International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) 2025
By Film in Mind Founder, Rebecca
I’ve been coming to IDFA since 2018 wearing my Film In Mind hat now, and talking to IDFA academy about mental health – and how the conversation around filmmaker and participant care has changed during that time!
We are better resourced and better informed when considering psychological support but what strikes me is how alone everyone still feels in it. During the festival, I ran two filmmaker workshops, a producer consultancy and our gorgeous new tea ceremony, inviting filmmakers to share their experiences of making films, being at the festival, practising care and everything in between. The comments are often the same, “How do I pay for it?” “I didn’t know support like this existed,” and “I thought I was the only one who felt like this.”
I was also lucky enough to share space with a number of Documentary Associations discussing the challenges of working under authoritarian regimes. Now, more than ever before, the importance of community, collective action and the practice of CARE is essential. What a privilege it is to gather together, with people who hold so much wisdom, strength and powerful resistance in these challenging times.
IDFA, it was a pleasure as always. And thank you for the few moments of calm and reflection at DocLab and pacing the streets of Amsterdam.