How to navigate IDFA

Location: Leidseplein

Located in the heart of the city, Leidseplein hosts most of our professional venues.

• Internationaal Theater Amsterdam
  Forum, Guest Desk, Industry Program (Saturday & Sunday): Industry Talks, Delegation Project Showcases, Consultancies.
  

• De Balie
  IDFAcademy, Industry Program (Monday to Wednesday): Industry Talks, Delegation Project showcases Consultancies.
  

• Pathé City
  Forum Rough Cut Presentations, Delegation Project Showcases Press & Industry Screenings, Market Screenings
  

• Het Documentaire Paviljoen
  Docs for Sale

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: 

• Wed, Nov 12 | 12:00–18:00 
• Thu, Nov 13  | 09:00–20:00 
• Fri, Nov 14    | 09:00–21:00 
• Sat, Nov 15   | 09:00–21:00 
• Sun, Nov 16  | 08:00–21:00 * 
• Mon, Nov 17  | 08:00–21:00 
• Tue, Nov 18  | 09:00–20:00 
• Wed, Nov 19  | 09:00–20:00 
• Thu, Nov 20   | 10:00–20:00 
• Fri, Nov 21. | 10:00–18:00 
• Sat, Nov 22    | Desk Closed** 
• Sun, Nov 23  | Desk Closed**
  

* Note: Access to ITA is limited on Sunday, Nov 16 from 14:30 to 16:00, due to Sinterklaas parade 
**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 at idfa.nl/guestlist

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 14–20 | 9:00–17:00

Get expert advice on all aspects of documentary filmmaking—from distribution and festival strategy to grant writing, impact producing, and non-fiction XR—or consult with delegation representatives from around the world on ways of collaboration with them.

Locations:
ITA (Plein Foyer, first floor)
Nov 15 | 09:30–17:15
Nov 16 | 12:30–16:30

De Balie (Ground floor)
Nov 17–19 | 09:45–17:30

Book online through the Industry Program A-Z from start of ticket sale for accredited guests on Oct 27. There will be a waiting list for booked out sessions. Please be at the desk prior to the start time. 

Please note: If you have booked a Consultancy slot, please arrive 10 minutes in advance to ensure your spot – otherwise we will give your spot to the next in line. If you can no longer attend your reserved Consultancy, please inform us at idfaconsultancies@idfa.nl

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. Of the 20 free tickets 10 can be reserved from October 27 12:00 PM, the remaining 10 from November 13.

• Additional tickets can be purchased with a €3.50 discount on the regular price.

• 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.

If a public screening is sold out, accredited guests* can join the accreditation queue outside the screening room. Admission is subject to availability after all ticket holders have entered, and the screening has started. Access by queueing is not guaranteed.

Please note: This does not apply to premiere screenings or other special events.

* Accredited guests eligible to queue: Festival, Forum & Doclab Forum, Docs For Sale Acquisition – PLUS, Docs For Sale Participant – PLUS, IDFAcademy, and Press passholders.

Find all information regarding your accreditation on our Accreditations page.

Filmmaker Talks offer in-depth conversations with individual directors about their body of work, creative process, and artistic vision—providing a unique opportunity to gain insight into documentary filmmaking firsthand.

To attend a Filmmaker Talk, a ticket is required. Tickets can be booked at idfa.nl. Log into your MyIDFA account and book a ticket to the Filmmaker Talk 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.

IDFA 2025 will feature Filmmaker Talks with Susana de Sousa Dias, Kamal Aljafari, Stanley Nelson, and Mary Stephen. Each talk follows a screening of the filmmaker’s latest film, which is separately ticketed.

Find an overview of all IDFA Talks here and listed in the Program per day.

Industry Talks and Sessions: tickets or reservations are not required. You can attend these by showing your accreditation at the door.

We recommend arriving on time, as entry is first come, first served.

Location: Pathé City

All films selected for the International and Envision Competitions, all world premieres from Luminous and Frontlight, and Luminous and Frontlight films nominated for a cross-section award 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. Log into your MyIDFA account and book the screening of your choice.

Find an overview of all Press & Industry screenings here or visit idfa.nl/pressscreenings

Find the screening dates and times in the Industry Program by day.

Nov 15–20

Location: Online

Watch films from the IDFA 2025 selection online and on demand. Films become available in the Press & Industry Library after their public premiere at the festival.

Availability:

• Access window: Each film becomes available after its public premiere and remains accessible until November 23 (23:59 CET).

Access:

• Available worldwide to all accredited guests.

• Not accessible to Docs for Sale Acquisition or Participant pass holders (is accessible to PLUS passholders)

• More info: professionals.idfa.nl/attending/accreditations

Nov 13–23

Location: Pathé City and Pathé Tuschinski

Market Screenings for award season campaigning take place at Pathé City (Leidseplein) and Pathé Tuschinski (Rembrantplein) as part of the Press & Industry Screenings schedule. These screenings are accessible to all accredited guests. 

Find an overview of all market screenings here or visit idfa.nl/marketscreenings

Find the screening dates and times in the Industry Program by day.

Nov 14–19

Find the full IDFA program accessible to all accredited guests and audiences at festival.idfa.nl. Ticket Sales will start on Oct 27 for accredited guests and Oct 29 for the general public. 

Press can pick up their passes at the Guest Desk (Location: ITA, Ground floor).

For interview requests, booking interview spaces, or other inquiries about the festival program and guests, please contact one of our press officers.

Film stills, trailers, logos, and press releases are available at idfa.nl/press or by email at press@idfa.nl. 

International press: Lorenzo Ormando (lorenzoormando@idfa.nl or press@idfa.nl)
Dutch press: Martine van Duijn (martine@idfa.nl or pers@idfa.nl)
New Media press: Michel Langendijk (michellangendijk@idfa.nl)

Note: Find more on Press & Industry Screenings and Library above.

Find an overview of all Press & Industry screenings here or visit idfa.nl/pressscreenings

Find the screening dates and times in the Industry Program by day.

Location: De Balie & ITA
IDFAcademy is only open to IDFAcademy passholders and invited guests.
Nov 13–16

To help IDFAcademy participants of the 2025 edition find answers regarding their participation in the program the page How to IDFAcademy is constantly updated with new information. 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.

Rough Cut Presentations 
Location: Pathé City 
Sunday, November 16 

Forum Pitch & Producers Connection Presentations
Location: ITA 
Monday to Tuesday, November 17–18

DocLab Forum Pitch Presentations
Location: @droog
Monday, November 17 

One-on-one Meetings
Location: ITA & @droog
Monday to Wednesday, November 17–19

Location: Het Documentaire Paviljoen
Saturday to Wednesday, November 15–19

Location: de Brakke Grond

Come play with new technologies and prototypes in the DocLab Playrooms.

• Nov 15 – IDFA DocLab Playroom: Connected Offline
• Nov 17 – IDFA DocLab Playroom: I Feel Zine
• Nov 18 – IDFA DocLab Playroom: Hacking Reality

More information: https://professionals.idfa.nl/new-media/doclab-industry-track/doclab-playrooms/

Locations:
Plenary session – Brakke Grond
DocLab R&D Summit: Round Tables & Sessions – @droog
Closing Drinks – Brakke Grond

Nov 16

The DocLab R&D Summit is a think tank event for new media professionals. It is an integral part of the DocLab Industry Track. The plenary program includes MIT’s latest research outcomes, case studies, sector updates, and the announcement of Shared Realities.

More information: https://professionals.idfa.nl/new-media/doclab-industry-track/idfa-doclab-r-d-summit/

IDFA DocLab is an interdisciplinary platform for interactive and immersive documentary art. The projects are presented across a range of programs, performances, fulldome screenings, and an exhibition.

Admission to the DocLab Exhibition at de Brakke Grond requires a pre-booked ticket, available on a Pay-What-You-Can basis: visit the main exhibition to freely experience a wide range of documentary art, including games, VR, and installations.

Various performances, the evenings DocLab at the Planetarium, and reserved slots at the VR Gallery require you to book a ticket in advance.

For more information and the full program, please visit www.idfa.nl/doclab

Location: de Brakke Grond
Book a ticket online (Pay-What-You-Can)

Visit the DocLab Exhibition to experience a selection of new interactive documentary projects, games, VR, installations, and performances.

Nov 14–21 | 11:30–20:30
Nov 22 | 11:30–18:00

Location: de Brakke Grond
Book a ticket online (Pay-What-You-Can)

In the Interactive Cinema you can freely play games and web-based projects on the big screen; a collective space for a shared digital experience. In the Interactive Cinema, games and web documentaries become shared experiences. Think Twitch or co-op gaming, but live, in one space, where that collective moment makes all the difference.Nov 14–21 | 11:30–20:30
Nov 22 | 11:30–18:00

Location: de Brakke Grond 
Ticket(s) required 

Several performances and experiences in the IDFA DocLab program have limited capacity. We recommend you book your ticket in advance.

These experiences include:

• The Oracle: Ritual for the Future (For humans and non-humans) by Victorine van Alphen

Nov 14–15

• MILKMAN ZERO: The First Delivery by Matt Romein
  Nov 15–17

• Handle with Care by Ontroerend Goed, Alexander Devriendt
  Nov 16–19

Find more information at idfa.nl/doclab

Location: de Brakke Grond
Ticket required

This year, you find the VR Gallery in 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 four time slots.

Nov 14–21 | 11:30–20:30
Nov 22 | 11:30–18:00

Location: ARTIS-Planetarium
Ticket required

The fulldome screenings at ARTIS-Planetarium are one-of-a-kind experiences. Capacity is limited, so make sure to book a ticket in advance.

Nov 15 & 18

Location: de Brakke Grond
Free walk-in, but capacity is limited

Come play with new technologies and prototypes in the DocLab Playrooms.

Nov 15 | IDFA DocLab Playroom: Connected Offline
Nov 17 | IDFA DocLab Playroom: I Feel Zine
Nov 18 | IDFA DocLab Playroom: Hacking Reality

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?
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.

Visit the Choo-Choo 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 in only 15 minutes. The trains go 8 times per hour, so it is the fastest, most sustainable and least expensive method of getting to your hotel.

In general public transportation is very reliable in the Netherlands. In Amsterdam trams, metros and busses run from early morning until midnight. There are several night busses to cover nighttime travel.

Pay for your trip just as easily as paying in a 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.

Want to travel easily between IDFA's different locations? With the GVB Day Ticket, you can travel anywhere in the city for 24 hours.

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 2025 venues & Hotel Recommendations Map.

Partner Hotels
Thanks to our partners are Leonardo Hotels, Conscious Hotels and Hotel , we can offer you a discount code for several hotels close to our Industry venues. These venues are highlighted on our map:

Use discount code IDFA854U for a 15% discount at:

• Leonardo Hotel Amsterdam City Center
• Leonardo Hotel Amsterdam Leidse Square (formerly The ED)
• Leonardo Museum Boutique Hotel
  
• 
  

• Conscious Hotel Vondelpark
• Conscious Hotel The Tire Station
• Conscious Hotel Museum Square
• Hotel V Frederiksplein
• 
  

Besides that our Google Maps offers some recommendations for groups, those travelling with children and those on a budget. 

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.

Amsterdam in November brings temperatures from between 3 to 10 °C (37 to 50 °F) and quite some chance of rain, so pack your umbrella (flying: checked luggage only!) and pack a warm sweater, because it will be perfect weather to sit in a nice warm cinema indoors! Layers are always a good call, as the central heating works well in most indoor venues, so you’ll be comfortable inside even though it might be cold outside. Extra socks for when you get caught in the rain and your shoes get soaked. If you are cold quickly bringing a hot water bottle with you to warm up your hotel bed at night. 

IDFA knows no specific dress code. We want you to feel comfortable with whatever you wear. The Opening Night, Premiere Screenings and Award Night are all without official dress code. Most wear smart casual attire for these events, but honestly it ranges from people in jeans, to people in cocktail attire. 

The city centre (the canal district) of Amsterdam is relatively safe for you to walk around by yourself at night, if you feel comfortable doing so. Public transport operates until around midnight, with night time bus lines still operating throughout the night. Like any major city however, be aware of pickpockets. If you leave your coat or bag at a coatrack, please take your valuables with you. 

Walking in downtown Amsterdam can be quite overwhelming if you are not used to cyclists and trams all around you. Yes, cyclists are everywhere! and not every one of them is extremely law abiding, so keep an eye out when you cross a street! There are also special lanes for cyclist, that might resemble a walkway but aren’t, they are often painted red or green and/or have a depiction of a bicycle on the ground. Please avoid walking on these paths! Also please mind the tram tracks when crossing the street, as trams often have right of way and may appear quickly.

In the Netherlands, types C and F are the official standards. Like almost all Continental European countries, the Netherlands has standardized on the German plug and socket system.
Just like the rest of Europe, the voltage in the Netherlands is 230 volts and the frequency is 50 Hz. More info can be found on worldstandards.eu. 

Dutch people like to be punctual. So when an event is scheduled to start at a certain time, that is indeed the time that the event starts. If there is a reception/walk in period before the start time, that is usually mentioned.

When meeting each other for the first time, the Dutch usually shake hands. When they are familiar with one another / friends, they give three kisses on alternating cheeks. Covid has changed these things over the past years and we do still see some elbow bumps, but mostly it is returning to pre-covid times.