IDFA Forum Awards 2024: “Dry Sky,” “Do You Love Me,” “Amorphous,” and “Looking for the Mermaid” Triumph in the Netherlands
The IDFA Forum Awards were announced at Felix Meritis in Amsterdam, Netherlands, celebrating innovative and impactful documentary projects. Ibrahim Omar’s project Dry Sky won the IDFA Forum Award for Best Pitch, while Lana Y. Daher’s Do You Love Me was awarded Best Rough Cut. The DocLab Forum Award went to Amorphous by May Abdalla, and the newly introduced Producers Connection Award was given to Yara Costa for Looking for the Mermaid. Each award includes a cash prize of €1,500.
The jury praised Dry Sky, produced by Ibrahim Omar, for its cinematic language and the healing perspective it offers. Jurors Dorota Lech and Malin Huber highlighted the project's potential as a collective effort to inspire new futures, describing it as “a courageous proposal of healing.”
Special Mentions for Best Pitch went to Concrete Land by Asmahan Bkerat and The Beauty of Errors by Jukka Kärkkäinen. The jury commended both projects for their heartfelt storytelling and impactful presentations.
Do You Love Me, produced by Lana Y. Daher, was celebrated for its poignant narrative that weaves archival footage from Lebanese cinema into a reflection on Beirut’s resilient yet tragic history. Jurors Burcu Melekoglu and Mandisa Zitha lauded the work for its universal resonance, stating, “The work stands as a testament to the power of memory and art in navigating collective grief and renewal.” In addition to the award, the project will receive closed captioning and subtitles from inVision Subtitling.
May Abdalla’s Amorphous earned the DocLab Forum Award for its innovative approach to addressing body dysmorphia through interactive storytelling. The jury, consisting of Jazia Hammoudi and Liz Rosenthal, described the project as “ingenious,” with an experiential design that offers a transformative engagement with its subject. An Honorable Mention for the DocLab Forum Award was given to The Four Floors of Faneuil Hall by Simon Wood and Meghna Singh, noted for its exploration of democracy's contradictions through architectural storytelling.The Producers Connection Award, presented for the first time this year, went to Yara Costa’s Looking for the Mermaid. Jurors Bianca Oana and Daan Vermeulen highlighted the film’s potential to inspire creative collaborations while addressing the urgency of preserving disappearing worlds through cinema.