During the sixth edition of the Groningen edition of International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), a number of public figures will be on hand in the city during the film screenings.
Translation by Traci White
The Groninger Internet Courant reports that during the Groningen edition of the festival, which will be held between the 22nd and 25th of November, 30 of the best, most unusual and fascinating documentaries will be screened at the Groningen Forum. A number of the films will be introduced by national politicians, film directors and the subjects of the documentaries themselves:
- Sylvana Simons, a Dutch politician and actress, will be present for a discussion following the screening of “Sylvana, Demon or Diva”, a documentary about her. Simons, who is of Surinamese descent, came to fame as a VJ in the ‘90s and began a political career in the 2000s, primarily focusing on issues of race and discrimination, which has made her a controversial figure in some circles.
- Benjamin Strick, an Australian researcher with the Bellingcat open source intelligence group, lives in Groningen himself and will be on hand for a conversation after the screening of “Bellingcat: Truth in a Post-Truth World” – check out The Northern Times’ recent interview with Strick and Christiaan Triebert, another Groningen-linked researcher in the group, to find out more about the film and Bellingcat’s work.
- The horror documentary “American Dharma” by American filmmaker Errol Morris about Steve Bannon will be followed by a conversation between Nieuwsuur journalist Eelco Bosch van Rosenthal and University of Groningen assistant professor of American Studies, Tim Jelfs.
- Director Menna Laura Meijer will be on hand for an interview during the screening of “Now Something Is Slowly Changing”, a documentary about personal growth and finding meaning through observation by countless therapists.
- One of the most intimate films being screened in Groningen is “Songwriter”, which is about Ed Sheeran and was created by his cousin, Murray Cummings. Sheeran will not be present in Groningen during the screening, but the film is still one of the high points of the programme.
- Marjoleine Boonstra will visit the forum to talk about her film “The Miracle of the Little Prince”, which captures her travels around the world to meet people who have translated the French classic book “Le Petit Prince”
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