IDFA director Ally Derks resigns

Documentary festival IDFA founder and director Ally Derks announced her resignation, effective November next year. She will be working for the Robert Bosch Foundation in Berlin for a year. Derks believes that the 30th anniversary of the IDFA, celebrated next year, is "a good time to say goodbye and to hand hover the baton to a new generation", she said in a press release on Tuesday. "Thirty beautiful years it was and goodbye always hurts a little. But it's been nice. And a year in Berlin is a enormous challenge. I leave IDFA in good hands with my highly esteemed, professional and involved colleagues. I face the future therefore for both IDFA and myself with confidence." Derks will be connected to the documentary festival for the rest of this year and most of 2017. She is officially leaving in November 2017. Barbara Visser will take over from Derks. "We are of course very grateful to Ally for what she leaves behind: a strong organization, a great festival and a bright future", IDFA CEO Derk Sauer said.