About IDFA Forum
Step into IDFA Forum in Amsterdam—a place where documentary and new media projects move forward. Over four days in November, filmmakers, producers, and creators connect with the international partners who can help bring their work to life, from financing and co-production to distribution and exhibition.
A place to connect, present, and work together
IDFA Forum brings together a carefully selected group of documentary film and new media projects and international partners to support financing, co-production, and distribution in an increasingly selective market.
Each year, projects from around the world are invited to take part in a four-day program during IDFA (November 15–18, 2026). As a longstanding international meeting point, the Forum connects filmmakers, producers, and new media creators with commissioners, funders, co-producers, sales agents, distributors, exhibitors, and industry professionals focused on immersive and interactive works.
A focused and diverse selection
The selection centres on cinematic, artist-driven documentary and new media projects, alongside projects developed with broadcasters, platforms, and other partners in mind. It brings together a diversity of approaches and production contexts, reflecting a field in which projects are made, financed, and distributed in very different ways.
Formats tailored to projects in every stage
Projects are presented in formats that match their stage and needs.
In the Pitch Presentations, projects are pitched to a broad group of industry representatives. During the Roundtable Presentations, projects take part in focused sessions with carefully matched participants, creating space for development conversations and targeted introductions with potential partners. Both presentation formats feature diverse projects spanning from author-driven, cinematic works to projects positioned for broadcast and platforms.
Immersive and interactive works are presented in the IDFA DocLab Forum, a dedicated space for pitches and meetings centered on new media and immersive storytelling.
Projects in post-production are presented as Rough Cut Presentations, through cinema screenings of selected excerpts, positioning them for festivals, sales, and distribution.
All selected projects also take part in one-on-one meetings with industry professionals.
A professional context built around exchange
The Forum is shaped by the strength of its selection and the people in the room: an international group of industry professionals actively meeting, exchanging, and building collaborations.
It’s where projects meet partners, financing conversations move forward, and where projects and professionals test ideas, direction, and collaboration in an international context. Across all formats, the aim is to enable projects to move forward within a highly competitive international financing landscape, by supporting their development, financing, and positioning toward audiences.
