International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam

Netherlands
Documentary

Established in 1988, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) screens over 200 documentaries annually and attracts audiences of around 60,000 people. It has become one of the most important festivals on the international documentary calendar.

Its’ parallel industry program has annually approximately 3,000 professionals attend and IDFA has become a major meeting place for industry. It includes 2 markets – Docs for Sale, for business on the latest docs, and the co-financing/co-production market, IDFA Forum. DocLab, the new media program also has a number of events and talks.

Sections include: International Competition: Envision Competition, IDFA Competition for Short Documentary, IDFA Competition for Youth Documentary, Luminous, IDFA DocLab Competition for Immersive Non-Fiction, IDFA DocLab Competition for Digital Storytelling.

ATTENDEE TIPS

“It gave me excellent exposure to many of the buyers I was targeting and served as a place to meet interested sales agents.”

“Set up meetings before you arrive. Always attend the ‘Who’s Who’ that the festival sets up.”

“A good sales agent is a huge advantage. Target in advance the most useful broadcasters and buyers.”

“We didn’t get much publicity via the IDFA press office. They seemed more interested in the feature films than the shorts.”

Awards

2023 - Won - Turbulence: Jamais Vu - IDFA DocLab Award for Immersive Non-Fiction

2007 - Won - End of the Rainbow - First Appearances - First Appearances

2005 - Won - Butterfly Man - Silver Cub - Best Short Documentary Under 30 Minutes - Silver Wolf Competition

Screenings

2023 - IDFA DocLab Competition for Immersive Non-Fiction - Turbulence: Jamais Vu

2019 - Best of Fests - Australian Dream, The

2018 - Best of Fests - Island of the Hungry Ghosts

2018 - IDFA DocLab Spotlight - Awavena

2017 - Best of Fests - Cocaine Prison

2017 - IDFA DocLab Competition for Digital Storytelling - K'gari: The Real Story of a True Fake

2017 - IDFA DocLab Competition for Digital Storytelling - Thin Black Line, A

2016 - Panorama - Opposition, The

2015 - Best of Fests - Only the Dead

2015 - Feature-Length Competition - Snow Monkey

2014 - IDFA Competition for Feature-Length Documentary - That Sugar Film

2014 - Reflecting Images: Panorama - I Will Not Be Silenced

2014 - IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling - After Six Four

2014 - DocLab: Immersive Reality - Assent

2013 - Reflecting Images: Panorama - Aim High In Creation!

2013 - Reflecting Images: Best of Fests - Ukraine is Not a Brothel

2012 - IDFA Competition for Feature-Length Documentary - Miss Nikki and The Tiger Girls

2012 - IDFA Competition for Feature-Length Documentary - Missing in the Land of the Gods

2012 - IDFA Competition for First Apperance - Blush Of Fruit

2012 - IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling - Block: Stories From a Meeting Place, The

2012 - The One Minutes - December 25

2011 - DocLab - Goa Hippy Tribe

2011 - IDFA Competition for Green Screen Documentary - Hungry Tide, The

2011 - IDFA Competition for Music Documentary - Mrs Carey's Concert

2011 - IDFA Competition for Mid-Length Documentary - My Thai Bride

2011 - Reflecting Images: Best of Fests - Tall Man, The

2011 - IDFA Competition for Mid-Length Documentary - Then the Wind Changed

2010 - Competition - Memoirs Of A Plague

2010 - Reflecting Images: Masters - Cane Toads: The Conquest

2009 - Feature-Length Competition - Contact

2009 - Feature-Length Competition - Miscreants of Taliwood, The

2009 - First Appearance Competition - Snowman, The

2009 - First Appearance Competition - Stolen

2009 - Mid-Length Competition - Matilda Candidate, The

2009 - Short Documentary Competition - My Uncle Bluey

2009 - Short Documentary Competition - Salt

2009 - Reflecting Images: Best of Fest - Good Man, A

2009 - Reflecting Images: Panorama - Indonesia Calling : Joris Ivens In Australia

2009 - Reflecting Images: Panorama - Strange Birds in Paradise - A West Papuan Story

2009 - DocLab - Big Stories, Small Towns

2009 - DocLab - Trendsmap.com

2009 - Reflecting Images: Panorama - I, Psychopath

2008 - Silver Cub - Wanja

2008 - Reflections: Best of Fest - Solo

2008 - Silver Cub - Skin

2008 - First Appearance - In My Father's Country

2007 - First Appearances - End of the Rainbow

2007 - Joris Ivens Competition - Night

2007 - First Appearances - Donkey in Lahore

2006 - Joris Ivens Competition - Feet Unbound

2006 - Paradox - Shift in Perception, A

2006 - AFTRS Special Screening - Weeping Willow

2006 - AFTRS Special Screening - Road Home, The

2006 - AFTRS Special Screening - Dishlickers

2006 - AFTRS Special Screening - Truckies Don't Eat Quiche

2006 - AFTRS Special Screening - Silence Full of Things, A

2006 - AFTRS Special Screening - Afterwards

2006 - AFTRS Special Screening - Soshin: In Your Dreams

2006 - AFTRS Special Screening - Relative Strangers

2006 - AFTRS Special Screening - Good Fight, The

2006 - AFTRS Special Screening - Change of Heart

2006 - AFTRS Special Screening - Generation

2006 - AFTRS Special Screening - Butterfly Man

2006 - AFTRS Special Screening - Merv

2006 - AFTRS Special Screening - Work?

2006 - AFTRS Special Screening - Secret Women's Business

2006 - AFTRS Special Screening - Sense of Smell, A

2006 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Balanda and the Bark Canoes, The

2006 - Silver Wolf Competition - Pupusera: A Tale from My Kitchen

2005 - Silver Wolf COmpetition - Butterfly Man

2005 - Silver Wolf Competition - Kidnapped!

2004 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Bruce and Me

2004 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Tat Wam Asi

2004 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - President Versus David Hicks, The

2003 - Joris Ivens Competition - Molly and Mobarak

2003 - Silver Wolf Competition - Rosalie's Journey

2003 - Joris Ivens Competition - Mademoiselle and the Doctor

2003 - Reflecting Images - It's Like That!

2002 - Reflecting Images - Making Venus

2002 - Special section - Sacred Sex

2002 - Special section - Advertising Missionaries

2002 - Reflecting Images - Cannibal Tours

2001 - Film Competition - Facing the Music

2001 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Shadow Play: Indonesia's Forgotten Holocaust

2000 - First Appearance - Out Of Our Minds

2000 - Film Competition - Cunnamulla

1999 - Video Competition - Sadness

1999 - A Choice of Werner Herzog - Cane Toads: An Unnatural History

1998 - Reflecting Images Programme - Breath, A

1998 - First Appearance - Reunion

1998 - Video Competition - Hephzibah

1998 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - To Get Rich is Glorious

1998 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - My One Legged Dream Lover

1997 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Exile in Sarajevo

1997 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Pyongyang Diaries

1997 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Red Sands Blue Seas

1997 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Cinema Cinema

1997 - Animation Docs - His Mother's Voice

1996 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Billal

1996 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Homelands

1996 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Come As You Are

1996 - Competition - Advertising Missionaries

1994 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Motherland

1993 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Last Man Hanged, The

1993 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Half Life

1993 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Homecomings

1993 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Shark Callers Of Kontu, The

1993 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Song Of Air, A

1993 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Couldn't Be Fairer

1993 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Good Woman Of Bangkok, The

1993 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Kangaroo

1993 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Cannibal Tours

1992 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Black Harvest

1992 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Good Woman Of Bangkok, The

1992 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - When Mrs Hegarty Comes to Japan

1991 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Plus ça Change

1991 - Competition - Eclipse of the Man Made Sun

1991 - Competition - Wonderful World of Dogs, The

1990 - Competition - Tightrope Dancer, The

1989 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Australia Daze

1989 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Joe Leahy's Neighbours

1989 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - State of Shock

1988 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Australia Daze

1988 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - State of Shock

1988 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Joe Leahy's Neighbours

1988 - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Cannibal Tours