IDFA is the largest International Documentary Festival in the world. Every year, 4.000 documentaries are reviewed of which 285 are screened in Amsterdam during the festival in November. In 2018 IDFA screened 47 documentaries produced in America and 57 from the Netherlands. Documentaries that premiere during IDFA then travel the world so they can reach the largest possible audience.
The creative documentary is IDFA’s point of departure. These are documentaries that are visually striking and express the filmmaker’s vision. The filmmaker makes artistic choices in the use of cinematic means (image, sound and editing) to convey his or her vision on the subject matter and tell the story. This artistic demand is the festival’s most crucial selection criterion – originality, expressiveness and cultural and/or historical value pay an important role as well.
Creative documentaries also offer new insights into society – they open our eyes and stimulate our critical thinking power. IDFA strives to screen films with urgent social themes that reflect the spirit of the time in which they are made. They do not reiterate the reality of yesterday or today, as this is the job of the news. News can break us down, but background stories do the opposite. They offer nuance and provide insight, making reflection on current events possible. IDFA considers this kind of social function to be crucial in its evaluation of documentary submissions.
Finally, IDFA searches for documentaries that manage to move the viewer. The power of a great documentary is when it succeeds in touching us, getting us to feel uncomfortable, softening us up or making us laugh. IDFA strives to be an accessible festival, to reach people of all walks of life and function as a true experience for as diverse an audience as possible.
You can support IDFA in sharing urgent stories with the world through film, offering a platform to filmmakers from all countries—including those where freedom of expression cannot be taken for granted—stimulating young talent, and teaching children to be open to stories from others. To achieve these goals, IDFA needs your help.
Ways to support IDFA
https://www.idfa.nl/en/info/the-netherland-america-foundation
You can also reach out to our private donations manager Marloes Janssen (marloes@idfa.nl or 0031-629528941) for further information or advice.
1. PAY BY CREDIT CARD
2. PAY BY CHECK
To make a gift to the Anne Frank House Friends Fund at the Netherland-America Foundation, please complete this form and make a check payable to “The Netherland-America Foundation”. Please mail your check to:
The Netherland-America Foundation
505 8th Avenue, Ste 12A-05
New York, NY 10018
3. DONATE SHARES OF STOCK
Contact the NAF at 212-825-1221 or info@thenaf.org.
TAX-DEDUCTIBILITY
FOR U.S. TAXES The Netherland-America Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization. All contributions are tax-deductible for the purpose of U. S. federal and state taxes, to the extent permitted by federal and state law. CHARITY NAVIGATOR Charity Navigator, America’s premier charity evaluator, gave the NAF a 4-star rating-their highest-for “its ability to efficiently manage and grow its finances, demonstrating to the public it is worthy of their trust,”
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