have been seen as guardians of quality, but I think we know better today. , we know that “quality” is also full of prejudices and includes a whole history of injustice.Also, “best” is a very relative term, so objectively. I have to admit that I didn’t pick the ‘best’.”
Back in August, leading industry figures gathered at a symposium in Amsterdam to discuss how festivals and cultural institutions can respond to protests and debates. The symposium, led by Nairabia, includes an organizing committee comprised of former Sundance president Tabatha Jackson, IDFA Vice President Isabel Arate Fernandez, and Arab Arts and Culture Foundation Executive Director Rima Mismar. Participated.
“Many of the artists and colleagues who were critical of us last year, the response was to try to foster a spirit of collaboration, to work together and remember why we do what we do,” Nairabia discussed. Talk about the aftermath. “The history of documentary has always been a history of conflict. Generally speaking, as time passes, people look back and realize that great art was ahead of its time.”
This desire to connect with the roots of documentary as a practice led IDFA to create a new series titled Dead Angle: Borders featuring works such as Yolande Zauberman’s Israeli documentary Do You Have Sex with Arabs? This led us to organize a special selection on borders. It also includes Lebanese filmmaker Lawrence Abu Hamdan’s The Diary of a Sky, as well as selections highlighting Cuba.
“[Cuba] “It’s a country in crisis, but it’s not getting any media attention,” Nairabia added. “This is also the place for documentary films, which not only look back on the past in a meaningful way, but also give us a sign of what’s to come. It works in a completely different way than news and media. Media only happens when it’s happening. In movies, it happens before and after, but it’s not the moment that matters.”
For this year’s opening film, Pyotr Vignevich’s About a Hero, festival directors said the choice was made out of the need to foster discussion about AI and new technologies, and how it works. He said this was not only from a practical point of view. It will have an impact not only on the industry but also on the “singularity of humanity”.
The film is a hybrid documentary about AI tools devised to imitate the work of Werner Herzog, and was one of the first films Nairabia had seen, including the book “Is AI Good or Bad?” “You’re thinking about the problem of human creativity.” “There’s more to this question. We need to face this discomfort, so this annoying experiment is a starting point.” I am enjoying it as.”
The next edition of IDFA will be Nairabia’s last at the helm, with the director recently announcing that he would step down after seven years. He will remain in his role until July 1 to “ensure that the upcoming transition is well-planned and facilitated and that initial preparations for the 2025 edition go smoothly,” the festival said in a statement.
“I came into this job from a completely opposite standpoint. I am a chronic dissident and can’t stop seeing things that are unfair,” says Nairabia, reflecting on her years at IDFA. I’ll tell you. “I think that’s a very brave thing to do, and I think other organizations should follow suit and bring in people like this and break down the walls between the organization and the film-making side, so that both sides can talk to each other about how it works. I hope we can educate each other about what’s on the other side of your table. I think we did some good things there. ”
The director likened his departure to the final episode of a movie, saying he doesn’t like “movies ending three times” and believes it’s the right time to leave, mainly because the show is “amazing.” said. year. “I have to say I’m a little sad. I don’t feel happy or relieved. I feel like it’s the right decision and I want to go back to being an individual.”
