Main competition selections now revealed 

The International Competition brings together works that invite curiosity and critical reflection on our world today. Across a wide range of subjects and filmmaking approaches, these films offer complex, layered perspectives on the present. The selection of 13 titles brings together established veteran voices next to first-time filmmakers, with 12 films presenting their world or international premieres. 

Among the titles, Bardi by Tala Hadid, Hazara Town by Khadim Dai, and Morro Grande by Isabel Joffily and Rita Toledo were all previously supported by IDFA Bertha Fund, and Still Night, Burning House by Carol Nguyen participated in the training program IDFA Project Space. 

IDFA 2026 opens with the world premiere of White Tiger Column by Robert Mentov, Dwight Jantzi, and Bryan Dickie, closely following a group of recruits through 45 days of training with Myanmar’s resistance movement. In a training camp deep in the jungle, the filmmakers capture the daily lives of young volunteers as they prepare to fight for their freedom. A striking example of documentary cinema, the film offers a moving portrait of a courageous generation. 

White Tiger Column has been selected for the International Competition and nominated for the IDFA Award for Best First Feature. 

The Envision Competition offers 13 unparalleled films, each of them stylistically arresting, as visionary filmmakers forge new cinematic languages. The selection brings together titles in which form drives the narrative. Through distinctive visual approaches and formal choices, the filmmakers deconstruct and reframe the complexities of our world, offering new ways of seeing and understanding the subjects they explore. 

Among them, Bahía Honda by Alejandro Alonso Estrella and You Don’t Die Two Times by Ager Oueslati were both previously supported by IDFA Bertha Fund. 

IDFA has also announced the nominations for the cross-section awards—distinct awards that transcend the program sections to recognize outstanding artistic achievement across the festival program. 

The IDFA Award for Best First Feature celebrates the most remarkable debut feature-length films, recognizing works that reveal a distinctive creative voice and the promise of an evolving signature. Drawn from the International Competition, Envision Competition, Luminous, and Frontlight, the award is accompanied by a €5,000 prize, awarded by an international jury.  

The films nominated for the IDFA Award for Best First Feature are also eligible for the FIPRESCI Award, chosen by an international jury of film critics.  

The IDFA Award for Best Dutch Film highlights exceptional Dutch filmmaking talent across the International Competition, Envision Competition, Luminous, and Frontlight selections. The winning filmmaker with receive €5,000, awarded by an international jury.  

The Beeld & Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award for Best Creative Use of Archive honors outstanding archival film, selected from across the film program. The winning film will receive a €5,000 prize, awarded by an international jury. 

The winners will be announced during the IDFA 2026 Awards Ceremony on Thursday November 19.