The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) has been the world’s premier documentary festival for nearly forty years, and 2026 promises to be another impressive edition. For ten days, the city will be all about films that ask questions, push boundaries, and tell personal stories.
The heart of the festival beats in several places at once. The IDFA Pavilion It serves as the central gathering place, but venues like Carré, Eye, and Tuschinski are also participating. Everywhere you look, you see people walking around with festival tickets—from students to international filmmakers. The program is diverse. Major premieres draw packed houses, while smaller documentaries surprise audiences with intimate stories. After the screenings, there are often Q&As, giving you the chance to ask the filmmakers questions yourself. That’s what makes IDFA so special: it’s not just about watching, but also about conversation and reflection.
In addition to films, there are workshops and master classes. Here you will learn how documentaries are made, how to build a story and how the film industry is changing. For young filmmakers this is the chance to get inspired and to network with professionals from all over the world.
"IDFA is not a festival where you just watch - you talk, learn and live with stories from all over the world."
IDFA is not just for the cinephile. Even if you don't normally watch many documentaries, the festival is highly recommended. The diversity of subjects - from climate and politics to music and sports - means that there is always something between them that touches you. The atmosphere is open and international, but at the same time typically Amsterdam: informal, curious and inclusive.
What makes IDFA unique is the energy it spreads through the city. You notice it in cafes around the theaters, where visitors chat afterward, and in the rows where total strangers engage in conversation. The festival feels like a community that is all over the city for ten days.