International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam

International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam

IDFA logo
Location Amsterdam, Netherlands
Founded 1983
Hosted by IDFA
Language International
Official website

The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) is the world's largest documentary film festival held annually since 1988 in Amsterdam.

The festival was initially held at the Leidseplein area in the centre of Amsterdam. The festival has since spread to a number of other locations. Cinemas and other institutes that have hosted the festival are: de Balie, Pathé City Theater, Filmmuseum Cinerama, Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam, Paradiso, the Ketelhuis, the Hotel American, Tuschinski Cinema, Pathé De Munt multiplex, Theatercompagnie and Arti et Amicitiae.

The objective of the IDFA is to promote creative documentaries and to present them to as wide an audience as possible. It started as a small festival and has grown to an eleven-day festival, screening more than 200 documentaries and attracting nearly 120,000 visitors.

Apart from its international film program, the variety of genres and the many European and world premieres featured each year, the festival also hosts debates, forums and workshops.

Contents

Prizes

In IDFA's main competition programs, the best new documentaries of the year compete for six different awards.

Prize: euro 12,500 (The jury may also present a Special Jury Award)

Prize: euro 10,000

Prize: euro 5,000

Prize: euro 5,000

Prize: euro 2,500

Prize: euro 5,000

In addition to the competitions, IDFA presents several non-competitive film programs:

Prize: euro 5.000 euro

Prize: euro 1.500

Prize: euro 125.000

Award winners

VPRO IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary (formerly: Joris Ivens Award)

Year Film Director Nationality of Director
(at time of film's release)
1988 Birthplace Unknown Karin Junger  Netherlands
1988 Ksjsiner Ruben Gevorksjanz  Soviet Union
1989 Skierskala Ivars Seleckis  Soviet Union
1990 Christo in Paris D. Maysles  United States
1991 Dreams and Silence Omar Al-Quattan  Belgium
1992 La Memoria del agua Hector Faver  Spain
1993 Belovy Victor Kossakovsky  Russia
1994 Solo, de wet van de Favela Jos de Putter  Netherlands
1995 Délits Flagrants Raymond Depardon  France
1996 Atman Pirjo Honkasalo  Finland /  Germany
1997 Auf der Kippe Andrei Schwartz  Germany
1998 Fotoamator / Photographer Dariusz Jablonski  Poland
1999 André Hazes - Zij gelooft in mij John Appel  Netherlands
2000 De zee die denkt Gert de Graaff  Netherlands
2001 Family Phie Ambo & Sami Saif  Denmark
2002 Stevie Steve James  United States
2003 Checkpoint Yoav Shamir  Israel
2004 Stand van de maan Leonard Retel Helmrich  Netherlands
2005 My Grandmother's House Adán Aliaga  Spain
2006 The Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun Pernille Rose Grønkjær  Denmark
2007 Stranded Gonzalo Arijon  France
2008 Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country Anders Østergaard  Denmark
2009 Last Train Home Lixin Fan  Canada

Nederland 2 IDFA Audience Award

Year Film Director Nationality of Director
(at time of film's release)
1988 The Last Judgement Herz Frank  Soviet Union
1989 Skierskala Ivars Seleckis  Soviet Union
1990 In Memory of the Day Passed By Šarūnas Bartas  Lithuania
1991 Djembéfola Laurent Chevallier  France
1992 Black Harvest Robin Anderson & Bob Connolly  Australia
1993 Belovy V. Kossakovsky  Russia
1994 Choice and Destiny Tsipi Reibenbach  Israel
1995 Anne Frank Remembered Jon Blair  United Kingdom
1996 Blue Eyed B. Verhaag  Germany
1997 Vision Man W. Long  Sweden
1998 Twee Vaders Ko van Reenen  Netherlands
1999 Crazy Heddy Honigmann  Netherlands
2000 Desi Maria Ramos  Netherlands
2001 Offspring, B B. Stevens  Canada
2002 Bowling for Columbine Michael Moore  United States
2003 My Flesh and Blood Jonathan Karsh  United States
2004 The Yes Men Dan Ollman & Sarah Price & Chris Smith  United States
2005 Sisters in Law Kim Longinotto & Florence Ayisi  United Kingdom
2006 We Are Together / Thina simunye Paul Taylor  United Kingdom
2007 To See If I'm Smiling Tamar Yarom  Israel
2008 RiP: A Remix Manifesto Brett Gaylor  Canada
2009 The Cove Louie Psihoyos  United States

Special Jury Prize

Year Film Director Nationality of Director
(at time of film's release)
1988 Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie Marcel Ophüls  France /  United States
1988 'The Power of Solovki Marina Goldovskaya  Soviet Union
1989 Skierskala Ivars Seleckis  Soviet Union
1990 The Collector E. Strömdahl  Sweden
1991 Djembéfola Laurent Chevallier  France
1992 Black Harvest Robin Anderson & Bob Connolly  Australia
1993 Mit Verlust ist zu Rechnen Ulrich Seidl  Austria
1994 Choice and Destiny Tsipi Reibenbach  Israel
1995 Picasso Would Have Made a Glorious Waiter Jonathan Schell  United States
1996 The Typewriter, the Rifle and the Movie Camera Adam Simon  England
1997 Little Dieter Needs to Fly Werner Herzog  Germany
1998 Pavel and Lyalya / a Jerusalem Romance r Victor Kossakovsky  Russia
1999 A Cry from the Grave Leslie Woodhead  England
2000 Keep the River on Your Right: a Modern Cannibal Tale Laurie Gwen & David Shapiro  United States
2001 Elsewhere Nikolaus Geyrhalter  Austria
2002 On Hitler's Highway Lech Kowalski  France
2003 The Corporation Mark Achbar  Canada
2004 Liberia: an Uncivil War Jonathan Stack & James Brabazon  United States
2005 Our Daily Bread Nikolaus Geyrhalter  Austria
2006 Tender’s Heat. Wild Wild beach Alexander Rastorguev  Russia
2007 Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go Kim Longinotto  United Kingdom
2008 Forgetting Dad Rick Minnich & Matthew Sweetwood  Germany /  United States
2009 The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers Judith Ehrlich & Rick Goldsmith  United States

NPS IDFA Award for Best Mid-Length Documentary (formerly: Silver Wolf Award)

Year Film Director Nationality of Director
(at time of film's release)
1995 6 Open, 21 Closed Amit Goren  Israel
1996 Mr. Behrmann - Leben Traum Tod Andreas Voigt  Germany
1997 Gigi, Monica...& Bianca Yasmina Abdellaoui & Benoït Dervaux  Belgium
1998 Hephzibah Curtis Levy  Australia
1999 Les Enfants du Borinage - Lettre à Henri Storck Patric Jean  Belgium
2000 Jung (War) in the Land of the Mujaheddin Fabrizio Lazzaretti & Alberto Vendemmiati  Afghanistan /  Italy
2001 Haj-Abba's Wives Mohsen Abdolvahab  Iran
2002 Interesting Times - the Secret of my Success Jinchuan Duan  Chile
2003 Surplus: Terrorized into Being Consumers Erik Gandini  Sweden
2004 Georgi and the butterflies Andrey Paounov  Bulgaria
2005 Before Flying Back to the Earth Arūnas Matelis  Lithuania
2006 Enemies of Happiness Eva Mulvad  Denmark
2007 To See If I'm Smiling Tamar Yarom  Israel
2008 Boris Ryzhy Aliona van der Horst  Netherlands
2009 Iron Crows Bong-Nam Park  South Korea
2010 People I Could Have Been And Maybe Am Boris Gerrets  Netherlands

IDFA Award for Best Short Documentary (formerly: Silver Cub Award)

Year Film Director Nationality of Director
(at time of film's release)
2005 Butterfly Man Samantha Rebillet  Australia
2006 My Eyes Erlend E. Mo  Denmark
2007 The Tailor Oscar Pérez  Spain
2008 Slaves - An animated documentary Hanna Heilborn & David Aronowitsch  Sweden /  Denmark
2009 Six Weeks Marcin Janos Krawczyk  Poland

IDFA Award for Best First Appearance

Year Film Director Nationality of Director
(at time of film's release)
1997 Anthem, an American Road Story Shainee Gabel & Kristin Hahn  United States
1998 Les Amoureux de Dieu / Howling for God Dan Alexe  Belgium
1999 Zwischen 2 Welten Bettina Haasen  Germany
2000 Hybrid Monteith McCollum  United States
2001 Suka Igor Voloshin  Russia
2002 Barbeiros M. Junkkonen  Finland
2003 My Flesh and Blood Jonathan Karsh  United States
2003 The very best day Pavel Medvedev  Russia
2004 Podul Peste Tisa Ileana Stanculescu  Romania
2005 The Angelmakers Astrid Bussink  Netherlands /  Scotland
2006 We Are Together / Thina simunye Paul Taylor  United Kingdom
2007 End of the Rainbow Robert Nugent  France /  Australia
2008 Constantin and Elena Andrei Dascalescu  Romania
2009 Colony Ross McDonnell & Carter Gunn  Ireland /  United States

Movies that Matter Human Rights Award

Year Film Director Nationality of Director
(at time of film's release)
2002 The Day I Will Never Forget Kim Longinotto  United Kingdom
2002 The Trials of Henry Kissinger Eugene Jarecki  United States /  United Kingdom /  Chile
2003 Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer Nick Broomsfield & Joan Churchill  United Kingdom
2004 The 3 Rooms of Melancholia Pirjo Honkasalo  Finland
2005 China Blue Micha X Peled  United States
2006 New Year Baby Socheata Poeuv  United States
2007 Jerusalem Is Proud to Present Nitzan Gilady  Israel
2008 Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country Anders Østergaard  Denmark

IDFA DOC U! Award for the youth jury’s favorite film (formerly: Moviesquad DOC U! Award)

Year Film Director Nationality of Director
(at time of film's release)
2005 Shadya, Roy Roy Westler  Israel
2006 A Lesson of Belorussian Miroslaw Dembinski  Poland
2007 Planet B-Boy Benson Lee  United States
2008 Kassim the Dream Kief Davidson  United States
2009 The Yes Men Fix the World Andy Bichlbaum & Mike Bonanno  France /  United States

IDFA Award for Best Student Documentary

Year Film Director Nationality of Director
(at time of film's release)
2007 Paradise – Three Journeys in This World Elina Hirvonen  Finland
2008 Shakespeare and Victor Hugo´s Intimacies Yulene Olaizola  Mexico
2009 Redemption Sabrina Wulff  Germany

IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling

Year Film Director Nationality of Director
(at time of film or website's release)
2010 Out My Window Katerina Cizek  Canada

Zapper Award (1994 -1996)

Year Film Director Nationality of Director
(at time of film's release)
1994 Death of a Nation: The Timor Conspiracy David Munro  England
1995 My Vote is My Secret Chroniques Sud Africaines 1994 Julie Henderson & Thulani Mokoena & Donne Rundle  France
1996 Grenzeloze Liefde - Made in Japan Puck de Leeuw  Netherlands

External links