Festival Dispatch: The Horse Boy at IDFA

Another festival dispatch coming courtesy of our Texas Filmmakers’ Travel Grant, this one a bit late – apologies! Michel Scott, TFPF recipient for his Sundance premiere doc THE HORSE BOY, reports on his adventures at IDFA in November…

The best thing about IDFA (the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam) was the audience.  Whether it was 10am Saturday morning or 11pm Sunday night, the screenings were packed full of jolly Dutch men and women.  It’s clear that IDFA, the largest documentary festival, and one of the best in the world, has been able to really energize the city of Amsterdam to support this yearly event.  I had a great time.  The staff was extremely friendly and well organized, and the screening venues were beautiful. I feel like at each individual festival, through interaction with filmmakers and audience members, I learn something new and valuable for my career and myself.  At IDFA it was a sense of gratitude for being able to see films that, in my opinion, are some of the best documentaries to have been made and that may never get screened in the U.S. or become widely available to the general public.  As the search for distribution for my film has been winding down, Ive been able to relax and actually participate in the festivals as an audience member, and it’s made me realize how many incredible films have recently been made.  Videocracy and The Edge of Dreaming particularly moved me.   Coming out of each screening, I felt a perfect mixture of inspiration and admiration for the films and the directors. And of course the timeless Winnebago Man film and crew were there to keep the positive energy and laughs flowing through the weekend.

Michel Scott (right) with WINNEBAGO MAN director Ben Steinbauer

Besides the festival, Amsterdam itself was quite an experience.  I was able to rent a bicycle and pedal around the city for a day, getting lost in all of it’s little side streets between the canals, visiting the Van Gogh museum and seeing a few random street magic shows.  Amsterdam is often viewed as one of the happiest cities in the world, and its proven on every smiling face you see.

I’m grateful to the Austin Film Society for providing a travel grant to help with the expenses of attending the festival.  I hope to return next year!

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