IDFA unveils main competition line-up; to open with Louis Hothothot’s ‘Four Journeys’ | News | Screen

2022-07-16 00:52:48 By : Ms. Cara Yang

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By Mona Tabbara 2021-11-01T14:59:00+00:00

The world premiere of Chinese-born director Louis Hothothot’s Four Journeys will open the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) as part of the new experimentally-focused Envision Competition on November 17.

Four Journeys is described as an intensively personal film by Hothothot who was born Louis Yi Liu in China. He now lives in Amsterdam. The film  focuses on the destructive influence on a Chinese family of the one-child policy, which was introduced in 1979. Hothothot himself was born in China in 1986, as an “illegal” second child.

The International Competition line-up includes the world premiere of Giovanni Buccomino’s After A Revolution, a Libyan-Italian co-production about two siblings supporting opposing sides in the 2011 Libyan revolution.

For the 34th edition that runs from November 17-28, IDFA has undergone a major overhaul of its competition sections, launching two new main competitions, both with juries and cash prizes. The International Competition presents 14 world, international, or European premieres of films of over 60 minutes in length. There will be prizes for best film, best director, best editing and best cinematography. 

The Envision Competition allows for more experimental features, with 15 world, international, or European premieres of films that are over 40 minutes in length. A separate jury will choose the winner of the Envision Award and present prizes to best director and for outstanding artistic contribution. 

Additionally, IDFA has introduced cross-sectional prizes to films screening in these two competitions as well as the Luminous and Frontlight sections. These will be for best first feature, best Dutch film and the Fipresci award.  There will also be a prize for the best creative use of archive from across the entire programme. 

”The documentary field is being confirmed as a future-proof art form that is unapologetically open, diverse, and continuously developing,” said artistic director Orwa Nyabia at today’s (November 1) press conference. ”IDFA’s new programme structure, as much as IDFA’s filmmaker support and industry activities, is changing to reflect this. Today, we present a programme that is worthy of our return to cinemas.” 

IDFA is taking place as a physical event in the Netherlands from November 17-28, with strands showcasing immersive and interactive artworks as part of the IDFA DocLab competition for immersive non-fiction and the IDFA DocLab competition for digital storytelling.

In additon to the Luminous and Frontlight selections, the festival has already revealed details of the IDFA Forum, and the films to be screened as part of the ’Top 10’, chosen by the festival guest of honour, the German writer and multi-disciplinary artist, Hito Steyerl,

All world premieres unless stated. 

After A Revolution (Libya-It)   Dir. Giovanni Buccomino

The Beach of Enchaquirados (Ecuador)   Dir. Ivan Mora Manzano 

Children Of The Mist (Viet)   Dir. Diem Ha Le

Day After… (Ban-Fr-Nor)   Dir. Kamar Ahmad Simon

The Delights (Arg)  Dir. Eduardo Crespo

How The Room Felt (Georgia) Dir. Ketevan Kapanadze

Journey To The Sun (Port) Dirs. Susana de Sousa Dias, Ansgar Schaefer

Mr. Landsbergis (Lithuania) Dir. Sergei Loznitsa

The One Who Runs Away Is the Ghost (Ger-China) Dir. Qinyuan Le

Taamaden (Mali-Came-S Afr) Dir. Seydou Cissé

A Thousand Fires (Fr-Switz-Neth-Palestine) International premiere Dir. Saeed Taji Farouky

Turn Your Body To The Sun (Neth) Dir. Aliona van der Horst

Vedette (Fr) European premiere Dirs. Claudine Bories, Patrice Chagnard

Where Are We Headed (Bel-Rus) Dir. Ruslan Fedotow

All world premieres unless stated. 

The Burrows (China) (101 mins)  Dir. Sanshou Hu

Darkness There And Nothing More (Neth-Cro) (88 mins)  Dir. Tea Tupajic

Eat Your Catfish (US-Sp-Turkey) (74 mins) Dirs. Noah Arjomand, Adam Isenberg, Senem Tüzen

Eskape (Fr) (70 mins)  Dir. Neary Adeline Hay

For Your Peace of Mind, Make Your Own Museum (Panama) (71 mins)  Dirs. Pilar Moreno, Ana Endara Mislov

Four Journeys (Neth) (112 mins)  Dir. Louis Hothothot

Homemade Stories (Syria-Egy) (69 mins) Dir. Nidal Al Dibs

Housewitz (Neth) (71 mins)  Dir. Oeke Hoogendijk

locks & keys, water, trees (UK) (99 mins)  Dir. Penny Andrea

The Mirror And The Window (Neth) (93 mins)  Dir. Diego Gutiérrez

O, Collecting Eggs Despite The Times (Neth) (64 mins)  Dir. Pim Zwier

Octopus (Leb-Qat-US) (64 mins)  Dir. Karim Kassem

One Take Grace (S Afr) (90 mins) International premiere Dir. Lindiwe Matshikiza

Portraits Of The Future (Arg) (88 mins)  Dir. Virna Molina

Skin (Bra) (75 mins)  Dir. Marcos Pimente

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