Apolonia, Apolonia and Dreaming Arizona lead IDFA Nordic official slate

Denmark leads the way with six films invited at IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam), followed by Finland (5), Sweden (3) and Norway (2).

Apolonia, Apolonia is Lea Glob’s first feature-length solo feature after the acclaimed Olmo & The Seagul co-directed with Petra Costa and Venus co-directed with Mette Carla Albrechtsen. The film is a fascinating portrait of the young artist Apolonia Sokol, trying to find a place in the international art world. Filmed over 13 years, we see the two women developing a special bond over the years.
The film was produced by Sidsel Lønvig Siersted for Danish Documentary Production, in co-production with Malgorzata Staron for Staron Films, with co-financing from DR, SVT, YLE, VGTV, HBO Max, Arte Geie, Avrotros support among others from Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

“It's huge honour to be in competition at IDFA, which is a crucial platform for us, artistically-oriented documentary filmmakers,” Glob told nordicfilmandtvnews.com. “I feel so happy and relieved. I owe so much to the wonderful people who let me into their lives, but also to the organisations and commissioners who believed in me, supported me and made this film possible although it was a very long ride.”

“Also, Amsterdam is the best place ever to showcase a film about a painter, and I’m a film nerd, so having the world premiere at the historical Tuschinski cinema is a dream come true,” Glob said.

Also screening in the coveted international competition is Dreaming Arizona by Denmark’s prominent documentarist Jon Bang Carlsen (Phoenix Bird, Ofelia Comes to Town). In his latest hybrid work, the director follows five American teens from a small town in Arizona, US, along the famous Route 66, as they re-enact their lives-past, present and future - in search for their own identity. The film was produced by Heidi Elise Christensen and Signe Byrge Sørensen for five-time Oscar nominated Final Cut for Real, in co-production with Carlsen’s C&C, Estonia’s Allfilm and Norway’s Fenris Film. Scriptofilm handles sales. Final Cut for Real is also represented at the Best of Bests Programme with the multi-awarded A House Made of Splinters by Simon Lereng Wimont.

Screening in the same Best of Fests section is Innocence by Guy Davidi, who made an impact 11 years earlier in Amsterdam with 5 Broken Cameras (co-directed with Emad Burnat), awarded the audience and Special Jury prizes. The film produced by Sigrid Jonsson Dyekjær world premiered at the last Venice Horizon section.

Elsewhere, Jørgen Leth and Andreas Koefoed’s co-directed Music for Black Pigeons (Ánorâk Film) which celebrates jazz music, is screening at the Masters programme, while Jakob Pagel Andersen’s reflection on fatherhood, love, life and death in Wild Wounded Animals, is competing in the Short Documentary programme.

Finland is attending with the following five features:

• Jasmin’s Two Homes, selected for the IDFA Competition for Youth Documentary.
  The 14-minute film co-directed by Inka Achté and Hanna Karppinen for Napafilms, follows 8-year-old Jasmin, whose parents decide leave Finland and to return to Somaliland.
• The Night My Brother Disappeared by Anna Blom - Frontlight section.
  The film produced by Impressio Films tells the story of human rights activist Adal Neguse, whose refugee brother drowned in the Mediterranean on his way to Italy.
• Ruthless Times, Songs of Care by Susanne Helke is bowing at the Masters.
  The portrait of the Finnish care system for the elderly produced by Road Movies, won the 2022 Locarno Zonta Club award.
• The New Greatness Case by Anna Shishova-Bogoliubova - Best of Fests.
  The Russian born director depicts Russian security services’ tactics to catch young nationals with dreams for a better future and a mother’s fight to release her daughter from jail. The film produced by Iikka Vehkalahti had a limited distribution in Finland last summer.
• Melancholia 3 rooms, Pirjo Honkasalo’s classic from 2004 is screening at the Focus: Around Masculinity. The celebrated Finnish director is also jury member of the International Competition programme.

Sweden is attending IDFA with the following three films:

• How to Save a Dead Friend by Marusya Syroechkovskaya-Best of Fests.
  The multi-awarded portrait of drug addiction and mental health issues among Russian millennials, was produced by Sisyfos Film’s Mario Adamson and Docs Vostok’s Ksenia Gapchenko.
• The Long Wait by Lisa Meyer-IDFA Competition Youth Documentary
  Intimate coming-of-age of two Swedish girls, produced by Sisyfos Film.
• Slumberland by Emma Bexell Stanisic, Stefan Bexell Stanisic and Robin Jonsson-selected for the IDFA DocLab competition for immersive non-fiction. The Bombina Bombast producers invite people to sleep in a VR experience.

Norway’s two IDFA film entries are:

• The Eclipse by Nataša Urban-screening at the Best of Fests.
  The essayistic documentary in which Urban reflects on her upbringing in former Yugoslavia, won several awards including the DOX-Award at CPH:DOX 2022.
• A History of the World According to Getty Images by Richard Misek, screening at the Frontlight after its HotDocs presentation in Toronto.

A total of 277 international documentaries are screening at the 35^th IDFA, which is opening Wednesday November 9 with the Dutch/Iranian film All You See by Niki Padidar. Over 3,000 industry delegates are expected at the festival, running until November 20.

For further details check: www.IDFA.nl