Ally Derks

Head of Jury

Ally Derks is the founder of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), which she directed for 30 years. She studied Dutch literature, film and theatre at the Utrecht University. Until 2015 she was also director and head of the selection committee for the IDFA Bertha Fund that supports documentary filmmakers in developing countries. She has been a jury member at numerous festivals including Sundance, Hot Docs, Silverdocs and Nordisk Panorama. Ally Derks has also been responsible for retrospective programs – including ones on Cuban, Kazakh, Lithuanian, Palestinian and Polish documentaries. She was awarded several prizes for nurturing documentary films, such as the Hot Docs "Doc Mogul Award" (2011). Furthermore, she received the Banninck Cocq Award and the IJ-Prijs from the City of Amsterdam. The Government of France honored her in 2015 as Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In December 2016 she was recognized with the IDA Pioneer Award in Los Angeles.

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