November 26, 2021

In this episode, we continue our celebration of the 2021 edition of IDFA as I chat with the Senior Programmer of the festival, Laura van Halsema. We talk about how she got into docs, her nearly 20 years with IDFA, and take a deep dive into the unConscious Bias Focus program at the festival this year. The song for this episode is from the film Chelas Nha Kha which is part of the unConscious Bias strand and is entitled “Chelas City,” music by Bataclan 1950 and lyrics by Baguera, Islu, and Gohu. The film is a collaboration between Bagabaga Studios and Batalan 1950 is about the people and kids growing up in Chelas which is a neighborhood in Lisbon. During our conversation, we spoke about the anthropologist Clifford Geertz’s concept of the “webs of influence.” Laura thought of this film and about the filmmakers who live in that area as they learn to define for themselves their own realities. The first love of Bataclan 1950 is making music which is prominently featured in the film. Here is our conversation which was recorded in November 2021.

Photo Credit: Caroline Westdijk

[Image Description: Laura, a white woman with short blond hair, is pictured from the torso up. She wears a dark-colored button-down shirt and hoop earrings. She has a slight smile on her face. The photo is in B&W.]

Graphic: IDFA logo

[Image Description: The black, lower case letters, I, D, F, A are against a plain white background. The D and F are connected.]

About Laura

Laura van Halsema (Amsterdam, 1974) has an MA in American Studies and has been working for the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) since 2002. As senior programmer, she is responsible for the main program, consisting of competitions and non-competitive premiere programs, which as of 2021 has a new structure and is collectively put together by IDFA’s programmer staff.
For many years, she developed and curated focus programs looking into several aspects of documentary filmmaking. In the past, she was responsible for programs on sound, editing, and cinematography as well as programs that focused on media and democracy.
In 2016 and 2017 she curated a series called “Shifting Perspectives,” on the ways in which narrative and imagery influence how we view and interpret ourselves, each other, and the world. The films addressed how familiar ideas about identity and race are upheld and confirmed, both consciously and subconsciously. In 2018 she presented the focus program “Me,” which offered a selection of films in which various representations of the filmmaker's self are explored. An investigation of complex questions ranging from individualism to global politics, seen through a sincere, subjective eye. For the upcoming edition of IDFA, she curated “unConscious Bias,” consisting of new and previously released titles, exploring today’s discourse on the meaning of the colonial past, and the many ways that this past continues to leave its mark on the present. Laura lives in Amsterdam, frequently visiting New York where she lived in 1993 and 1994.

About the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)

IDFA believes in the power of documentaries. In creative documentaries that deepen, reveal, and inspire. In documentaries that bring people closer together. And in documentaries that stand for change by inspiring people to act. IDFA aims to bring creative documentaries and audiences together. Therefore, it stimulates the production and distribution of a wide range of documentary films while also developing the demand for them. In this way, IDFA contributes to expanding and improving the international documentary climate, specifically by promoting inclusivity and giving a voice to underrepresented filmmakers.

Founded in 1988 in Amsterdam, IDFA is the world’s leading institution dedicated to the art and industry of documentary film and new media. With the IDFA Bertha Fund and talent development programs, IDFA supports filmmakers all over the world, connecting them across continents, genders, and generations. IDFA’s online collection supports the distribution of films after their market life cycle, with hundreds of IDFA-selected titles available to stream online.

Every November in Amsterdam, IDFA’s festival offers a trend-setting film and new media program that welcomes some 295,000 visits, brings together over 3,000 industry professionals to connect and collaborate, and guides 40,000 school children through a unique education program. Approximately 300 titles screen across 10 competitions and a wide range of thematic program sections, in addition to a physical exhibition and live performances.

Parallel to the festival, IDFA’s two film markets IDFA Forum and Docs for Sale are flagship business events that documentary film professionals never miss. An extensive Industry Program runs alongside the markets, inviting key players to share their knowledge through debates, lectures, and meetups.

About “unConscious Bias”

Consisting of new and previously released titles, unConscious Bias explores today’s discourse on the meaning of the colonial past and the many ways that this past continues to leave its mark on the present. Despite the brutal role played by the Netherlands and other European countries in colonization, challenging the dominant Western narratives has only just begun. With documentary filmmakers leading the way, how do we look at our collective past? And what do we see?