IDFA: International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam

11/17/2021

Festival Reviews

Manifesto

Manifesto

A profoundly disturbing found-footage assemblage portraying a young Russian live-streaming generation brainwashed by militarised education and normalised violence.

All You See

All You See

A highly stylised, thought-provoking meditation on being stared at without being truly seen, as female immigrants to the Netherlands reflect on their experiences across generations.

Zinder

Zinder

Aicha Macky’s superb documentary about the impoverished citizens of Zinder, in the Republic of Niger, bends towards compassion for a neglected people.

Words of Negroes

Words of Negroes

Workers in an outdated sugar cane factory in Guadeloupe read from the transcripts of an 1842 trial against a slave owner in Sylvaine Dampierre’s powerful act of reclaiming history, Words of Negroes. Stunningly shot by Renaud Personnaz in crisp, vivid images, the film...

May God Be With You

May God Be With You

The act of exile is never a single-generation event; its ever-mutating ramifications shift down the family tree, undergoing a change as each generation grapples with questions of identity and belonging. Given that the person who flees their country often rejects...

Marx Can Wait

Marx Can Wait

The most fascinating aspect of Marco Bellocchio’s guilt-streaked revisitation of the suicide of his twin brother in 1968 is the insight it offers into the Italian master’s creative font–his own family.

Tonight’s Homework

Tonight’s Homework

Abbas Kiarostami’s trailblazing ‘Homework’ (1989) gets a brilliant update in a documentary that is equal parts hilarious and saddening in its portrayal of Iranian schoolkids.

Ironland

Ironland

An outcry against man-made environmental disasters, tracking the long-term effects on the survivors of the biggest dam collapse in Brazil.

Where Are We Headed?

Where Are We Headed?

The pitch of the documentary Where Are We Headed seems tailor-made for international festivals, as it offers a look at colourful and fascinating creatures from all layers of Russian society through the prism of the Moscow subway system. With a clearly defined space...

Manifesto

Manifesto

A profoundly disturbing found-footage assemblage portraying a young Russian live-streaming generation brainwashed by militarised education and normalised violence.

All You See

All You See

A highly stylised, thought-provoking meditation on being stared at without being truly seen, as female immigrants to the Netherlands reflect on their experiences across generations.

Awards Corner

IDFA

  • for
    Mr. Landsbergis (Lithuania, Netherlands)
    Director: Sergei Loznitsa
  • for
    Children of the Mist (Vietnam)
    Director: Diem Ha Le
  • for
    Where Are We Headed (Russia, Belarus)
    Ruslan Fedotow
  • for
    Mr. Landsbergis (Lithuania, Netherlands)
    Danielius Kokanauskis
  • Best Youth Documentary for
    Shabu (Netherlands, Belgium)
    Director: Shamira Raphaela
  • Best Dutch Film for
    Jason (Netherlands)
    Director: Maasja Ooms
  • Best Film for Envision competition
    Octopus (Lebanon)
    Director: Karim Kassem
  • Best Directing for Envision competition
    O, Collecting Eggs Despite the Times (Netherlands)
    Director: Pim Zwier
  • Outstanding Artistic Contribution for Envision competition
    One Take Grace (South Africa)
    Director: Lindiwe Matshikiza