Saturday, November 29-----As IDFA began to wind down in anticipation of its Awards Gala this evening, here are some bits and pieces announced or experienced in the past week:

CROSS MEDIA PROJECTS AT IDFA FORUM

In addition to the traditional documentaries that were pitched at the IDFA Forum this past week, three projects were invited that deliberately cross media. Thee include the ambitious 24berlin-A Day In The Life, marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The project, capturing 24 hours in the life in the city on September 5, 2008, was compiled from the works of 70 German directors, and will be broadcast on German television for 24 hours and will also be downloadable and adaptable from the film's website.

DOCUMENTARY ON THEO VAN GOGH PITCHED AT IDFA FORUM

One of the more intriguing projects in development being pitched at the IDFA Forum was titled The Theo van Gogh Project, to be produced by New York-based production company Ironwork Productions. Producer Bruce Weiss has a long association with Dutch cinema and specifically the films of Theo van Gogh, who was also a personal friend. When van Gogh was murdered by an Islamic militant a few years ago, Weiss was instrumental in filming English-language versions of van Gogh's best known films, including Interview, directed and starring Steve Buscemi, and Blind Date, directed by Stanley Tucci. For the documentary, Weiss is joining forces with Eva Orner, who won the Best Documentary Oscar for Taxi To The Darkside, and Dutch-based production company Column Film. The film will offer a candid view of the filmmaker, his oeuvre and his influence.

NETHERLANDS FILM FUND HAS COIN FOR INTERNATIONAL CO-PRODUCTIONS

The Netherlands Film Fund has a long history of financing Dutch-based documentaries. At IDFA, the Fund announced that it has now opened its doors to pitches from foreign producers who can apply for up to 50,000 Euros per project, provided a Dutch co-producer is involved. The first interest the Fund has received is with Scandianvian producers and funding agencies. The Fund helped bankroll 14 documentary features in 2007 and will see a 30% hike in its funding base up to 2.75 Million Euros per year.

IDFA INCREASE IN TICKET SALES AND AUDIENCES

Ally Derks, the indefatigable director of IDFA, announced that this year's Festival has sold over 157,000 tickets (a 10% jump from last year), bringing in receipts of over 700,000 Euros (against 620,000 Euros last year). The Festival also welcomed an unprecedented number of 2500 guests and industry visitors, its largest contingent ever. The aim now for the Festival is to secure a permanent new home, with its own documentary theater, offices and workshop facilities. IDFA also plans to increase its international reach. Discussions are underway with New York's Museum of Modern Art to hold a retrospective of the "best of IDFA" each year after the Festival.

AGNES VARDA DOCUMENTARY TO CLOSE 21st IDFA

Beaches, a memoir film by Belgian-born Agnes Varda, closes this year's edition of IDFA. The film was screened today (although films continue through Sunday) to a packed audience of cinephiles and Festival staff. Varda has made a film that offers an impressionistic view of her life story, including her childhood years in Brussels, her family's evacuation to the south of France during the early years of World War II, her post-war collaboration with the filmmakers of the French New Wave (particularly Jacques Demy, who later became her husband and collaborator). Through a mix of archival footage, voice-over narration and surreal set pieces, Varda offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of the times she lived in, the people who influenced her, the long fascination with the sea and the melancholy passage of time.

Sandy Mandelberger, IDFA Dailies Editor