Every IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) is the world's largest documentary film festival held annually since 1988 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
List activity
2 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
37 titles
- DirectorKarin Junger
- DirectorRuben GevorkyantsStarsSergei ParajanovAndrei TarkovskyA bunch of stories, portraits and images about people of amazing destinies, including Parajanov and Tarkovsky, merging into a non-traditional and polemic image of Armenia.
- DirectorIvars SeleckisThe Crossroad Street is a small street in the outskirts of Latvia's capital Riga, and its various inhabitants with their destinies, everyday routines and neighborly relations form the micro-model of society during the Awakening.
- DirectorDeborah DicksonSusan FroemkeAlbert MayslesStarsJacques ChiracChristoJeanne-ClaudeThis is the story of the quest of the artist Christo to wrap the famous Pont Neuf in France in fabric. It took Christo and his wife ten years to get permission from the Parisian government, and the project created a storm of dialogue throughout Paris.
- DirectorOmar Al-Qattan
- DirectorHéctor FaverStarsIsabel AbadNicolás AlvarezHéctor Faver
- DirectorVictor KossakovskyStarsAnna Fyodorovna BelovaMikhail Fyodorovich BelovVasiliy Fyodorovich Belov"Belovy (the Belovs)" is a breathtaking portrait of a troubled peasant family. It's poetry in the form of a documentary that won many prizes. Beautifully shot in vintage black and white, the film tells the story of two times widow Anna Belova who lives together with her brother Mikhail. Blending the two personalities, Kosakovsky characterizes the true Russian soul: she is the rational worker, honest and strong - he is the drunken poet, the idealist, his philosophy fades into radical nonsense time after time.
- DirectorJos de PutterLeonardo and Anselmo are both eleven years old and live in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. It is the summer of 1994, the World Championship Soccer is held in the USA, and Brazil is the favorite for the world title. Leonardo and Anselmo dream of becoming professional soccer players, to escape the poverty and violence of their slum. They fantasize of being able to organize a barbecue, once they have made it. Some of their friends want to become fishermen, but when they go boating on the lake, they find a corpse in the water (victim of yet another drug-related crime). Leonardo and Anselmo play for the team of Nova Saffra, a home for poor kids. But when a scout of a famous team arrives, everything might change: he invites both Leonardo and Anselmo to play a test match. During this once in a lifetime opportunity, Anselmo forgets his shoes and his father is nowhere to be found. Leonardo realizes he will have to make a tough decision.
- DirectorRaymond DepardonStarsMichèle Bernard-RequinThis documentary is a collection of footage of 14 suspects being 'interviewed' by the deputy public prosecutors.
- DirectorPirjo HonkasaloA documentary story about a man and his companion's journey up the river Ganga (Ganges) in India.
- DirectorAndrej Schwartz
- DirectorDariusz JablonskiStarsArnold MostowiczJürgen AndreasHans BitowThe historic discovery of more than 400 photos from the Lódz Ghetto, taken by the Ghetto accountant Walter Genewain, help trace the wartime existence of the local Jewish community.
- DirectorJohn AppelStarsAndré HazesJos BrinkAndré HazesPortrait of the popular Dutch singer Andre Hazes.
- DirectorGert de GraaffStarsBart KleverDevika StrookerRick de LeeuwIncredible optical illusions in a story in a story in a story helps the surprised viewer finally to find out that he has been watching himself all along.
- DirectorPhie AmboSami SaifStarsPhie AmboSami SaifWalid Khalil Kaid SaifThe directors, who are also partners, take a journey in pursuit of Sami's father, who abandoned his Danish family when Sami was very young. Before this ambitious film project started, Sami's beloved brother committed suicide, then his mother died, leaving Sami alone and grief-stricken. This film is a personal and compelling drama filled with humour and strong emotions.
- DirectorSteve JamesStarsSteve JamesStephen FieldingTonya GregoryIn 1995, director Steve James (of 'Hoop Dreams') returned to rural Southern Illinois to reconnect with Stevie Fielding, a troubled young boy to whom he had been an "Advocate Big Brother" ten years earlier.
- DirectorYoav ShamirDocumentary filmmaker Yoav Shamir's depiction of the checkpoints that the Israel Defense Forces man in the Palestinian Authority.
- DirectorLeonard Retel HelmrichThree generations of one family weather the challenges of living in modern-day Indonesia, the largest Muslim community on the globe.
- DirectorAdán AliagaStarsMarita FuentesMarina PastorMiguel SuchBeing 6 years old, and having to live with your grandmother who is 75 years and has very old fashioned ideas, is not easy to say the least. That the situation leads to rebellion only seems logic....
- DirectorPernille Rose GrønkjærStarsSister AmbrosijaMr. VigThe story about the 82-year-old bachelor Mr. Vig, who has never known love, and Sister Amvrosija, a young Russian nun, who by chance, or destiny, becomes part of his life.
- DirectorGonzalo ArijonStarsJose AlgortaRoberto CanessaAlfredo DelgadoFor the first time ever, survivors of the famous 1972 Andes plane crash tell in their own words their harrowing story of survival.
- DirectorAnders ØstergaardStarsGeorge W. BushJoshua Min HtutKo MuangUsing smuggled footage, this documentary tells the story of the 2007 protests in Burma by thousands of monks.
- DirectorLixin FanStarsChanghua ZhangYang ZhangSuqin ChenA couple embarks on a journey home for Chinese new year along with 130 million other migrant workers, to reunite with their children and struggle for a future. Their unseen story plays out as China soars towards being a world superpower.
- DirectorLeonard Retel HelmrichPosition among the Stars, the final part of a trilogy, follows the award- winning documentaries Eye of the Day and Shape of the Moon (Joris Ivens Award IDFA 2004 - World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize Sundance 2005). Through the eyes of grandmother Rumidjah, a poor old Christian woman living in the slums of Jakarta, we see the economical changing society of Indonesia and the influence of globalization reflected in the life of her juvenile granddaughter Tari and her sons Bakti and Dwi. Director and DOP Leonard Retel Helmrich follows this family in a unique way with his breathtaking Single Shot Cinema-technique. Without interviews and voice-overs, Leonard will bring you closer to Indonesia than you will ever get.
- DirectorSeung-jun YiStarsCho Young-ChanKim Soon-hoChoi JungahYoung-Chan comes from planet of snail where deaf blind people live slow and quiet lives. When Young-Chan came to Earth, nobody understood his language and he was desperate. Then an angel walked into his life. Soon-Ho knows how it is to be lonely and soon becomes an inseparable part of his life. Young-Chan also discovers an amazing world under his fingers as he learned to read books with braille. Hopes began to grow and he dreams of writing a book. However, Soon-Ho cannot always be there for him because of her own problem of spine disability. The couple now should learn to survive alone. While Soon-Ho uneasily spends her first day waiting for his return, Young-Chan goes out for the biggest adventure of his life.
- DirectorAlan BerlinerStarsEli BerlinerStuart BlazerSusan BrownAcclaimed filmmaker Alan Berliner chronicles the deeply personal story of his mother's first cousin--well-known poet/translator/professor Edwin Honig--on his journey into the depths of Alzheimer's disease. Shot over the course of five years, the film presents an unflinching portrait of Edwin's work and life while documenting his slow mental deterioration through visits and interviews with Edwin and his friends, former students, and others, along with archival footage and more.
- DirectorMichael ObertStarsLouis SarnoSamedi Mathurin BokombeJim Jarmusch25 years ago, Louis Sarno, an American, heard a song on the radio and followed its melody into the Central Africa Jungle and stayed. He than recorded over 1000 hours of original BaAka music. Now he is part of the BaAka community and raises his pygmy son, Samedi. Fulfilling an old promise, Louis takes Samedi to America. On this journey Louis realizes he is not part of this globalized world anymore but globalization has also arrived in the rainforest. The BaAka depend on Louis for their survival. Father and son return to the melodies of the jungle but the question remains: How much longer will the songs of the forest be heard?
- DirectorLaurent Bécue-RenardThe warriors in Of Men and War have come home to the United States, but their minds remain on the battlefield. Anger consumes them long after their return from the front. Like figures from a Greek tragedy, all have traumatic memories that haunt them to this day. At The Pathway Home, a first-of-its-kind PTSD therapy center, the film's subjects resolve to end the ongoing destruction of their wellbeing. Their therapist, who is also a Vietnam Vet, helps the young men forge meaning from their trauma. Over years of therapy, the film explores their grueling paths to recovery, as they attempt to make peace with their past, their families and themselves.
- DirectorJerzy SladkowskiStarsOleg MaximovMarina Ivanovna MaximovaMariya Fedorovna VdovinaThis is story about Oleg, a young man trapped by autism, his fight to become more "normal" and his mother that is encouraging him in this painful path, sometimes with very painful words... Director shows in magnificent way many different methods and therapies that Oleg went through, but focuses is on the one most interesting for Oleg - playing in small theater. This psychodrama helps Oleg to become more confident in his wish to find girlfriend.
- DirectorZaradasht AhmedStarsAbu FallahHans HusumMudhafar"Nowhere to Hide" follows a man - the medic and father Nori Sharif - through 5 years of dramatic change in the war-torn Diyala-province; one of the most dangerous provinces in the middle of Iraq. From the time of the American retreat to the fall of Nori's home town, we follow him filming stories of survivors. In a world trapped between ISIS and the different Iraqi Militias, his integrity and humanitarian vision is the only thing that drives him to continue against all odds. Even when, as last man standing, he is forced to turn the camera towards himself. We are given a unique insight into one of the worlds most dangerous and inaccessible areas - the "triangle of death" in central Iraq. We get to know and hear the stories of the people who live there; survivors of this 'new war" that has become the norm - where the enemy is invisible, and there is nowhere to hide.
- DirectorMila TurajlicStarsSrbijanka TurajlicMila TurajlicMira BoskicFor Serbian filmmaker Mila Turajlic, a locked door in her mother's apartment in Belgrade provides the gateway to both her remarkable family history and her country's tumultuous political inheritance.
- DirectorAnand PatwardhanA detailed chronicling of injustices in India told in eight parts.
- DirectorHeidi HassanPatricia Pérez FernándezAn intimate and revealing autoethnographic documentary about uprootedness, motherhood, love of film, friendship and freedom.
- DirectorFirouzeh KhosrovaniStarsFarahnaz SharifiHossein KhosrovaniTayi"Mother married a photo of Father," says director Firouzeh Khosrovani in the opening of this deeply personal documentary. She's not speaking metaphorically though. Her mother Tayi literally married a portrait of Hossein in Teheran -he was in Switzerland studying radiology and was unable to travel back to his homeland for the wedding. The event illustrates the abyss that still exists in their marriage: Hossein is a secular progressive and Tayi a devout, traditional Muslim. But this family history is also a sort of x-ray, laying bare the conflicts of Iranian society in the run-up to, and aftermath of the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Besides Khosrovani's commentary, we hear letters being read aloud and recollections of conversations between her parents. At the same time, we see photographs and videos from the family archive. These fragments of intimacy are interspersed with stylized shots of the filmmaker's parental home, its decor and furnishings subtly reflecting each new phase in her parents' marriage-and in Iranian society. Credit: IDFA 2020.
- DirectorSergey LoznitsaStarsAlgirdas BrazauskasMikhail GorbachevVytautas LandsbergisDocumentary about Lithuania in the years 1989 to 1991, when the Baltic country broke away from the Soviet Union. Because of the peaceful protests with much singing, this period was later also called the 'singing revolution'. As one of the founders of the independence movement, Vytautas Landsbergis was at the heart of the historical upheaval. His incisive reflections are complemented by extensive archive footage of demonstrations, party congresses and the Soviet military intervention.
- DirectorLea GlobStarsApolonia SokolLea GlobOksana ShachkoThe talented Apolonia grows up seeking her place in the art world while grappling with the agonies and joys of womanhood and relationships in a world dominated by patriarchy, capitalism, and war.
- DirectorShoghakat VardanyanWhen soldiers are killed, they often end up as anonymous numbers in news reports. But behind every number there is a person who leaves behind heartbroken family members. 1489 refers to the anonymous number assigned to Soghomon Vardanyan.