IDFA Stands for ‘Artistic, Bold Filmmaking,’ Chiefs Say, but ‘That’s Not Always What’s Celebrated at Some TV Stations and Streamers’

As Forum, the industry program of documentary festival IDFA, launches today, Adriek van Nieuwenhuijzen, the festival’s head of industry, and its artistic director Isabel Arrate Fernandez, talk about the shifts in the business landscape, and how the festival is responding to those changes with modifications to its industry program.

Reflecting on the challenges that face documentary filmmakers in the market, Van Nieuwenhuijzen observes that there is a disconnect between what broadcasters and streamers consider to be documentaries worthwhile investing in and IDFA’s view.

“Often their definition of what a documentary is is not the same as what we consider as an interesting, important creative work,” Van Nieuwenhuijzen says. “So, it’s a matter of definition. At IDFA, we stand for artistic, bold filmmaking, and that is not always what is, let’s say, celebrated at some television stations or streamers. The filmmakers aiming to make these kind of…