The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) Forum Awards have been announced, with several African projects spotlighted. At the ceremony held at the Felix Meritis on 20 November, Sudanese director Ibrahim Omar’s Dry Sky won the IDFA Forum Award for Best Pitch.
Omar’s project, a Sudanese production, follows the story of a man’s journey back to his hometown, where he strives to build his lifelong dream. However, his path is intertwined with memories of the past, which threaten to hold him back. Accompanied by his friend and their loyal donkey, he tirelessly seeks to break free from these constraints.
Speaking about the film, jury members Dorota Lech and Malin Huber said: “For an articulation of a subtle cinematic language and a courageous proposal of healing. Told through a unique and critical inside perspective we look forward to a collective endeavor to imagine new futures. It takes a village.”
Mozambican project, Looking for the Mermaid, directed by Yara Costa, won the inaugural Producers Connection Award. The film tells the story of a cherished love promise between a fisherman and a mermaid, set against the backdrop of humanity’s betrayal of the Earth.
Jury Statement and Other Winners
The jury praised the project, with jury members Bianca Oana and Daan Vermeulen saying: “The presentation we witnessed here at Producers Connection has inspired us to award the Producers Connection Award for most creative project with exciting collaborative potential to Looking for the Mermaid by Yara Costa. We hope this incentive will spark interest for the creative collaborations the filmmaker is looking for.”
South African production The Four Floors of Faneuil Hall, directed by Simon Wood and Meghna Singh, also received an Honorable Mention for the DocLab Forum Award. The film tells the story of an exploration of Boston’s Faneuil Hall, an iconic symbol of liberty named after a transatlantic slave trader. The film highlights the diverse activities unfolding on each of the building’s four floors.
The jury commended the project, saying: “The use of space and architecture to ground their story imbues the project with narrative clarity that makes their point crystal clear about the contradiction of democratic society built on legacies of slavery, genocide and colonialism. The project’s installation format makes it adaptable to many contexts, which opens up the possibility of future iterations beyond Faneuil Hall itself.”
Other winners included Lana Y. Daher’s Do You Love Me, which won the Forum Award for Best Rough Cut, Amorphous by May Abdalla, which took home the DocLab Forum Award. The award includes a cash prize of €1,500 for each winners.
The IDFA Forum Awards also recognised outstanding projects, with Concrete Land by Asmahan Bkerat and The Beauty of Errors by Jukka Kärkkäinen receiving Special Mentions for the IDFA Forum Award.
