Navigating IDFA
We are thrilled to welcome you to yet another edition of IDFA taking place from November 14 to 24, 2024. To help accredited guests find their way, we have compiled an overview of key useful information below.
Get started
Location: ITA (International Theater Amsterdam)
Located in the heart of the city, ITA is open to all accredited guests and visitors to meet up, catch a film or performance, and attend a wide range of Industry Talks and project presentations. Visit ITA for the Guest Desk, Industry Desk, Consultancy Desk, Press Desk, and plenty of social and meeting spaces.
Location: ITA (ground floor)
Accredited guests can pick up their pass and get general information about the festival at the Guest Desk.
Opening days and times:
- Nov 13 | 12:00 – 20:00
- Nov 14 | 09:00 – 20:00
- Nov 15–17 | 09:00 – 21:00
*Note: Access to ITA is limited on Nov 17 from 14:30 to 16:00, due to Sinterklaas parade - Nov 18 | 08:00 – 21:00
- Nov 19–21 | 09:00 – 20:00
- Nov 22 | 10:00 – 20:00
- Nov 23-24 | Desk closed. Guest Services reachable via phone on +31202620762
Looking to find out who else is attending IDFA? Find company profiles, bios, and contact information of all accredited guests by visiting our IDFA 2024 Guest List.
Location: ITA, Ground Floor (next to Guest Desk)
At the Industry Desk, we can help you with any questions regarding IDFA’s activities for professionals. We can help guide you through the industry side of the festival, and keep you informed on our array of talks, sessions, and meetings.
Nov 15–20 | 9:00–17:00
Location: ITA Hall
The Press Desk is ready to welcome members of the press. The Press Desk can provide information about the festival programs and guests. For interview requests, please contact one of our press officers:
International press: Lorenzo Ormando (lorenzoormando@idfa.nl or press@idfa.nl)
Dutch press: Chantal Verhoeven, Berber Scholte (pers@idfa.nl)
New Media press: Michel Langendijk (michellangendijk@idfa.nl)
Nov 14-22 | 10:00–13:00
Location: ITA, Plein Foyer (first floor)
We have multiple consultants on-site for you to ask questions about all aspects of documentary filmmaking, from distribution and festival strategy to grant writing, impact producing, and more. Visit the Consultancy Desk to inquire into the availability of our industry consultants or queue for a last-minute seat.
Nov 16–20 | 10:00–16:00
Locations and accessibility
Find an overview of all festival locations and industry venues during IDFA 2024 on our Locations and accessibility page. This page includes accessibility of each location.
To help you navigate the city during the festival, see all locations on Google Maps.
Screenings for accredited press and guests
Location: Pathé City
All films selected for the International and Envision Competitions, all world premieres from Luminous and Frontlight are available to accredited press and industry.
Passholders must reserve a free ticket online to gain admission. Tickets are available the day before the screening starts and will be uploaded onto your pass.
Press and Industry screenings are listed in the Program per day.
Nov 15–20
Location: Online
Watch films from the IDFA 2024 selection online and on demand. Please note that films only become available in the Press & Industry Library after their premiere at idfa.nl/library
Nov 14–24
Location: Pathé City and Pathé Noord
Market Screenings for award season campaigning take place at several of our main cinemas as part of the Press & Industry Screenings schedule. These screenings are accessible to all accredited guests.
Passholders must reserve a free ticket online to gain admission. Tickets are available the day before the screening starts and will be uploaded onto your pass.
For more information and the schedule check idfa.nl/marketscreenings
Nov 15-20
Find the full IDFA program accessible to all accredited guests and audiences at festival.idfa.nl
Get your tickets
Tickets can be booked at idfa.nl. Log into your MyIDFA account and book the screening of your choice. Once booked, the tickets will be sent to your inbox and will automatically be added to your pass. Find all your tickets in your MyIDFA account.
Accredited guests can book tickets from October 28 (12:00 PM).
To avoid empty seats, please cancel your ticket if you can’t make it to a screening. Complimentary tickets can easily be returned through your MyIDFA account or by emailing service@idfa.nl.
Note: There is no admission after the screening start time.
For more information on your accreditation, visit our Accreditations page.
The number of free tickets for regular screenings and events that accredited guests receive is determined by your accreditation.
Find all information regarding your accreditation on our Accreditations page.
Festival pass and press passholders receive:
- 20 free tickets for all regular IDFA screenings and events, including live cinema events. 10 of the 20 free tickets can be reserved from October 28 12:00 PM, the remaining 10 from November 14.
- Next to these 20 tickets, you get free access to Press & Industry screenings. Please note: You must reserve your free ticket(s) to your pass to gain admission (first come, first served). Tickets are available the day before the screening starts and will be automatically uploaded onto your pass
- A discount of €3.00 on the regular ticket price for any additional tickets ordered.
Press at IDFA
All accredited press can pick up their press pass at the Guest Desk (Location: ITA, Ground floor).
The Press Desk (Location: ITA Hall) can provide information about the festival programs and guests and is open every day from 10 AM to 1 PM.
For interview requests, please contact one of our press officers:
International press: Lorenzo Ormando (lorenzoormando@idfa.nl or press@idfa.nl)
Dutch press: Chantal Verhoeven, Berber Scholte (pers@idfa.nl)
New Media press: Michel Langendijk (michellangendijk@idfa.nl)
Press passholders receive:
- 20 free tickets for all regular IDFA screenings and events, including live cinema events. 10 of the 20 free tickets can be reserved from October 28 12:00 PM, the remaining 10 from November 14.
- Next to these 20 tickets, you get free access to Press & Industry screenings. Please note: You must reserve your free ticket(s) to your pass to gain admission (first come, first served). Tickets are available the day before the screening starts and will be automatically uploaded onto your pass
- A discount of €3.00 on the regular ticket price for any additional tickets ordered.
Press and Industryscreenings are listed in the Program per day.
Industry Program
View the the Industry Program on our festival site. All industry events accessible to Festival and Press Pass holders are listed in the Industry Events AZ. Press and Industry screenings are listed in the Program per day.
Nov 16–20
Attending IDFA’s Markets
IDFA’s Markets are only open for Docs for Sale and Forum pass holders.
Location: Felix Meritis
IDFA Forum is renowned as one of the most influential co-financing and co-production markets for documentary films and new media projects.
Nov 17–20
*Note: Rough Cut Screenings will take place at Pathé City
Location: Felix Meritis
The Docs for Sale market is an unmissable event for the sales and distribution of the world’s best creative documentary film.
Nov 16–20
If you are attending IDFA's Markets and want to find your way, we have compiled an overview of key information on IDFA Forum and Docs for Sale, including the Markets program, the IDFA Forum presentation schedule overview, the Felix Meritis floorplan, services and social events. Visit the Attending IDFA's Markets page.
IDFA Forum is renowned as one of the most influential co-financing and co-production markets for documentary films and new media projects. If you're new to IDFA's Markets and want to figure out where your project might fit in, the Industry team has put together a guide to help you make the most of the many opportunities at IDFA. Read our Project team's guide to navigating IDFA's Markets.
Read more on the key differences between the highly effective IDFA Forum Pitches, more intimate and collegial Producers Connection, new media-driven IDFA DocLab Forum, and finishing focused Rough Cut Presentations.
Attending IDFAcademy
To help IDFAcademy participants of the 2024 edition find answers regarding their participation in the program. A detailed program guide with all the information about talks, speakers, and other participants will be sent closer to the festival start.
Find the guide to How to IDFAcademy here.
Attending IDFA DocLab and IDFA on Stage
IDFA DocLab’s immersive art exhibition at de Brakke Grond and @droog is free of charge. However, for de Brakke Grond, it does require a prebooked ticket to attend the day of your choice. Register for a free ticket at idfa.nl/doclab. Free walk-in at @droog is possible without a ticket.
While the majority of works are free to visit in the exhibition at de Brakke Grond, some experiences have limited capacity and require you to book a ticket in advance. This includes the VR Gallery in @droog, special performances and installations, and IDFA on Stage. Book all tickets at idfa.nl
Location: de Brakke Grond
Free admission, reservation required
Location: @droog
Free admission, no ticket needed
Visit the DocLab exhibition to experience a selection of new interactive documentaries, XR installations, and performances.
Nov 15-23 | 11:30–20:30
Nov 24 | 11:30–18:00
Free guided tours. For more information check idfa.nl/doclab
Locations: de Brakke Grond, @droog
Ticket required
Several installations and performances in the IDFA DocLab program have limited capacity. We recommend you book your ticket in advance.
These experiences include:
•The Ancestors (Steye Hallema, created by The Smartphone Orchestra)
• Drinking Brecht: an Automated Laboratory Performance (Sister Sylvester)
• Me, a Depiction (Lisa Schamlé)
• Entropic Fields of Displacement (Pegah Tabassinejad)
• ROAMance (Stanislaw Liguzinski, Ibrahim Quraishi)
• Thanks For Being Here (Alexander Devriendt, created by Ontroerend Goed)
• Fragile Home (Ondřej Moravec, Victoria Lopukhina)
Find more information at idfa.nl/doclab
Location: @droog
Ticket required
Find the VR Gallery in DocLab's new location @droog, a short walk from de Brakke Grond. Each ticket gives you a 50-minute time slot to view VR projects of your choice. If you want to see all projects, you need to book three time slots.
Nov 15–23 | 11:30–20:30
Nov 24 | 11:30–18:00
Locations: ARTIS-Planetarium, De Balie, de Brakke Grond, Eye Filmmuseum, Frascati, Het Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
Ticket required
From live performances and fulldome screenings to interactive themed afternoons and experimental theater, the projects in IDFA on Stage and DocLab at the Planetarium are one-of-a-kind experiences.
Nov 15–24
Location: de Brakke Grond
Free admission, but capacity is limited
Come play with new technologies and prototypes in this year's all-new DocLab Playrooms. For more information about each of the three playrooms and access, please visit idfa.nl/doclab.
Nov 16 | 13:00 - 19:00 (on-going free walk-ins)
Nov 18 | 15:00 - 19:00 (by invitation only)
Nov 19 | 15:00 - 19:00 (on-going free walk-ins)
Where to work and meet
If you are looking to set up a meeting or to find a workspace, we have spaces available at both ITA and Het Documentaire Paviljoen for you to make use of.
Het Documentaire Paviljoen – De Huiskamer
Nov 14-24 | 08:30–18:00
Het Documentaire Paviljoen – Festival Living Room
Nov 15–20 | 08:30–16:00
During the festival, IDFA headquarters Het Documentaire Paviljoen welcomes all guests and visitors to its Festival Living Room. A place to have breakfast or lunch, meet with colleagues and friends, get some work done between events, or simply hang out after a screening.
Breakfast served from 08:30 to 11:30 | lunch served from 12:00 to 14:00.
ITA: Brasserie: Meeting space
Nov 14-24 | 09:00–00:00*
*Note: Nov 18 | 09:00-21:00
**Note: The Brasserie gets busier from 18:00, please come on time to ensure a spot.
ITA: Gijbrecht Bordes: Meeting and workspace
Nov 16–20 | 09:00–18:00
Café Kuyl: Meeting space
Nov 14-24 | 11:00–00:00
*Friday and Sunday Café Kuyl is open until 01:00
**Saturday Café Kuyl is open until 02:00
- Discount: Accredited guests can make use of a 20% discount on lunch and dinner menus at Café Kuyl.
- IDFA Night Lounge: Café Kuyl invites accredited guests to an evening of networking and music, each night from Nov 15–20 from 20:00 onwards.
Felix Merits: Restaurant
Nov 17–20 | 10:00–18:00
@droog – café upstairs: meeting and workspace
Nov 15-24 | 10:00–17:00
Looking for staff recommendations for Amsterdam? We've put together tips on restaurants, cafés, where to get the best coffee in town, museums and much more. Find them on our Google Maps, under the category 'Staff recommendations'.
Getting to and around Amsterdam
Amsterdam Central Station is the central train station for visitors from within Europe to select as their destination. From Antwerp, Berlin, Bruxelles, London and Paris there is but a single (high-speed) train connecting our cities.
Curious about your options from other European cities?
This year, IDFA is collaborating with Choo-Choo
to create routes within Europe to travel sustainably to IDFA by
train. Choo-Choo has mapped the best train connection from several
cities within Europe to Amsterdam and makes it easier for guests wanting
to travel more sustainably.
Find your best connections and rates from Barcelona, Budapest, Copenhagen, Ljubljana, Milan, Prague, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna, Warsaw & Zurich.
Curious about other cities and their connection to Amsterdam? They have many more connections, just send them a message on their website.
The closest airport to Amsterdam is Schiphol Airport (airport code: AMS), which is an international hub with many destinations available. Other airport options are Eindhoven Airport (EIN) or Rotterdam/The Hague Airport (RTM), both about 1,5 hours from Amsterdam by public Transport.
Schiphol Airport has its own train station which can take you to the city centre to get to your hotel. The trains go 8 times per hour and the journey takes around 15min, which is faster and less expensive than taking a taxi.
In general public transportation is very reliable in the Netherlands. In Amsterdam trams, metros and busses usually run from early morning until midnight. There are night busses to cover nighttime travel.
Pay for your trip just as easily as your paying in the store. You can
check in and out on all public transport with your contactless debit
card, credit card or mobile phone. Pre-registration or downloading an
app is not necessary.
Traveling by public transport? Then check the GVB app or the GVB website to plan your route.
Looking for good hotel options around our festival venues? Please consult our IDFA 2024 Hotel Recommendations Map.
Whether you are in need of some hours of childcare for your kids, or whether you are looking for fun activities for them while in Amsterdam, view our compilation of various tips on attending IDFA with children.
Code of Conduct
The Code of Conduct applies to all IDFA staff, contractors, volunteers, professional guests, audiences, and relations, including the Managing Board and the Supervisory Board, as well as those fulfilling positions remotely who may be contracted as consultants (further referred to as “participants”, as seen under the “Definitions” section).
IDFA is committed to providing a safe and friendly environment for all, where everyone is treated equally, without discrimination, exclusion, or preferred treatment on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy, age, religion, political opinion, language, nationality, social position or ability. We embrace diversity, inclusion, and equity and work together towards shared goals. We practice continuous improvement of our work, informed by evaluation and learning. IDFA takes a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of unwanted behavior, by any person participating in IDFA’s activities, that intends to violate the dignity of others. Zero tolerance means that we will never tolerate, condone, or ignore bullying, harassment, or hate crimes of any kind.