IDFA x Young Adults

Meervaart Studio is a cultural hub connecting diverse audiences and creators. It serves as a stage, talent incubator, and center for urban performing arts, fostering contemporary stories and cross-disciplinary collaborations locally and internationally.
Note: Meervaart is not an IDFA festival location this year. Click on a film to see the different screening locations.

The Young Adult label was created in collaboration with Meervaart Studio and supported by Gemeente Amsterdam stadsdeel Nieuw-West.

The reported sighting of a bear causes a commotion in a sleepy Croatian coastal village, right in the middle of the wild asparagus season. The villagers are divided by the onslaught of online messages—is there really a bear, or are other interests at play?

Together with her friend and fellow worker, the head of an Indian trade union for women auto rickshaw drivers is building her dream of achieving equal opportunities. A celebration of revolution, sisterhood, and perseverance in a patriarchal system.

Former UN diplomat Noam Shuster-Eliassi was once a poster child for peaceful coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis, but that mild-mannered image no longer fits her. She now rebels against the injustice with her own acerbic comedy show.

As the first female council member of a village in rural Iran, Sara is determined to break through patriarchal traditions. She fights to curb child marriage and, in her free time, teaches girls to ride motorbikes—something that quickly meets with resistance.

Ollie Launspach wants to know what it’s like for his girlfriend Sterre Mulder that he’s transitioning, but discovers in this graduation film—a playful, colorful, and uplifting collage—that his wariness mainly reveals his own insecurities. Current Future: Age suggestion 14+

Climate change and gold mining steadily erode the sources of life for the Indigenous and Maroon communities in Suriname. During a trip along the Maroni river we learn of the pressures they face and their resilience, evoked in stories and songs.

An intimate portrait of Justine who resides in her bedroom and feels down. The camera hardly ever leaves her room, and neither does she. She sleeps, scrolls and socializes in bed. A film that delicately reveals the impact of depression and anxiety. Current Future: Age suggestion 14+

An energetic and infectious film about the queer punk band Shh…Diam! A self-chosen family for the band members, who are criminalized in Malaysia because of their gender identity. Their close bond helps them overcome countless obstacles.

Revealing portrait of the family formed by director Anaël Dang and his parents. Twenty-one years after a painful family secret came to light, they reflect on the past and their mutual bond.