João Pedro Prado has been selected for this year’s IDFAcademy, the renowned training programme of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, dedicated to supporting emerging documentary directors and producers from around the world. From 13-16 November, IDFAcademy will bring together a curated group of up-and-coming voices to engage in an intensive programme of workshops, mentoring and peer exchange, focused on artistic development, authorship and the future of documentary cinema.
This year’s highlights include an opening talk with Persian filmmaker Firouzeh Khosrovani moderated by IDFA director Isabel Arrate Fernandez; a pitch training session moderated by Mikael Opstrup and attended by industry experts; a talk with director Lana Daher and editor Qutaiba Barhamji about archive, intimacy and history building on their film Do You Love Me?; and a case study of Petra Costa’s distribution strategy.
The selection places João among a cohort of promising documentary filmmakers shaping new cinematic approaches and reinforces his ongoing commitment to politically engaged, formally ambitious non-fiction storytelling.