IDFA presented by De Balie
10 – 20 nov
in De Balie
As one of the IDFA locations De Balie will be screening many documentaries selected by IDFA. Around some of these documentaries De Balie created a special program in style of De Balie: IDFA presented by De Balie
Foragers – 11 November / 20:30 / sold out
With an almost playful approach, Foragers exposes the intricate ways Israel abuses ecological laws to prevent Palestinians from gathering wild foods that have been essential to their cuisine for centuries. The special screening at De Balie will offer 40 lucky viewers an immersive experience – a dinner inspired by meals featured in the film, served in the cinema auditorium during the screening.
The dinner and screening are followed by a conversation, where the practices mentioned serve as an introduction to the broader topic of commodification – how capitalism seeks to cultivate everything from wild plants to our free time.
IDFA on stage: Non-Aligned Newsreels – 14 November / 21:00 / tickets
During the Cold War it seemed as if there was no other choice than taking the side of the capitalist West or the Soviet bloc. Yet Yugoslav President Tito sought allies in non-Western countries for an alternative political vision. In 1961, during a founding conference in Belgrade which gathered leaders of 25 countries and 17 liberation movements, the Non-Aligned Movement was officially created. Marking the era in raising its voice for decolonization, disarmament and opposition to racism, this movement is notably absent from Western history books.
A one-off performance by documentary maker Mila Turajlić in which she brings the history of the Non-Aligned Movement to life. Dutch people with roots in non-aligned countries bring their personal insights and stories to rediscovered archival footage of this exciting political era.
Invoked – 15 November / 20:30 / tickets
After almost fifty years of communism in Yugoslavia and a decade after the death of President Josip Broz Tito, Serbia held its first free elections. Even more free than necessary, the new law allowed people who collected only 100 signatures to run for president, resulting in a host of unlikely candidates, including a seller of used brooms, a philosopher with delusions and a registered junkie running in front of the Great Party of R ‘n ‘R which advocated for who “sex, debauchery, madness and drugs.”
After the film, we will engage in conversation with the directors reflecting on the elaborate way this film was constructed, and make connections to today’s world in which populism and nationalism seem to be gaining the upper hand.
The Eclipse – 16 November / 20:30 / tickets
Nataša Urban’s father is a mountaineer. As the wars raged, he continued climbing and kept a diary. This diary, focusing on peculiarities of nature and climbing, is used as the voice-over for Nataša’s film, serving as an example of how people who lived inside a war-torn country, but outside the war-struck areas, often tried to do the impossible – continue their lives normally.
After the screening , the film crew, among which are some of the most talented Serbian authors and composer Billy Gould, who gained fame with his band Faith No More, joins us on-stage for an in-depth conversation about the morality of choosing to ‘act normal’ in abnormal times.
The Exciles – 17 November / 20:30 / tickets
In 1989, the peaceful student protest in Tiananmen Square was ruthlessly crushed by the Chinese regime. At the time activist Chinese-Korean Christine Choy, who has lived in America since she was a teenager, began work on a documentary about three Chinese people involved in the demonstration who fled to the United States.
After the film, we talk with the filmmakers Ben Klein and Violet Columbus about the bygone dream of a democratic China and the pitfall of prioritizing trade over ethics, resulting in uncontrollable geopolitical events.