Ida Does is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, producer, and writer whose work delves into themes of (colonial) history, art and culture, social justice, and the stories of (Caribbean) pioneers.
Her internationally acclaimed documentaries have won numerous awards at prestigious film festivals worldwide. Notably, her film “It is not Past – 08 12 1982” (2022) meticulously revisits the December Murders in Suriname, leaving a lasting impact on Surinamese society and its diaspora. The film received the Best Feature Documentary Award in 2023 at the Caribbeantales International Film Festival in Toronto and the Jury Award at the Playa Film Festival Aruba 2023.
Her documentary “New Light – The Rijksmuseum and Slavery” (2021) won awards in Aruba, Belize, and the USA. Screened at the United Nations in 2023, the film was nominated for the Prix Italia 2022 in the TV Performing Arts category and was the NPO submission for the Emmy Awards.
In 2023, Ida Does produced and directed the documentary “Everyday Dignity – Philomena Essed” exploring the impact of Professor Philomena Essed’s pioneering work in studying racism in the Netherlands since 1984. The film premiered in October 2023 at Eye Amsterdam and had its TV debut the same month, with plans to participate in international film festivals.
Expanding her creative repertoire, Ida Does made her debut as a children’s author in 2023 with the illustrated young adult book titled ‘Virginia.’ This captivating narrative unfolds the story of a young woman living in colonial slavery on the island of Aruba, earning Does a nomination for the Hotze de Roos Award.
In 2024, the book “Judith de Kom: ‘I Embrace You Uninterrupted, Letters from Judith de Kom to her father Anton de Kom and other significant people in her life'” will be released by Alfabet Publishers. In 2023, Ida Does was presented with The Black Achievement Award for her entire body of work by the Secretary of State for Culture. Beyond her artistic endeavours. She was nominated for the Woman in the Media Award South Holland in both 2022 and 2023. Does is a vocal advocate for equality in Dutch media.