^{Jan Rofekamp, new head of studies at the Documentary Campus Masterschool}

Netherlands native Jan Rofekamp is best known as the founding head of Films Transit International, one of the oldest sales companies in the world specialising in quality theatrical documentaries.

In addition to his sales activities, Rofekamp will be at IDFA this year with a new string to his bow as the newly appointed head of studies at the Documentary Campus Masterschool. “I think one of the reasons they picked me is because of my long experience in sales. I know the process of financing, selling and getting a film to a festival and what to do once it’s selected inside-out,” says Rofekamp.

Organised by the Berlin-based training and development agency Documentary Campus, the Masterschool selects 16 director-producer teams per year and helps them develop their projects over the course of four 5-day workshops running over a 10-month period. Recent alumni include Polish Hanna Polak, who developed IDFA Special Jury Award winner Something Better to Come with the support of the programme.

With the staff, Rofekamp will be responsible for project selection as well as appointing tutors and shaping the content of the workshops. “It’s an absolute necessity, for example, that we talk about the online world and the disruption caused by the rise of VOD and SVOD. The issue of rights is incredibly complicated these days and producers need to have a grasp of the issues before signing deals,” he says.

The veteran salesman says he did not think twice about accepting the role when Documentary Campus director Donata von Perfall approached him at MIPTV this year to see if he would be interested in replacing Elizabeth McIntyre, who is taking over the reins of the Sheffield Doc/Fest as of 2016. “I didn’t even ask the salary because I think it’s a wonderful job,” he says.

The timing was also perfect, notes Rofekamp, coming just as he was in the throes of restructuring 30-year-old Films Transit. “The company is doing well but I’ve decided to rein in our activities a bit and handle less films a year, with the focus on high-profile titles and maybe a bit more from the art sector,” he explains.

Over the summer, he also took the decision to stop handling library sales, brokering his 200-title back catalogue to Israel-based educational rights Filmplatform.net and Ellen Windemuth’s Amsterdam-based Off The Fence.

Rofekamp will be busy at IDFA with four festival titles: Guantanamo’s Child: Omar Khadr (Masters); Requiem for the American Dream (Best of Fests) and two IDFA Competition for Dutch Documentary contenders, Inside the Chinese Closet and Jheronimus Bosch, Touched by the Devil. “There’s a strong tradition of Dutch documentary making going back to the 50s and the 60s. I think there’s something in their genes,” he says.

Jheronimus Bosch, Touched by the Devil, which will be released to coincide with 500th anniversary of the 16th century master’s death, is the directorial debut of Dutch producer Pieter van Huystee. “It’s a wonderful documentary analysing and capturing Bosch’s works in all their magnificent detail in a way you just can’t see when you’re in a gallery or museum, standing at two metres distance,” says Rofekamp. Inside the Chinese Closet – exploring the challenge of being homosexual in China - is a first-time work by Italian director Sophia Luvarà produced by Boudewijn Koole and Iris Lammertsma’s Amsterdam-based Witfilm.

“One of the strengths of the Dutch documentary scene is the openness of the funding. Inside the Chinese Closet, for example, has an Italian director, Dutch producers and is shot in China. This openness makes for a very broad production and means the country produces films that travel all over the world.”