The crisis rages on and the Arab world is in flux, but in the documentary world, the time for big stories is over. At least that was the conclusion drawn by festival director Ally Derks at a press conference ahead of the 24th edition of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (16-27 November). Unlike a decade ago, documentary filmmakers now focus more on smaller, personal stories. Many documentaries - for example those in the new competition for music films - also have a high entertainment value. Others can be viewed as a thriller.
We can see it all for ourselves from tonight, when IDFA kicks off with The Ambassador, the documentary account of a remarkable undercover operation by Danish filmmaker and journalist Mads Brügger Cortzen. Posing as a businessman interested in diamonds, he delves, mostly with hidden camera, into the shadowy world of traffickers in fake diplomatic passports giving access to the equally shadowy world called Central African Republic.
Sometimes it is a thriller, sometimes an absurdist comedy, and above all, a revealing look behind the scenes of Africa with the almost casual observation of all sorts of unprecedented matters, including France's past dubious role in the region. Entertainment value it also has, especially when one such passport broker orders Brüggen to hand over his phone, bag and everything he has on him because nothing of their conversation should reach the outside world. The effect is hilarious, as the man does not realise that Brüggen still has a little camera hidden somewhere capturing it all for us.
The middleman who eventually provides the desired papers is Dutch businessman Willem Tijssen. Meanwhile, the latter has made attempts to ban the screening of the film - so far in vain. The director also shows himself totally unimpressed by the announced legal measures.
It is revealing and entertaining documentary stunt work. By the way, we already knew that Brüggen likes to give himself difficult assignments. Two years ago, IDFA screened his The Red Chapel, in which he tries to arrange a performance in North Korea by a spastic Korean-Danish comedian.
This year's guest of honour is leading US documentary filmmaker Steve James, director of the famous basketball documentary Hope Dreams (1994). James was also involved in the documentary series The New Americans, for which several immigrants in America were followed on camera for four years. In addition to an overview of James' work, IDFA will screen the top ten he compiled.
Brazil is the country that gets extra attention this time. The IDFA DocLab explores the world between documentary, video art and the internet, there are films on sports and religion, law and injustice, love, prostitution and art. For home viewers, there is the online documentary channel at www.idfa.tv. The Arab Spring is modestly represented, including the documentary Tahrir 2011 On the Egyptian upheaval. But more on that later.
Leo Bankersen
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