ISABEL ARRATE FERNANDEZ, Managing Director, IDFA Bertha Fund, The Netherlands

Isabel Arrate Fernandez finished her MA in Film Studies from the University of Amsterdam in 1996, and worked in festival production, programming and film financing before joining IDFA. She has been head of the IDFA Bertha Fund since 2002, and is in charge of the development and implementation of the different support programs of the fund. Isabel is also a member of the selection committee and is actively involved in the mentoring of documentary projects. Over the years, she has participated in juries and worked regularly as a consultant for documentary projects.
The IDFA Bertha Fund (IBF), over the course of 21 years, has developed into an internationally renowned institution with a broad network supporting over 600 documentaries projects and film organisations in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle-East and Latin America. A funding scheme for international co-productions was recently added. The IBF is part of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), one of the leading documentary film festivals.