Isabel Arrate Fernandez

Deputy director IDFA | IDFA/IDFA Bertha Fund | Netherlands

BIO
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 to head the IDFA Bertha Fund. Since 2020 she is the deputy director of IDFA in charge of the Filmmakers support department. As such she is responsible for the IDFA Bertha Fund (IBF) and oversees the Talent Development programs. She is a member of the IBF selection committee, actively involved in the mentoring of documentary projects, and regularly participates as consultant in workshops and pitching forums. She is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

Institute/ Organization Profile
IDFA is the leading institute for documentary film and new media. Our starting point is documentary as an art form. Every November, IDFA’s festival welcomes 295,000 visits, 3,000 professionals, and 40,000 students for a trend-setting program of 250 titles in 6 competitions, several thematic sections, a physical exhibition, and live performances. During the year, the IDFA Collection supports the distribution of films after their market life cycle, with hundreds of IDFA-selected films available to stream. Leading the industry are IDFA’s markets IDFA Forum and Docs for Sale, two flagship business events that documentary professionals never miss. The extensive Industry Program bolsters the markets, inviting key players to share knowledge via debates, lectures, and meetups. For the world’s documentary filmmakers, IDFA offers direct support through the IDFA Bertha Fund and talent development programs, safeguarding a space for the creative process of filmmaking across continents and generations.
Website:https://www.idfa.nl