Attending Markets 2025
Practical information, schedules, and services for attending IDFA’s markets in 2025.
Attending IDFA Forum 2025
Bringing together creative documentary makers with potential financial and sales collaborators, IDFA Forum 2025 once again offers a platform for filmmakers working on ground-breaking creative feature documentaries and new media projects to explore co-production, co-financing, and distribution strategies.
Sunday, November 16, 10:30 – 13:30
Location: Pathé City 6, Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 15-19 – Screen 6
Six selected project teams will introduce a 20-minute excerpt of their rough cut. This presentation format caters specifically to film projects in editing or in rough cut stage looking for sales, distribution, or other exhibition opportunities. After the presentations, the full rough cut files or presentation excerpts will be made available online to industry professionals. Read more on IDFA's Rough Cut Presentations.
Open to IDFA Forum and Docs for Sale Acquisition passholders.
Monday, November 17, 9:00 – 13:00
Tuesday, November 18, 9:00 – 13:00
Location: International Theatre Amsterdam (ITA), Leidseplein 26 – ITA Studio 1 and via a live stream in ITA Pleinfoyer
This year, IDFA Forum brings Producers Connection and Forum Pitch Presentations together in one joint program, highlighting international co-production as a key financing model for artistic documentaries.
Producers Connection focuses on supporting projects looking to finance their films through international co-production. The program features 10-minute moderated, conversation-style presentations of twelve selected projects.
Read more on IDFA's Producers Connection.
The Forum Pitch Presentations cater to projects in all stages of production seeking co-financing, collaboration, and/or distribution. Each team presents in a 10-minute classic pitch format for twenty-one documentary projects.
Read more on IDFA Forum Pitches.
Open to IDFA Forum passholders.
The Producers Connection is made possible in part by Eurimages and Buma Music in Motion
Monday, November 17, 09:00 – 13:30
Location: @Droog, Staalstraat 7B, 1011 JJ Amsterdam – The Red Space
The DocLab Forum presents twelve interactive and immersive non-fiction projects in different stages of production and financing. Presented in a program on Monday morning, the project teams get an opportunity to discuss the content and form of their project and explore relevant next steps. Each team gets 15 minutes in total, starting off with a presentation of the project including visual material, after which several industry professionals are invited to give feedback. Read more on IDFA DocLab Forum Presentations.
Open to IDFA Forum passholders.
Services at the Forum
Monday, November 17 | 15:40–18:00
Tuesday, November 18 | 15:40–18:30
Wednesday, November 19 | 09:00–13:00
Location: International Theatre Amsterdam (ITA), Leidseplein 26
Forum Pitch: ITA Koninklijke Foyer
Producers Connection: ITA Pleinfoyer
Rough Cut Presentations: ITA Marnix-bordes
Pre-arranged one-on-one meetings for all projects selected for IDFA Forum Pitch, Producers Connection, and Rough Cut Presentations take place across three days at ITA. Each category meets in its own dedicated room as listed above.
Projects and industry professionals taking meetings can log in to their MyIDFA account to view their latest schedule via:
MyIDFA › Professionals › Appointments
Monday, November 17 | 15:40–18:00
Tuesday, November 18 | 0:00–13:00 & 15:40–18:30
Location: @Droog, Staalstraat 7B, 1011 JJ Amsterdam – The Grand Space
Pre-arranged one-on-one meetings for all projects selected for IDFA DocLab Forum Presentations take place at Droog across two days.
Projects and industry professionals taking meetings can log in to their MyIDFA account to view their latest schedule via:
MyIDFA › Professionals › Appointments
Throughout the event, Forum guests are welcomed in ITA Nieuwe Foyer, Foyer Studio 1, and Gijsbrecht-bordes for Forum Lounge, your go-to place for setting up your own meetings, grabbing a cup of coffee, or catching up with other Forum guests.
On the ground floor, ITA hosts the ITA Brasserie & Rotonde, open to the public, and a great place to book meetings with Amsterdam-based colleagues, festival-accredited guests, and any guests without a Forum accreditation.
Sunday, November 16 – Wednesday, November 19, 9:00 – 18:30
Location: International Theatre Amsterdam (ITA), Leidseplein 26 – Hall on the ground floor
The Forum Info Desk, located on the ground floor of ITA, operates as a reception, providing support to all IDFA Forum guests with questions about the venue, schedule, and navigating the wider festival offering.
If Studio 1 is full, or you are joining later, you can watch the live stream in the Pleinfoyer.
Attending Docs for Sale 2025
Docs for Sale is IDFA's premier market and distribution incubators for documentary cinema, welcoming artistic feature-length and short documentary films from all over the world that target cinema, television, and online audiences.
Docs for Sale Opening Hours
Saturday, November 15 – Wednesday, November 19, 09:00 – 19:00
Location: Het Documentaire Paviljoen, Vondelpark 3 – Het Podium
Check this page for full information about our program and the 2025/2026 catalogue. Do you have questions that this page doesn't answer? Feel free to reach out to us at docsforsale@idfa.nl.
Services at Docs for Sale
Saturday, November 15 – Wednesday, November 19, 10:00 – 19:00
Location: Het Documentaire Paviljoen, Vondelpark 3 – Het Podium
Docs for Sale has a Matchmaker on site who is there to help introduce you to industry representatives and guide you on how to approach professionals of interest.
Saturday, November 15 – Wednesday, November 19, 09:00 – 19:00
Location: Het Documentaire Paviljoen, Vondelpark 3 – Het Podium
Docs for Sale welcomes accredited guests throughout the five days of the market in its exclusive networking & meeting space in the Podium in Het Documentaire Paviljoen - access exclusively for Docs for Sale passholders.
Saturday, November 15 – Wednesday, November 19, 09:00 – 19:00
Location: Het Documentaire Paviljoen, Vondelpark 3 – Het Podium
Docs for Sale offers a limited number of videotheque-style screening booths where Acquisition passholders come to peruse the annual catalogue of approximately 300 titles, including many that premiere at IDFA. Viewing booths can be booked on site for a maximum of three consecutive hours and are exclusively available to Docs for Sale Acquisition passholders.
Saturday, November 15 – Saturday, November 22
Location: International Theatre Amsterdam (ITA), Leidseplein 26 & De Balie, Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10, 1017 RR Amsterdam
IDFA's Industry Program 2025 offers an extensive array of sessions, talks, delegation project presentations, consultancies, and more to inspire our professional festival guests and keep them up to date on the latest developments in the documentary industry.
Open to all IDFA passholders, excluding Docs for Sale Participant and Docs for Sale Acquisition passes that are not PLUS.
Note: for consultancies, all accredited guests can participate by reserving a free ticket or by queuing for a last-minute slot at the Consultancy Desk (Koninklijke Foyer - ITA & Pleinzaal/Filmzaal - De Balie) during the festival.
Social events at IDFA's Markets
Open to Docs for Sale Acquisition, Docs for Sale Participant, and IDFA Forum passholders.
Saturday, November 15 to Wednesday, November 19, 17:00 – 18:00
Location: Het Documentaire Paviljoen, Vondelpark 3 – Docs For Sale Lounge
Docs for Sale, the Forum's sister event and one of the world's premier markets and distribution incubators for documentary cinema, hosts daily cocktail hours in Docs for Sale Lounge at Het Documentaire Paviljoen. For this networking event, IDFA Forum participants are welcome to join to mingle with filmmakers as well as sales, distribution, and exhibition professionals taking part in Docs for Sale.
The Docs for Sale Happy Hours are sponsored by Autlook Filmsales, SEE NL, Rise & Shine, Lightdox, and Millennium Docs Against Gravity.
Monday, November 17 – Wednesday, November 19, 8:00 – 9:00
Location: International Theatre Amsterdam (ITA), Leidseplein 26 – Nieuwe Foyer
All accredited producers at IDFA Forum are invited to sign up to attend the Producers Breakfast. Designed to connect international producers with each other over coffee, the Producers Breakfast event invites accredited producers at the Forum to kick-start the day together. Producers can indicate countries they’d be curious to get to know better, and we will plan table seating accordingly.
The Producers Breakfast is hosted by RAPA and KCA. Pre-registration is necessary.
Open only to IDFA Forum passholders.
Monday, November 17, 13:15 – 15:00
Tuesday, November 18, 13:15 – 15:00
Location: Groene Paleis, Rokin 65
After the presentations on Monday and Tuesday, IDFA Forum guests are invited to have lunch at Het Groene Paleis. It is a short 15-minute walk from the International Theatre Amsterdam, and 5 minutes from @Droog.
The Monday lunch is hosted by Chiledoc
The Tuesday lunch is hosted by hosted by Documentary Organization of Canada
Open to IDFA Forum and Docs for Sale passholders.
Tuesday, November 18, 21:00 – 23:00
Location: De Duif, Prinsengracht 756
IDFA Industry team invites you to come celebrate this year's Markets and the 32nd edition of Forum. Join us for a drink and come connect with fellow industry guests.
Open to IDFA Forum passholders.
Wednesday, November 19, 13:00 – 15:00
Location: International Theatre Amsterdam (ITA), Leidseplein 26 – Nieuwe Foyer
Join us for the announcement of this year's IDFA Forum award-winners. The jury will announce winners in four different categories:
IDFA Forum Award for Best Pitch Project
IDFA Forum Award for Best Rough Cut Project
IDFA Forum Award for Best Producers Connection project
IDFA DocLab Forum Award for Best Project
The Wednesday lunch is hosted by FeverFilm and Posta.
Open to all IDFA passholders, excluding Docs for Sale Participant and Docs for Sale Acquisition passes that are not PLUS
Friday, November 14 – Tuesday, November 18 – Kanarie Club, Bellamyplein 51, 1053 AT Amsterdam, 18:00 – 19:30
Wednesday, November 19 – Café Kuyl, Rembrandtplein 26, 18:00 – 19:30
Bringing together IDFA passholders daily, the Guests Meet Guests cocktail events are a great moment to connect with other delegates and enjoy the pulse of the of the festival.
The Guests Meet Guests drinks are hosted by Canon, Doc/it, Polish Docs, ARTE, Catalan Films, and Major Docs.
