Tuesday, November 21---Those interested in the renaissance of non-fiction films are turning their attention to Amsterdam, where the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam (IDFA) launches its 14th session this coming Thursday. IDFA has become the most important showcase and market for documentary film, making its main competition section a critical platform for international films.

This year's Joris Ivens Competition, named in honor of the documentary pioneer, is among the strongest in years. Eighteen feature films from around the world will compete for the prestigious VPRO Joris Ivens Award, which includes a cash of prize of US $17,500 for its winner, along with a distinctive statuette. Included in this year's roster is the Festival opener, Dutch filmmaker Jiska Rickels' debut feature 4 ELEMENTS, a metaphysical exploration of man's struggle with the primordial elements of earth, air, fire and water.

4 ELEMENTS

Two American films will also compete: WHEN ADNAN COMES HOME, Andrew Berends' powerful story of a teenage Iraqi boy who is arrested for a petty crime and undergoes a harrowing incarceration that belies the tenuousness of Iraqi justice; and JESUS CAMP, the powerful exploration of evangelical Christian fundamentalism, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. JESUS CAMP, which won top honors at the SILVERDOCS Film Festival, has been a major box office hit in the United States and is poised for a Best Documentary Oscar nomination.

From Iran comes the fascinating film THE RED CARD, directed by Carte Ghermez and Mahnaz Afzali, about the trial of a woman accused of murdering her lover, Iran's most famous soccer player. Israel is represented by two films: 9 STAR HOTEL, a harrowing film about the struggle of Palestinian men to find decent work across the border in Israel, directed by Ido Haar; and SOUVENIRS, directed by Shahar Cohen and Halil Efrat, which traces a young man's journey with his elderly father to recreate his steps as a soldier in World War II.

The horrors of that conflict are also the subject matter of the Italian film PRIMO LEVI'S JOURNEY, directed by Davide Ferrario, about the Nobel Prize winning author's life journey from the concentration camps to literary fame to his ultimate suicide.

Nobel Prize Winner Primo Levi

The Competition features a strong showing of films from Scandinavia, evidence of a growing resurgence of the documentary form in that region. Films include: THE PLANET (Sweden/Norway/Denmark, co-directed by the trio of Johan Saiderberg, Michael Stenberg and Linus Torell) and TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS (Finland/Sweden, Kirsi Nevanti).

Other films from the European continent include: LIFE AS A CORPORATE HOLIDAY (Italy, Paolo Muran); THE GRANDMOTHER OF REVOLUTION (Slovenia/Macedonia, Petra Seliskar); MY FATHER THE TURK (Germany, Ariane Riecker and Marcus Vetter); VILLAGE OF SOCKS (Germany/Romania, Klaudia Begic and Ileana Stanculescu); TENDER'S HEAT, WILD WILD BEACH (Russia, Alexander Rastorguev) and THE VALUE OF UTOPIA (Belgium/Ecuador, Yanara Guayasamin).

Echoing a crop of films that bring the horrors of combat into vivid focus is the Armenian film A STORY OF PEOPLE IN WAR AND PEACE, which features amazing hand-held footage shot by reporter Vardan Hovhannisyan in the midst of the bloody conflict between Armenia and Azerbadjan in the early 1990s.

Documentary Pioneer Joris Ivens

The Joris Ivens Competition features an impressive group of compelling films that will undoubtedly inspire much discussion and debate during the 10-day long documentary showcase. Much like the pioneering documentarian whose name adorns the top prize award, the filmmakers represented here are examples of dedication to the pursuit of truth and the craft of documentary filmmaking.

Sandy Mandelberger
Online Festival Dailies Editor