WHAT IS IFA?
The International Filmmaking Academy IFA from Bologna, Italy is a center of excellence for the best emerging film auteurs and young film professionals selected from over the world.
Every year, IFA invites some of the most distinctive voices in world cinema to Bologna to lead a group of emerging talents – directors, directors of photography and assistant directors/producers – selected by Film Institutes, Film Commissions and Film Schools from around the world, as well as independent professionals.
IFA Bologna is a place where talent from all over the world works together, learns from great masters, creates and premieres short films, and builds meaningful and lasting creative connections.
Previous editions have been led by Master Teachers such as Bernardo Bertolucci, Abbas Kiarostami, Béla Tarr, Danis Tanović, Cristian Mungiu, Jane Campion, John Landis, Asghar Farhadi and Lav Diaz. Palme d’Or winning director Ruben Östlund joined the IFA Board of Directors as Honorary President after his experience as Master Teacher in 2023.
The IFA Masterclass in Filmmaking helps filmmakers worldwide recognize and affirm their authorial identity.
Our aim is to help shape the next generation of film authors.
Learn from the Masters of Contemporary Cinema
The selected group of talented filmmakers has the unique opportunity to make their own short film in Italy, in some of the most significant locations in Bologna, under the guidance of one of the most influential film authors on the world scene.
IFA nurtures the talent of each filmmaker in a safe space of freedom and respect for individual cultures. The Academy doesn’t simply share knowledge, it creates the conditions for what already lives within each participant to emerge.
We proudly support the opportunity to create a lifelong network with fellow filmmakers around the globe.
How would you do that?
The Master Teacher shares their experience and personal approach to cinema, acting as a mentor and supporting the personal and artistic growth of the next generation of national and international film authors, through the maturation of their own authorial vision.
The Master Teacher accompanies filmmakers through the entire process, from script to final editing, in a relaxed and intimate atmosphere. On the last day of the Masterclass, the short films are screened in a theater, followed by feedback from the Master Teacher.
IFA combines international educational seminars with local production. Participants shoot a short film in Bologna and enjoy daily one-to-one relationship with the Master Teacher and with fellow filmmakers from all around the world.
WHERE IS THE ACADEMY?
The IFA Masterclass in Filmmaking takes place in the breathtaking setting of Bologna, a vibrant city of art and wonderful cuisine. Home to the oldest university in the Western world, founded in 1088, Bologna is a city of ancient knowledge, artistic ferment and rebellious spirit. It is also a UNESCO City of Music and a city of cinema.
The Masterclass runs during Il Cinema Ritrovato, the festival by Cineteca di Bologna and a true paradise for cinephiles, one of the world’s most important events for restored and classic cinema. The selected filmmakers take part in the festival screenings, held open air in the beautiful Piazza Maggiore on summer nights.
IFA is a rare space where cinema’s past, present and future meet in real life. Emerging filmmakers experience two worlds at once: the extraordinary heritage of cinema and the possibility of creating its future.
