The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam will open with the world premiere of Piotr Winiewicz’s “About a Hero,” the festival revealed Tuesday. IDFA also announced the main competition lineups for the 37th edition, which takes place in Amsterdam from Nov. 14 to 24.
Newly unveiled selections include the Envision and International Competitions, the entire IDFA DocLab program, and the Luminous and Frontlight sections, as well as the nominations for all cross-section awards.
The IDFA official selection of more than 250 titles is now complete.
IDFA’s artistic director, Orwa Nyrabia, said: “The IDFA 2024 program is exceptional in quality and in range. Regrettably with fewer African films than we hoped for, but overall with a wide representation of our planet and the many different humans on it. The diversity of artistic tendencies is staggering. The program introduces some of the most beautiful works of recent years, including a few instant classics. Filmmakers of various artistic sensibilities, ages, experiences, privileges, and viewpoints made films as singular as they are. It is a complex and rich image of a world in great pain, of a humanity that is fighting, resisting, and still able of imagining a fairer future. It is a program that defends documentary cinema better than ever before.”
Opening film
“About a Hero” is “an exploration into largely uncharted territories of artificial intelligence—reflecting on questions of authenticity and our understanding of what is real,” IDFA said.
With Werner Herzog’s permission, Winiewicz sets out to challenge Herzog’s assertion that “a computer won’t be able to create a film as good as mine for at least another 4,500 years.”
Winiewicz trained an AI system on Herzog’s oeuvre and asked it to generate a screenplay. The result is “a disturbing search for the soul—of human beings and of creative work,” the festival said.
“About a Hero” has been selected for the International Competition. In the early stages of development, the project was supported by the IDFA DocLab R&D Program.
International Competition
The International Competition presents 13 films that “draw on and transcend deeply personal histories to reflect on our world today.” The selection brings together established veteran voices next to first-time filmmakers, with all films presenting their world or international premieres.
“Examining the rampant consequences of war and growing dominance of right-wing governments, several filmmakers present cautionary tales and reveal how our humanity prevails under political pressures,” the festival said. “Elsewhere in the competition, by playing with our perception and warping the truth using technology, a number of filmmakers investigate our understanding of reality.”
International Competition
About a Hero, dir. Piotr Winiewicz (Denmark/Germany/U.S.), World Premiere
An American Pastoral, dir. Auberi Edler (France), World Premiere
The Golden Age, dir. Camilla Iannetti (Italy), International Premiere
Green Is the New Red, dir. Anna Recalde Miranda (France/Italy/Paraguay/Sweden), World Premiere
The Guest, dir. Zvika Gregory Portnoy, Zuzanna Solakiewicz (Poland/Qatar), World Premiere
Home Game, dir. Lidija Zelović (Netherlands), World Premiere
Light Memories, dir. Misha Vallejo (Ecuador), World Premiere
The Propagandist, dir. Luuk Bouwman, (Netherlands), World Premiere
Rule of Stone, dir. Danae Elon (Canada), World Premiere
Trains, dir. Maciej J. Drygas (Poland), World Premiere
A Want in Her, dir. Myrid Carten (Ireland/U.K./Netherlands), World Premiere
Writing Hawa, dir. Najiba Noori (France/Netherlands/Qatar/Afghanistan), World Premiere
Anonymous film
Envision Competition
The Envision Competition offers 12 films, “each of them stylistically arresting, as visionary filmmakers forge new cinematic languages,” the festival said.
Several established names in the art world turn to documentary cinema as their medium, “each offering distinct explorations into personal questions,” IDFA said.
“The selection showcases filmmakers venturing out of the box, whether presenting films shot from one fixed angle or examining the unexpected perspectives of non-human protagonists. By embracing experiment as a mean to overcome both real and symbolic obstructions, the films challenge and invite audiences to experience something new.”
Envision Competition
Bestiaries, Herbaria, Lapidaries, dir. Massimo D’Anolfi, Martina Parenti (Italy/Switzerland), International Premiere
Chronicles of the Absurd, dir. Miguel Coyula (Cuba), World Premiere
CycleMahesh, dir. Suhel Banerjee (India), World Premiere
The Fen-fire, dir. Erik van Lieshout (Netherlands), World Premiere
A Frown Gone Mad, dir. Omar Mismar (Lebanon), World Premiere
Garanti 100% Kréol, dir. Laurent Pantaleon (Réunion), World Premiere
Higher than Acidic Clouds, dir. Ali Asgari (Iran), World Premiere
Huaquero, dir. Juan Carlos Donoso Gómez (Ecuador/Peru/Romania), World Premiere
Loss Adjustment, dir. Miguel Calderón (Mexico/Uruguay), International Premiere
Paradise, dir. Ana Rieper (Brazil), World Premiere
Park, dir. Yo-Hen So (Taiwan), International Premiere
Pictures in Mind, dir. Eleonora Camizzi (Switzerland), World Premiere
Luminous
Luminous presents a wide range of styles and formalist approaches, from observational to personal to experimental. The selection presents 23 titles that delve into our deep emotional worlds and share truths from within. Twenty-one films in the selection are world or international premieres.
Several films in the selection speak to the importance of self-representation. In a reflection on how cinema displays realities, Ilrhan Kim’s Edhi Alice offers an elegant portrait of transness, following two women in transition in South Korea. In a portrait of Polish mountaineer Wanda Rutkiewicz, “The Last Expedition” by Eliza Kubarska draws on a wealth of archival material to reveal a story of a highly ambitious climber and her fight for agency.
Luminous
A Strange Colour of Dream, dir. Yasemin Akinci (France, Turkey), World Premiere
A While at the Border, dir. Ile Dell Unti (Argentina), International Premiere
Things That Happen on Earth, Dir. Michele Cinque (Italy, Germany), International Premiere
Before Then, dir. Mengzhu Xue (Germany, China), European Premiere
The Jacket, dir. Mathijs Poppe (Belgium, Netherlands, France, Lebanon), International Premiere
Lift Lady, dir. Marcin Modzelewski (Poland), World Premiere
Bright Future, dir. Andra MacMasters (Romania, South Korea), World Premiere
The Water Eyed Boy, dir. Lirio Ferreira, Carolina Sá (Brazil), World Premiere
Abo Zaabal 89, dir. Bassam Mortada (Egypt, Germany), World Premiere
At All Kosts, dir. Joseph Hillel (Canada), World Premiere
The Shepherd and the Bear, dir. Max Keegan (France, U.K., U.S.), International Premiere
Yalla, Baba!, dir. Angie Obeid (Belgium, Lebanon, Netherlands, Qatar), International Premiere
Silent Observers, dir. Eliza Petkova (Bulgaria, Germany), World Premiere
Make It Look Real, dir. Danial Shah (Pakistan, Netherlands, Belgium), World Premiere
Edhi Alice, dir. Ilrhan Kim (South Korea), World Premiere
Until the Orchid Blooms, dir. Polen Ly (Cambodia, France), World Premiere
Personale, dir. Carmen Trocker (Italy, Austria), World Premiere
Please Step Aside!, dir. Raha Faridi (Germany, Iran), World Premiere
Neshoma, dir. Sandra Beerends (Netherlands), World Premiere
Light of the Setting Sun, dir. Vicky Du (U.S., Taiwan), European Premiere
Whoever Deserves It, Will Be Immortal, dir. Nay Mendl (Cuba), World Premiere
The Last Expedition, dir. Eliza Kubarska (Poland, Switzerland), International Premiere
Been Here Stay Here, dir. David Usui (U.S.), World Premiere
Frontlight
Frontlight showcases 13 films that “critically examine the truth and artistically explore the urgent issues of our time.” Eleven of the selected titles are world or international premieres.
This year’s selection tells stories of people trying to stand up to oppression in different forms. Reflecting on the complex consequences of colonization, “Toroboro: The Name of the Plants” by Manolo Sarmiento chronicles the history and environmental impact of the genocidal colonization of the Waorani community in the Ecuadorian Amazon region. Zainab Entezar’s “Shot the Voice of Freedom” shows a portrait of women in Afghanistan fighting against Taliban oppression.
Frontlight
The 1957 Transcripts, dir. Ayelet Heller (Israel), International Premiere
The Ban, dir. Roisin Agnew (Ireland, U.K.), International Premiere
Blowing in the Wind, dir. Eyad Aljarod (Syria, the Netherlands), World Premiere
The Building and Burning of a Refugee Camp, dir. Dennis Harvey (Sweden, Ireland), European Premiere
Eyes of Gaza, dir. Mahmoud Atassi (Qatar), World Premiere
Missing Rio Doce, dir. Claudia Neubern (France, Brazil), World Premiere
On the Border, dir. Gerald Igor Hauzenberger, Gabriela Schild (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), World Premiere
The Shadow Scholars, dir. Eloïse King (U.K.), International Premiere
Shot the Voice of Freedom, dir. Zainab Entezar (Afghanistan), World Premiere
Toroboro: The Name of the Plants, dir. Manolo Sarmiento (Ecuador, Brazil), International Premiere
Tripoli/A Tale of Three Cities, dir. Raed Rafei (Lebanon), World Premiere
Undercover: Exposing the Far Right, dir. Havana Marking (U.K.), International Premiere
The White House Effect, dir. Bonni Cohen, Pedro Kos, Jon Shenk (U.S.), European Premiere
IDFA DocLab Competition for Immersive Non-Fiction
With a majority of world premieres, the 10-title Immersive Non-Fiction Competition expands the horizons of the documentary genre—showcasing multisensory experiences, artistic VR creations, interactive installations, and live performances that stretch new technologies to the limits of their potential in a non-fiction context.
“Several artists explore the changing ways we embody spaces through an immersive and imaginative lens—with works that invite us to reconsider the boundaries between ourselves and our environments, through both digital landscapes and reimagined domestic spaces,” the festival said.
“Through performance and Extended Reality (XR), multiple artists create immersive and interactive works that explore everything from catalysing intimacy in virtual encounters to reframing narratives in our political recollection.
IDFA DocLab Competition for Digital Storytelling
With 11 titles in the selection, the Digital Storytelling Competition builds on the history of interactive storytelling with works by both new talent and established names.
Taking a novel approach to the use of artificial intelligence, several projects in the selection explore our deep connections to our ancestors and imagined future generations—using AI to “reconstruct fragmented memories, revive fading oral traditions, and generate speculative genealogies.”
Multiple projects use existing digital platforms and tools in innovative ways to tell their stories, ranging from the preservation of cultural heritage, speculative virtual ecosystems, and marginalized genders navigating public spaces.
IDFA DocLab Spotlight
With seven selected titles, the non-competitive DocLab section brings award-winning VR projects, immersive theater, and an expanded offering of fulldome projects, attesting the latter as a flourishing stage for new media.
“In an age when technology shapes our lives and stories, multiple works in the selection examine the tension between the human voice and machine power,” IDFA said. “Several artists question how to preserve our narratives in a world increasingly mediated by machines, while others invite us to experience the intersection of human introspection and machine logic.”
Cross-section awards
IDFA has also announced the nominations for the IDFA Award for Best First Feature, IDFA Award for Best Dutch Film, and the Beeld & Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award. The winners will be announced during the IDFA awards ceremony on Nov. 21.
