IDFA 2026

Name: IDFA 2026
Start: 2026-11-12
End: 2026-11-22
Location: Eye Filmmuseum

IDFA 2026 is taking place on 12–22 November 2026 at Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam. It is organised by IDFA, and B2DB lists 138 speakers and 124 sessions announced so far.

IDFA, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, takes place in Amsterdam from 12 to 22 November 2026, bringing together audiences, filmmakers, artists, immersive creators and industry professionals. Across eleven days the festival presents an extensive programme of documentary films, new media, Filmmaker Talks and industry events.

Key facts

Dates	12–22 November 2026 (on now)
Venue	Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Organiser	IDFA
Series	IDFA
Speakers	138
Sessions	124
Stages	IDFAcademy, Delegation Showcases, Think Tanks & Meet-ups, Consultancies, Industry Talks & Sessions, Festival Talks, DocLab, Training & Funding, IDFA Forum, Bonfire Circles, Awards
Sponsors	53
Official site	festival.idfa.nl/en/collectie

Speakers (138)

Compiled from the published agenda; speakers can claim and verify their own entry.

Nicole van Schaik Founder & Executive Director, Conditions for Change
Michael Gubbins Managing Partner, RethinkCreative
Rebecca Day Founder & Psychotherapist, Film In Mind
Christian Popp CEO & Producer, TANJO FILMS
Yulia Pattopang Programmamaker, Indisch Herinneringscentrum
Eric Hynes Director of Film Curation and Programming, Jacob Burns Film Center
Leia Amerding Head of Young Oscam Trainees Program & Production, OSCAM
Heejung Oh Producer, Seesaw Pictures
Bianca Oana Writer and producer
Palmyre Badinier Producer
Dimitra Kouzi Audience strategist, creative producer, director
Nora Philippe Program Director, EURODOC
Isabel Arrate Fernandez Artistic Director, IDFA
Marion Schmidt Tutor
Rodolfo Castillo Morales Tutor
Mikael Opstrup Documentary developer
Abby Sun Distribution Advocates
Dana Linssen
Brigid O'Shea
Brigit Hillenius DoP
Ela Bittencourt Film critic
Ido Abram
Julia Scott-Stevenson University of Technology Sydney
Kat Cizek Artistic Director, Co-Creation Studio, MIT Open Documentary Lab
Katarzyna Wilk Head of Polish Docs, Polish Docs PRO
Laura van Halsema Programmer, IDFA
María Campaña Ramia Programmer, IDFA
Mariia Ponomarova
Ruoyao Jane Yao Three Cups Tea
Signe Zeilich-Jensen Independent film consultant
Malin Hüber
Selin Murat
Annelotte Medema Editor, NCE
Dorota Lech International film curator
Heidi Fleisher
Julian Carrington
Julian Ross Researcher, curator and writer
Lauren Howes
Mandy Chang CEO, Documentary Film Council
Wendy Bernfeld Founder, Rights Stuff BV
Elizabeth Klinck Archive Producer and Workshop Leader, E Klinck Research
Avinash Changa Owner Dsrpt.com, Co-owner Lemonade.nl, WeMakeVR
Luke W. Moody Head of the BFI Doc Society Fund, Doc Society
Jenni Wolfson Chief Executive Officer, Chicken & Egg Films
Anke Petersen Managing Director / Executive Producer, Jyotifilm GmbH
Laure de Peretti de la Rocca Director, The StoryBoard Collective
Ulla Simonen Director of AVEK, Kopiosto r.y.
Babette Dieu DOK Co-Pro Market Coordinator, DOK Leipzig
Wouter Jansen Owner, Square Eyes
Alexandre Marionneau Responsable des Coproductions Internationales - Unité Société et Culture, ARTE FRANCE
Iris Verhoeven Director, JEF
Liselot Verbrugge CEO, Film Harbour
Esther Van Messel Owner, First Hand Films
Joanna Solecka Head of Strategy & Awards Consultant, Alphapanda
Joanne Gloudemans Directeur Communicatie, Cineville
Michaela Pnacek(ova) Senior Postdoctoral Fellow, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Maëlle Guenegues Chargée des Festivals et des Acquisitions, Cat & Docs
Peter Jaeger CEO, Jaeger Creative
Tara Hein-Phillips Chief Executive Officer, Jolt
Céline Roustan ShortFest Director of Programming, Palm Springs International Film Society
Stephan Riguet Fondateur - Gérant, Andana Films
Artur Liebhart Festival Director & Distribution, Against Gravity sp. z o.o.
Nevena Milašinović Sales & Acquisitions, Lightdox
Sara Leavitt Director of Digital Media, Icarus Films (US)
Eugene Rachkovsky Chief Executive Officer, TABOR
Hasse van Nunen Impact producer
Marcela Lizcano Co-founder, Nodo Sur
Tracie Holder
Jane Ray The Whickers
Afsaneh Salari Director
Albert Yao Head of Acquisition & Sales, Swallow Wings Films
Alexandre Brachet Owner, Upian
Barbara Kopple Filmmaker
Daniel Mann Director
David Greaves Filmmaker
Dongnan Chen Director
Elizabeth Radshaw Fellow, Shorenstein Center, Harvard Kennedy School
Emma Davie Director
Éric Baudelaire Director
Esther Bannenberg Curator, EFM DocSalon & Archive Market
Eva Kraljević DoP
Finbarr Wilbrink Director
Henrik Underbjerg Adviser, Program Manager, IMS
Hugo Emmerzael Freelance film critic
Isabel Joffily Director
Jean Counet DoP, NSC
Jon Reiss President, 8 Above
Juan Manuel Sepúlveda Filmmaker
Karolina Śmigiel Film education specialist, Wajda Film Center/LET’S DOC
Khadidja Benouataf Impact producer
Kyle McDonald Creator
Laura Wahda Director
Lei Lei Filmmaker and artist
Liani Greaves
Lyuba Knorozok Producer
Markus Lehner Project Manager, Eurimages
Martijn Blekendaal Director
Mélanie de Vocht Project Manager, IDFA Bertha Fund
Mira Oyetoro Producer
Mónica Baptiste Gouffray Project Manager, Hubert Bals Fund
Nic Meloney Indigenous Advisory Council, CBC/Radio Canada
Nicolas Edmery Film Analyst, European Audiovisual Observatory
Olga Gibelinda Director/producer
Olha Tuharinova Producer
Pierre-Alexis Chevit Head of Cannes Docs, Cannes Docs
Pieter Hulst Director, radio journalist
Rémi Grellety Producer, Warboys Films
Rita Toledo Director
Ruben Desiere Filmmaker
Sabine Groenewegen Filmmaker
Salma Abu Ayyash Co-Chair, Executive Board, Palestine Film Institute
Salomé Jashi Director
Sam Sutaria Head of International, Kinema
Serhii Bazhenov Director/producer
Soleil Gharbieh Program Manager, Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC)
Tala Hadid Filmmaker
Tatiana Huezo Filmmaker; IDFA Guest of Honor 2026
Tessa Leuwsha Director
Ulrich Seidl Filmmaker
Valentine Kuypers Curator, Sound & Vision
Biljana Tutorov Filmmaker and producer
Carol Nguyen Filmmaker
Louis Hothothot Filmmaker
Mehran Tamadon Filmmaker
Christoph Bargfrede Editor
Emma Louise Kottwitz Mørup Project Manager, CPH:DOX
José F Rodriguez Senior Film Programmer, Tribeca Festival
Joshua Oppenheimer Filmmaker
Laura Poitras Co-director
Lise Roure Brouillon d’un rêve / LaScam
Mara Gourd-Mercado Executive Director, Hot Docs
Mohanad Yaqubi Director
Opal H. Bennett Senior Producer, POV
Rasmus Steen IMS
Sofía Bordenave Director
Viv Li Director
wendelien van oldenborgh Filmmaker
Erika Dilday Commissioning editor, POV

Most represented companies

IDFA — 3 speakers
IMS — 2 speakers
POV — 2 speakers

Agenda (124 sessions)

Day 1 — Thursday 12 November 2026

IDFAcademy Opening Talk: Mehran Tamadon 10:00–12:00 · IDFAcademy — Isabel Arrate Fernandez, Mehran Tamadon
IDFAcademy: Participants meet-up 13:00–16:30 · IDFAcademy — Heejung Oh, Bianca Oana, Palmyre Badinier, Marion Schmidt +1 more

Day 2 — Friday 13 November 2026

IDFAcademy Talk: Meet the Family 10:00–12:00 · IDFAcademy — Dana Linssen, Carol Nguyen, Louis Hothothot
IDFAcademy Talk: How to Collaborate in a (co-)production 13:00–14:30 · IDFAcademy — Palmyre Badinier, Selin Murat
IDFAcademy Talk: Creative Producing - To Hold a Film 13:00–14:30 · IDFAcademy — Bianca Oana, Biljana Tutorov
IDFAcademy Session: Debunking the Myths 15:30–17:30 · IDFAcademy — Heejung Oh, Bianca Oana, Palmyre Badinier, Malin Hüber

Day 3 — Saturday 14 November 2026

Delegation Showcase: K-DOCS Pitch at IDFA 10:00–12:00 · Delegation Showcases
Industry Think Tank: Impact producing at the crossroads 10:00 · Think Tanks & Meet-ups — Nicole van Schaik
IDFA Consultancy - Tribeca Film Festival 10:00–11:00 · Consultancies — José F Rodriguez
Industry Session: Who is your film for? – Exploring Jolt’s Audience Insight Modeler 10:00–11:00 · Industry Talks & Sessions — Mandy Chang, Tara Hein-Phillips
IDFA Consultancy - United People 10:00–11:00 · Consultancies
IDFAcademy Talk: Presenting your documentary 10:00–12:00 · IDFAcademy — Mikael Opstrup, Liselot Verbrugge, Jane Ray, Erika Dilday
IDFA Consultancy - Hot Docs 11:15–12:15 · Consultancies — Mara Gourd-Mercado
IDFA Consultancy - POV / American Documentary 11:15–12:15 · Consultancies — Opal H. Bennett
IDFA Consultancy - CPH:DOX 12:30–13:30 · Consultancies — Emma Louise Kottwitz Mørup
Industry Session: NCE Masterclass on editing of Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest 12:30–13:30 · Industry Talks & Sessions — Annelotte Medema, Christoph Bargfrede, Viv Li
IDFA Consultancy - Wendy Bernfeld 12:30–13:30 · Consultancies — Wendy Bernfeld
IDFAcademy Session: Behind the scenes with ARTE 13:00–15:00 · IDFAcademy — Heidi Fleisher, Alexandre Marionneau, Eugene Rachkovsky
IDFAcademy Talk: Joshua Oppenheimer 13:00–15:00 · IDFAcademy — Dana Linssen, Joshua Oppenheimer
IDFAcademy Round tables: Finance & funding 13:00–15:00 · IDFAcademy — Tracie Holder, Jane Ray, Lise Roure, Rasmus Steen
Delegation Showcase: Arctic Film Norway 13:30–14:30 · Delegation Showcases — Dorota Lech
IDFA Consultancy - Film Harbour 13:30–14:30 · Consultancies — Liselot Verbrugge
Lyrical Vengeance + Talk 13:30–16:00 · Festival Talks — Julian Ross, wendelien van oldenborgh
IDFA Consultancy - Film in Mind 13:45–14:45 · Consultancies — Rebecca Day
Delegation Showcase: Canadian and Indigenous 15:00–16:45 · Delegation Showcases — Julian Carrington, Lauren Howes
Industry Think Tank: Festival admissions 15:00 · Think Tanks & Meet-ups
IDFA Consultancy - Sheffield DocFest 15:00–16:00 · Consultancies
DocLab Playroom: Time versus Space 15:00–19:00 · DocLab
IDFAcademy: Round Tables 15:30–17:30 · IDFAcademy
IDFAcademy Session: Me & the Filmmaker 15:30–17:30 · IDFAcademy
IDFAcademy: Round Tables 15:30–17:30 · IDFAcademy
Industry Talk: Fighting back – Cinema as an act of resistance? 15:30–17:00 · Industry Talks & Sessions — Abby Sun, Laura Poitras, Mohanad Yaqubi, Sofía Bordenave

Day 4 — Sunday 15 November 2026

DocLab R&D Summit 10:00–13:00 · DocLab
IDFAcademy: Participants meet-up 10:00–12:00 · IDFAcademy — Heejung Oh, Bianca Oana, Palmyre Badinier, Marion Schmidt +1 more
Delegation Showcase: Ukraine 10:00–11:45 · Delegation Showcases — Mariia Ponomarova, Lyuba Knorozok, Mira Oyetoro, Olga Gibelinda +2 more
Industry Meet-up: Documentary associations 10:00 · Think Tanks & Meet-ups
IBF & IDFA Talent Presentations 10:00–13:00 · Training & Funding
Industry Session: The Identity – What does it mean to be a documentary film director? 10:00–11:30 · Industry Talks & Sessions — Mikael Opstrup, Emma Davie, Salomé Jashi
IDFA Consultancy - Eurimages 12:30–13:30 · Consultancies — Markus Lehner
IDFA Consultancy - DAE 12:30–13:30 · Consultancies
IDFA Forum: Rough Cut Presentations 12:30–13:47 · IDFA Forum
Industry Session: Creative distribution – Strategies for a disrupted world 13:00–14:00 · Industry Talks & Sessions — Jon Reiss
Industry Think Tank: #DocSafe 13:00 · Think Tanks & Meet-ups
DocLab R&D Summit: Round Tables & Sessions 13:00–17:00 · DocLab
IDFAcademy Session: Producing with Impact 13:00–14:30 · IDFAcademy — Hasse van Nunen, Khadidja Benouataf
IDFAcademy Talk: Releasing your Story 13:00–14:30 · IDFAcademy — Brigid O'Shea, Maëlle Guenegues, Afsaneh Salari
IDFA Consultancy - Elizabeth Klinck 13:45–14:45 · Consultancies — Elizabeth Klinck
IDFA Consultancy - FIFDH 13:45–14:45 · Consultancies
Guest of Honor Talk: Tatiana Huezo 14:00–15:30 · Festival Talks — Isabel Arrate Fernandez, Tatiana Huezo
IDFA Consultancy - Céline Roustan / All About Shorts 15:00–16:00 · Consultancies — Céline Roustan
IDFA Consultancy - Rediance 15:00–16:00 · Consultancies
IDFAcademy: Round Tables 15:30–17:00 · IDFAcademy
IDFAcademy Session: Me & the Filmmaker 15:30–17:00 · IDFAcademy
IDFAcademy: Round Tables 15:30–17:00 · IDFAcademy
Industry Talk: Value-based co-productions – Practical tools for equitable partnerships 15:45–17:15 · Industry Talks & Sessions — Christian Popp, Heejung Oh, Anke Petersen, Ulla Simonen +1 more
Bonfire Circles: Collaborating Across Southern Europe 16:30–17:30 · Bonfire Circles
Once Upon a Time in Harlem + Talk 17:00–19:15 · Festival Talks — Leia Amerding, David Greaves, Liani Greaves
Delegation Showcase: Palestine Film Institute 17:00–18:00 · Delegation Showcases
DocLab Playroom: From Archive to Stage 17:30–18:50 · DocLab

Day 5 — Monday 16 November 2026

IDFA Forum: Pitches Presentations - Day 1 09:00–11:55 · IDFA Forum
Industry Meetup: The Shared Cup 09:00–10:00 · Industry Talks & Sessions — Rebecca Day, Ruoyao Jane Yao
Industry Talk: Preserving the future – Building new media to last 10:00–11:00 · Industry Talks & Sessions — Julia Scott-Stevenson, Avinash Changa, Alexandre Brachet
IDFA Consultancy - Lightdox 10:00–11:00 · Consultancies — Nevena Milašinović
IDFA Consultancy - Square Eyes 10:00–11:00 · Consultancies — Wouter Jansen
IDFA Consultancy - Tracie Holder 10:00–11:00 · Consultancies — Tracie Holder
IDFA Consultancy - Storyboard Collective 11:15–12:15 · Consultancies — Laure de Peretti de la Rocca
IDFA Consultancy - DokLeipzig 11:15–12:15 · Consultancies — Babette Dieu
EBU Session 11:55–12:30 · IDFA Forum
IDFA Consultancy - Michael Gubbins 12:30–13:30 · Consultancies — Michael Gubbins
IDFA Consultancy - Doc Society 12:30–13:30 · Consultancies — Luke W. Moody
Bardi + Talk 12:30–14:54 · Festival Talks — Laura van Halsema, Tala Hadid
Industry Talk: Is AI stealing my documentary? – Issue of licensing to AI companies 12:30–13:30 · Industry Talks & Sessions — Wendy Bernfeld, Elizabeth Klinck, Esther Van Messel
IDFA Consultancy - Cannes Docs 12:30–13:30 · Consultancies — Pierre-Alexis Chevit
Delegation Showcase: ARTE Generation Africa 2.0 13:00–14:45 · Delegation Showcases
IDFA DocLab Forum: Project Presentations 13:30–16:49 · DocLab
IDFA Consultancy - Marcela Lizcano 13:45–14:45 · Consultancies — Marcela Lizcano
IDFA Forum: Roundtable Presentations - Day 1 14:00–16:30 · IDFA Forum
DocLab Playroom: Gaming Open Worlds 15:00–19:00 · DocLab
IDFA Consultancy - Chicken & Egg 15:00–16:00 · Consultancies — Jenni Wolfson
Industry Talk: Direct-to-community distribution? – Fresh approaches to audience engagement 15:15–16:45 · Industry Talks & Sessions — Michael Gubbins, Abby Sun, Joanne Gloudemans, Artur Liebhart +3 more
The Clearing + Talk 15:30–17:35 · Festival Talks — Yulia Pattopang, Sabine Groenewegen
Filmmaker Talk: Barbara Kopple 16:30–18:00 · Festival Talks — Eric Hynes, Barbara Kopple
Bonfire Circles: Collaborating with ARTE – Between France and Germany 16:30–17:30 · Bonfire Circles
Bonfire Circles: Collaborating Across Asia 16:30–17:30 · Bonfire Circles
Delegation Showcase: POLISH DOCS PRO 17:00–18:45 · Delegation Showcases — Katarzyna Wilk
Between Revolutions + Talk 18:15–20:09 · Festival Talks — Ela Bittencourt, Ruben Desiere

Day 6 — Tuesday 17 November 2026

IDFA Forum: Pitches Presentations - Day 2 09:00–12:30 · IDFA Forum
IDFA Consultancy - Icarus Films 10:00–11:00 · Consultancies — Sara Leavitt
Industry Session: Films we make together – Co-creating with young protagonists 10:00–11:00 · Industry Talks & Sessions — Dongnan Chen, Éric Baudelaire
IDFA Consultancy - Swallow Wings Films 10:00–11:00 · Consultancies — Albert Yao
Industry Meet-up: Youth Documentary Pitching Session 10:00 · Think Tanks & Meet-ups — Ido Abram
IDFA Consultancy - Alphapanda 11:15–12:15 · Consultancies — Joanna Solecka
IDFA Consultancy - Dogwoof 11:15–12:15 · Consultancies
IDFA Consultancy - Jaeger Creative 12:30–13:30 · Consultancies — Peter Jaeger
Industry Talk: The next chapter of impact – What have we built and what comes next? 12:30–13:30 · Industry Talks & Sessions — Nicole van Schaik, Hasse van Nunen, Marcela Lizcano
IDFA Consultancy - Hubert Bals Fund 12:30–13:30 · Consultancies — Mónica Baptiste Gouffray
Delegation Showcase: Five Colombian documentaries, five ways of holding on to memory 13:00–14:45 · Delegation Showcases
IDFA Consultancy - The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture 13:45–14:45 · Consultancies — Soleil Gharbieh
IDFA Consultancy - IDFA Bertha Fund 13:45–14:45 · Consultancies — Mélanie de Vocht
IDFA Forum: Roundtable Presentations - Day 2 14:00–16:30 · IDFA Forum
DocLab Playroom: The Metabolic Sublime 15:00–19:00 · DocLab
Industry Talk: Mental resilience – Real stories for youth in a complex world 15:45–17:15 · Industry Talks & Sessions — Dimitra Kouzi, Signe Zeilich-Jensen, Iris Verhoeven, Finbarr Wilbrink +5 more
Bonfire Circles: Collaborating with Canada 16:30–17:30 · Bonfire Circles
In Person: Ulrich Seidl 18:30–20:00 · Festival Talks — Ulrich Seidl

Day 7 — Wednesday 18 November 2026

IDFA Consultancy - EURODOC 10:00–11:00 · Consultancies — Nora Philippe
Delegation Showcase: Docs from Spain 10:00–11:00 · Delegation Showcases
IDFA Consultancy - Andana Films 10:00–11:00 · Consultancies — Stephan Riguet
IDFA Consultancy - ARTE 11:15–12:15 · Consultancies — Alexandre Marionneau
IDFA Consultancy - Thessaloniki IFF Agora 11:15–12:15 · Consultancies
Industry Talk: End times – AI and documentary 12:30–14:00 · Industry Talks & Sessions — Kat Cizek, Michaela Pnacek(ova), Daniel Mann, Isabel Joffily +2 more
IDFA Consultancy - Hasse van Nunen 12:30–13:30 · Consultancies — Hasse van Nunen
IDFA Forum: Awards Ceremony & Lunch – hosted by FeverFilm & PostaVermaas 13:00–14:30 · IDFA Forum
IDFA Consultancy - Kinema 13:45–14:45 · Consultancies — Sam Sutaria
Audience Strategy Lab: New perspectives 14:30–17:30 · IDFA Forum — Dimitra Kouzi
Here Where the Fire Burns + Talk 14:30–16:43 · Festival Talks — María Campaña Ramia, Juan Manuel Sepúlveda
IDFA Consultancy - Dimitra Kouzi 15:00–16:00 · Consultancies — Dimitra Kouzi
IDFA Consultancy - EFM DocSalon & Archive Market 15:00–16:00 · Consultancies — Esther Bannenberg
Industry Talk: Ownership of the archive – Exposing erasure, reclaiming histories 15:45–17:15 · Industry Talks & Sessions — Nora Philippe, Nic Meloney, Salma Abu Ayyash, Tessa Leuwsha +1 more
Filmmaker Talk: Lei Lei 16:00–17:30 · Festival Talks — Lei Lei
Bonfire Circles: Collaborating Across East Africa 16:30–17:30 · Bonfire Circles

Day 8 — Thursday 19 November 2026

Dutch Docs Day: Space to create – Who protects the filmmaker’s artistic freedom? 14:30–16:30 · Industry Talks & Sessions
Awards Ceremony 20:30–22:30 · Awards

Day 9 — Saturday 21 November 2026

Industry Session: Camera – NSC conversation with Eva Kraljević and Jean Counet 10:00–12:00 · Industry Talks & Sessions — Brigit Hillenius, Eva Kraljević, Jean Counet
IDFA Audience Award Winner 20:30–22:32 · Awards

Organisers, sponsors and partners