Jury reports 2024

"The competition films awakened us to not only the diversity of what documentary can be, but also our responsibility as filmmakers.

We are grateful for the privilege to be in conversation with these films and each other. We were nourished, provoked, and inspired to question our own complicity by grappling with themes such as the rise of right-wing governments, the inescapable shadow of history, and the line between propaganda and ar."

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The IDFA Award for Best Editing:

"This film was masterfully edited. Both image and sound took us on a journey moving seamlessly through time. The film confronts us with history both subtly and with exacting precision and without a single word of dialogue. The IDFA Award for Best Editing goes to Trains by Maciej J. Drygas."

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The IDFA Award for Best Cinematography:

"The cinematography captured incremental subtle shifts in an intimate yet fragile relationship between two strangers in a high stakes situation. The choice to remain close achieved both intimacy and claustrophobia, adding to a palpable tension. The IDFA Award for Best Cinematography goes to The Guest by Zvika Gregory Portnoy and Zuzanna Solakiewicz."

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The IDFA Award for Best Directing:

"By simply looking and listening, this director reveals the current complexity at the heart of the United States. Her deep commitment to observation allows the viewer to come face to face with the communities in the film and provides critical insight into the results of the last U.S presidential election. The IDFA Award for Best Directing goes to An American Pastoral by Auberi Edler."

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IDFA Award for Best Film:

"The jury was unanimous. This is a bold and inventive use of archive. The film shows us routes to the positive and negative consequences of modern industrial innovation. It harnesses the magic of cinema and as an audience we are haunted by our present historical time, even while we bear witness to the past. The IDFA Award for Best Film goes to Trains by Maciej J. Drygas."

"We appreciate IDFA’s intention in creating a space within the festival for this category that has offered us the opportunity to debate the current state of documentary innovation and experimentation. We found films surprised and delighted us, pushing our sense of what the form is. We recognize the challenges that documentary filmmakers are facing around the world at this moment, as revealed in the works that we saw, and the diverse approaches that have been developed as a consequence. In times of state-sanctioned normalized violence, post-truth discourses, and the collapse of shared languages, it is especially important to find new forms of documentary capable of addressing distortions, hierarchies, and untruths. Finally, we hope in the future to see a higher percentage of women included in the Envision competition than this year’s 20%."

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The IDFA Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution:

"We recognize here a pair of two different films whose creative teams, both non-actors and filmmakers, have collaborated together on narrative language to such a significant extent as to offer new models of collective creation for documentary in the future.

For creating a singular improvised form that creates space for the experiences of an invisible community which is rendered audible and finally visible, we give one of the Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to the Taiwanese film, Park by Yo-Hen So.

For mixing the quotidian and the sociopolitical in a simple yet stylistically refreshing way, through which a beauty salon becomes a stage of history, we give this award to the Lebanese film, A Frown Gone Mad by Omar Mismar."

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The IDFA Award for Best Directing:

"We were struck by this film’s staggering ambition employed to challenge traditional knowledges by cinematic means. A tour de force of research and craft, the precision of its visual language, the tempo, the poetry, all speak of excellence in directing. For its creation of new ways of knowing and thinking, exploring our relationship to the world and its visual histories, we present the Best Directing award to Massimo D'Anolfi & Martina Parenti for Bestiaries, Herbaria, Lapidaries."

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The IDFA Award for Best Film:

The IDFA Award for Best Film : Formally complex with a film language that arises organically and directly from its limitations, this film impressed us with the use of an audio track as political diary. For its radical form that matches and embodies the spirit of artists refusing to be silenced, and with recognition of the uncompromising collaboration of its lead actress, the jury the IDFA Award for Best Film to Chronicles of the Absurd (Crónicas del absurdo) by Miguel Coyula.

"This Is Not a Simulation serves as a powerful theme, urging us to confront the diverse realities that shape our societies. The eleven projects selected for this year’s IDFA DocLab Competition for Digital Storytelling exemplify the extraordinary resourcefulness and creativity of storytellers. Each team is harnessing a wide array of media and technological tools to craft powerful, poignant, and often deeply personal narratives.

With Artificial Intelligence, projection, multiple screens, AR, gaming, podcast, and interactive desktop experience, the directors and artist teams stretch the medium of storytelling in profound and surprising ways. The projects inspired wide-ranging conversations about the place of new technologies in our world, the nature of memory, the voice of the machine and the tension between the visible and the invisible. The jury would like to thank the IDFA Doclab team and all creators for their hard work and vision."

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IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling:

"The winner of the 2024 IDFA Doclab Competition for Digital Storytelling is a deceptively simple piece. Under a theme that explores the space between the real and the unreal and in a year of increasing polarization, dominant patriarchy, and global violence against the marginalized, the jury unanimously agrees that this important and moving work of resistance and solidarity is the clear winner. Powerful and layered, Entropic Fields of Displacement by Pegah Tabassinejad cuts through the noise of virtual promises and dreams to create a deeply moving and timely artwork."

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Special Mention:

"The jury would like to give a Special Mention to a work which sets out to reconstruct a damaged history, in which machine learning technology is combined with complex and sensitive archival storytelling. Questioning the nature of shared memory, the long impact of trauma and the multiple possible truths at play in our experience of reality, the jury would like to celebrate Emeline Courcier for her beautiful and sensitive project Burn From Absence."

"The immersive non-fiction jury was asked to consider a beautiful, interdisciplinary collection of works that emphasize the body as an important site of presence: of radical refuge, of deep resources for learning, and for generating new realities. In a volatile time where technology is often actively pulling us apart, this line-up showed us works using technology that recenter the body as a space of infinite possibility, and as a home root necessary to convene and stay together in conversation.

Across a multiplicity of different mediums, these artists collectively show us ways to engage technology for the purpose of bringing people together, to freely, vulnerably, and creatively stumble with each other.

We deeply value how all these works provoked conversations that enabled our jury—composed of different people from different backgrounds—to grow in the light of each other’s unique perspectives."

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IDFA DocLab Award for Immersive Non-Fiction:

"Our jury recognizes a work that sets up a powerful dynamic between physical and digital representations of the body to actively engage audiences and create a maverick visual language. We enter a sensually charged and technically fortified environment where the artist asserts her body as her home: an act of liberation from stereotypes of beauty and sexuality. Schamlé designs a uniquely creative confrontation between artist and audiences, and offers a new direction for portraiture that invites collective participation. The jury awards the Jury Prize to Me, a Depiction by Lisa Schamlé."

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Special Mention:

"As a jury, we are moved to commend the intention and the imagination of a speculative work-in-progress that encourages active listening and reaching through walls erected to separate people. This work uses spatial sound to create a choreography between a wall, the stories inside that wall, and the people who stand outside of it. It invites audiences to inhabit an awkward state of learning—something we feel is needed more than ever at this time. The jury awards a special mention to The Liminal by Alaa Al Minawi."

"The Competition for Short Documentary offered a very pleasant journey through diverse narratives, with each film offering an intimate window into human lives, cultural intersections, and the fragile connections between past and present.

The overarching themes of identity, memory, and resilience resonated deeply throughout the selection through a variety of approaches and techniques. What stood out was the imaginative use of the short form, by blending visuals, sound, and emotion into vivid, concise expressions of universal truths.

Regardless of the filmmaker’s backgrounds and identification, this selection unites the works of filmmakers at various stages in their careers. Their films engage in a dialogue with the multi-faceted and uncertain times we live in, where the latent or tangible threat of violence intertwines with anxieties about the places we inhabit and their transformation or disappearance. This selection becomes a collective testament to an era marked by the turbulence surrounding all living beings. It not only showcased a wide range of artistic voices but also affirmed the short documentary as a medium for meaningful exploration, which made it an inspiring experience.

It is striking to observe how the histories of places—or non-places—shape existences, making it challenging to escape the weight of past and present events. Yet, it is precisely in these moments that the filmmakers step back, reflect, and challenge the status quo, leading us along invaluable artistic journeys."

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IDFA Award for Best Short Documentary:

"It is remarkable how a seemingly naive and idyllic, almost century-old color film holds profound insights into the colonial power dynamics, as seen through the eyes of the observer. By uncovering hidden layers, the work transforms vivid, beautiful images and overlooked presences into powerful reflections on the act of filming as an assertion of power. These rediscovered depictions remind us of our shared humanity and serve as a poignant warning against the perils of forgetting. The film masterfully reclaims archival footage, highlighting the overlooked presence of Arab Palestinians. Through its delicate editing, it transforms misrepresentation into presence, challenging history’s omissions with quiet, evocative power. IDFA Award for Best Short Documentary goes to The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing by Theo Panagopoulos."

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Special Mention:

"The filmmaker’s personal and family story, particularly her mother’s life, unfolds through a narrative enriched by diverse animation techniques. These vividly reimagined moments beyond old photographs bring untold realities to life. Themes of personal freedom, aging, and abandonment are poignantly explored, forging a deep emotional connection with viewers. Through the visual magic of animation, the filmmaker delicately portrays her inner world, preserving the bonds of affection and memory, even in the face of absence. The Special Mention goes to Mama Micra by Rebecca Blöcher."

"From the very first minute, we were struck by the quality of curation in both categories. Each film displayed an emotional maturity, offering sensitive insights for audiences of all ages, both young and adult.

In the times of global upheaval, the curator of the section Niki Padidar selected a sensitive collage of stories from across the globe—free of judgement, unifying rather than dividing, and always inviting to conversations. These films told big stories through small, intimate narratives, leaving room for optimism. We loved the diversity of creative approaches, from animation to collage, vertical video to special effects. Yet, as jurors, we faced the difficult task of comparing short films to feature-length works.

We believe the youth holds the wisdom and power to change the world, and the films in this competition reaffirmed this truth. If you would like to see courage, love, strength, and creativity on a big screen, just dive into the Youth Competition selection. There is so much to learn from the resilience of the children portrayed in these works."

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IDFA Award for Best Youth Documentary 13+:

"The award goes to a sincere depiction of a powerful protagonist, in a story about integration and the desire to fit in, in today’s very relevant context. It empowers and facilitates a young “Nieuwe Nederlander” to tell her story and history, to express her determination to be accepted, and to take control of her own narrative. We encourage the director to continue to uplift stories of immigration. The award goes to Everything Will Be Alright by Eefje Blankevoort, Lara Aerts."

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Special Mention:

"Special mention goes to this mixed-media film, skillfully blending family archive and hand drawn animation in a visual poem about lost love set in WW2. Simply Divine by Mélody Boulissière is an example of placing HERstory in the spotlight."

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IDFA Award for Best Youth Documentary 9-12:

"This tender family moment, where a mother discusses boundaries and inappropriate touch with her two young children, draws the audience into a conversation that is often difficult but very important. With sensitivity and courage, the director portrays a relationship built on trust—a safe space where both adults and children can express their feelings, be vulnerable, and be heard. It stands as an inspiring example for parents everywhere. The award goes to What’s the Film About? by Poorva Bhat."

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Special Mention: 

"Never again should a black boy, a Muslim superhero, a Palestinian refugee, and Holocaust survivors feel the need to become invisible. A Special Mention goes to this deeply personal and engaging documentary, a mosaic of diverse characters who display remarkable resilience and courage in the face of tragedy. The Invisible Ones by Martijn Blekendaal illustrates the devastating consequences of nationalism, racism, and hate, while celebrating the empowering joy of speaking up, solidarity, and kindness."

"The entire 2024 IDFA Dutch section was a fascinating experience; a captivating cinematic journey into the past and present, full of striking revelations about the unknown pages of history and people, and our contemporary lives and challenges, with many invaluable lessons for the future.

Nine inspiring, beautiful, humorous, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking documentary films that also sent urgent reminders about the importance of archives (especially in the age of artificial intelligence); but also the careful preservation, restoration, and disclosure of cultural heritage, and the need to listen more attentively to stories that aren’t heard often enough in our daily lives.

Full of gratitude to all IDFA curators for programming these excellent films and for the opportunity to learn from all the talented filmmakers and their unforgettable subjects."

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IDFA Award for Best Dutch Film:

"How is it even possible, you wonder, with everything that has been written, filmed, or expressed in any other form, related to the WWII era in the Netherlands, this specific story is only just now fully being exposed to a bigger audience?

This documentary shows us a part of history; one that has been deliberately forgotten and could only become visible, and therefore examined, interpreted, and remembered, because image and sound were preserved.

In highly challenging times like these, in which unfiltered opinions and manipulated images spread through the world in a heartbeat, it becomes essential to recognize their misleading power, especially in dehumanizing ‘the other’. Audiovisual heritage plays a vital role in trying to make sense of current societal developments and in the acknowledgement that past and present times are not so different as they appear.

For the riveting examination of the horrifying pages of Dutch history, as well as the history of WWII-era European cinema, and for the immense research, documentation, and the outstanding use of archival material, the jury would like to bestow the 2024 IDFA Award for the Best Dutch Film to Luuk Bouwman’s documentary The Propagandist."

"These films enabled us to travel across the globe within mere days, guiding us through narratives of personal quests and fundamental human struggles. We have witnessed the act of filming in its most diverse manifestations: as a form of exorcism, a historical testament, a vehicle for social critique and denunciation, and a bridge to encounter the other. The works reflected a desire to share individual experiences in service of transcending them, ultimately contributing to the intangible yet us all connecting soul of the universal knowledge. The films competing for the first feature award are strong proof that new generations continue to trust in the power of cinema. They show us that, however far away we may seem from each other, humanity's pulse beats to the rhythm of a common heartbeat. Yet precisely because of this shared heartbeat, we found ourselves yearning for more films coming from regions beyond Central Europe. This is a wish, a hope, and an encouragement we would like to share with the future IDFA."

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IDFA Award for Best First Feature:

"Sometimes reality can be harsh, can be tough, can be sad but it can also be beautiful and inspiring. This fresh and unique film—full of resistance—reminds us that creation can always be a weapon of liberation. Taking us on a cinematic ride by means of a bicycle journey crossing a country and its struggles. The director pushes the limits of cinema, especially of documentary cinema in the same way that his protagonist pushes the barriers of his reality. Breathtakingly beautiful and upsettingly honest. The IDFA Award for the Best First Feature goes to: Suhel Banerjee for CycleMahesh."

"The films in the Beeld & Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award share a common thread: they invite us to explore the creative ways of using the archives of both distant and recent past to see important continuities as well as suppressed, marginalized, or concealed stories. These filmmakers work not only with well-preserved archival material, but also with reappropriated archives, intercepted footage, confiscated materials, and scattered private records—ultimately reclaiming these fragments to create new meanings. Through their creative use of archival content, the filmmakers shed new light on the past while exploring themes of justice, freedom, resistance, and memory. They remind us of humanity’s profound significance, while also highlighting our relative irrelevance in the grand scale of life on Earth. Each film, by recontextualizing what was once forgotten or hidden, prompts us to reflect on the fragility and value of both memory and human existence. The jury enjoyed the variety of creative approaches in the ReFrame competition which allowed us to have extended, thought-provoking discussions after the screenings."

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The Beeld & Geluid Reframe IDFA Award:

"The jury would like to award a film that uses archives in a sensitive and creative way to tell a moving personal story that is both a singular and a shared, generational experience. The film reflexively explores the unique ability of private images to preserve untold histories, giving voice to those who are attempted to be fully silenced by oppressive political forces and safeguarding the traces of radically shattered private universes. Saving the dispersed, orphaned family archives, the filmmaker rediscovers the traces of the past and allows us travel between beauty and pain, sending a message that resistance and shared joy give life a meaning. With a delicate balance of personal memory and collective struggle, it is a poignant exploration of identity, defiance, and the reclaiming of narrative. The Beeld & Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award goes to My Stolen Planet by Farahnaz Sharifi."

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Special Mention:

"We would like to acknowledge a film that defies conventions, formats, and expectations. It plunges the viewers into the fleeting and the trivial to reflect on complex questions of identity, values, and social transformations. Every day, we are bombarded with TV commercials that may seem superficial and redundant, going after our wallets, and generating new needs to be satisfied. Exploring three decades of TV commercials from Romania, the directors create an ephemeral archive to offer an unsettling insight into a society in post-socialist transition, where capitalism sells promises and stereotypes, reproduces patriarchal values, and constructs new hierarchies. Reframing the meaning of the material, the film’s eight chapters offer an ironic, perceptive, and sobering look on modern society. The Special Mention of The Beeld & Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award goes to Eight Postcards From Utopia by Radu Jude and Christian Ferencz-Flatz."

"The FIPRESCI jury at IDFA 2024 had the honor to view a selection of ten first features taken from the different sections of the festival. These ten films came from different countries and cultures, and used different cinematographic languages among which archive material, interviews, reenactment, fly on the wall camera, etc. These techniques take us from forests in Cambodia, to a socialist youth meeting in North Korea, and from the bears infested mountains in Southwestern France to a cycle trip through India, and a white room on an imaginary beach.

Among our selection, the jury noticed a strong focus on family matters. Five filmmakers chose to film their own mother, father, grandparents. More often than not, family traumas came to the surface. It is completely understandable that beginning filmmakers feel drawn to something they're familiar with. The challenge is to get the viewers involved in these private matters by use of cinema. The film that brought us together manages to do that by adding many political and emotional layers to the family business.

The director of the winning film was inspired by the urgency of the local situation that had the greatest influence on the future of the protagonists, who are close members of her family. The film gives us an essential insider testimony from a territory where freedoms are at stake, especially for women. We are proud to be giving the FIPRESCI prize to Najiba Noori, for Writing Hawa."