IDFA announces competition lineup

The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) has revealed the program for its competitions, highlighting a strong European presence led by filmmaker Savina Petkova. The 39th edition of the festival will take place from 12 to 22 November, featuring 253 documentary films from 80 countries.

Opening film announced

The festival will begin with the world premiere of White Tiger Column, a documentary directed by Robert Mentov, Dwight Jantzi, and Bryan Dickie. The film follows a group of recruits through 45 days of training with Myanmar's resistance movement and is eligible for IDFA's First Feature Award.

International Competition highlights

The International Competition includes 13 films, 12 of which are world or international premieres. European films in this section include Crack in the Head, Crack in the Sky by Mehran Tamadon and Women and War by Elwira Niewiera, among others. Several European co-productions will also be presented for the first time.

Envision Competition showcases innovation

The Envision Competition features 13 films that explore new cinematic languages and narrative forms. European entries in this section include Bahía Honda by Alejandro Alonso Estrella and Lyrical Vengeance by Wendelien van Oldenborgh. The competition emphasizes experimental approaches to documentary storytelling.

Additional program details revealed

Alongside the competition selections, the full IDFA DocLab program and films chosen for the Envision, Luminous, and Frontlight strands have been announced. These sections highlight diverse documentary formats and cross-sectional award nominees, offering a comprehensive view of the festival’s offerings.