Orwa Nyrabia will step down from his role as artistic director of International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) in summer 2025. The Syrian
Orwa Nyrabia will step down from his role as artistic director of International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) in summer 2025.
The Syrian filmmaker will oversee his seventh edition of the festival from November 14-24 this year. He will remain in post until July 1, 2025 to facilitate the transition to a modern artistic director, the search for which will begin after this year’s festival,
“I have always seen this great role as an artistic endeavour, as a responsibility much more important and critical than being merely a job,” said Nyrabia. “I recognise a natural ending for it coming up; a good moment for starting a new chapter.”
Syrian filmmaker Nyrabia took on the IDFA artistic director role in January 2018, since when he and his team have revamped the festival and industry programmes with modern strands such as the Envision Competition, IDFA On Stage and the Producers Connection.
Nyrabia and the board of directors oversaw the restructuring of IDFA as an institute for documentary culture, and the opening of the Documentary Pavilion, a year-round space for the festival in central Amsterdam.
The festival also achieved gender parity in its film selections and other offerings during his tenure; and worked towards representation of diverse communities from around the world.
“My decision is one more way of expressing my love to IDFA and its remarkable team. Change is necessary, especially when at the right moment,” continued Nyrabia, who suggested he will make a return to filmmaking.
“I will gradually, and happily, return soon to the other side, that of those sending their ideas, films, and funding applications and waiting anxiously, and critically, for answers.”
“I am also full of optimism, and certain that IDFA will grow stronger and sharper with time, no matter from which direction the wind will blow. “
Marry de Gaay Fortman, chair of IDFA’s supervisory board, said Nyrabia’s “influence in the artistic field lifted IDFA and has driven the festival as well as the organization to places we never knew they existed.”
“Orwa’s vision drives the ambition and while his departure saddens us on the one hand, we also want to give him the opportunity to pursue his ambition and discover new paths.”
Prior to IDFA, Nyrabia co-founded Dox Box International Documentary Film Festival in Syria; and produced films including Talal Derki’s Return to Homs, which opened IDFA 2013 and won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2014.
He also worked extensively as a human rights activist, with involvement in the 2011 Syrian uprising and in providing humanitarian aid to displaced citizens.
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