IDFA TIME IT'S A GOOD TIME

Here in Amsterdam it's IDFA time. Almost a week into the hypest bo-chic event on Planet Documentary and Io, Isabella decides to skip for a moment any comment on random films fattening the already fat Festival programme, and devote all the attention, heart and soul, to our many friends showing their work on the world's most prestigious Documentary screens. First and foremost the newest SUBMARINE productions.

Jungle Rudy, The Chronicle of a Family by Rob Smits. The film has already won the Golden Kalf at the Nederlands Film Festival and now keeps on harvasting consesus at the IDFA. The Documentary tells the amazing story of Rudolf Truffino, son of a rich banker from Den Haag, who, shortly after WWII, builds an exotic holiday camp in the middle of the Rain Forest in Venezuela.

Bloot (Naked) by Mischa Kamp (in the picture). The serie of mini-documentaries in rotoscope has finally got out of the bubble (we already screened the first episode at Io, Isabella 2005) and it's ready to hit the road. 5 episodes of 6 minutes each describe, or better "draw" the small dramas of puberty: the first menstruation, boobs growing out of control, the shaping of a sexual identity. The director of Het Paard van Sinterklaas pushes the boundaries of Non-fiction filmmaking. Bloot is a little treat for each Documentary and Film lover.

A sparkling diamond pops out the magician's hat of producer San Fu Maltha (he just released the latest Paul Verhoeven's film Black Book), it's 4 Elements by Jiska Rickels; the film opened the Festival on November 23rd. Maltha "kidnapped" this incredibly talented young director right out of the Nederlandse Film en Televisie Academie and his intuition prooved right: the film is a rare gem, an epic tale of the human struggle against Nature.

Among usual suspects and less known faces IDFA goes on till December 3rd...hence, look out for more juicy reviews.

One last tip: to keep informed on IDFA's and Shadow Festival's Culinary films, we suggest to click by Culiblog edited by our friend and Food Royalty Debra Solomon

related links IDFA – Idfa daily – food-related films at idfa – Jungle Rudy trailer (dutch) – Jungle Rudy the book – Jungle Rudy's Ucaima camp in Venezuela – who is Sinterklaas? – Sinterklaas on wikipedia