email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

IDFA 2018

IDFA announces two new sections and 86 titles

by 

- Europe's largest documentary event has introduced the Luminous and Frontlight sections, and has revealed new titles set to screen in the Masters, Best of Fests and Paradocs sidebars

IDFA announces two new sections and 86 titles
How Big Is the Galaxy? by Ksenyia Elyan

The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), which is set to take place from 14-25 November, has announced that 86 films have been added to its programme, and that it is introducing two new sections this year: Luminous and Frontlight. Both consist exclusively of premieres, and so far, 18 titles have been revealed. 

“The films selected for Luminous are character-, plot- or author-driven, immersing the viewer in a cinematographic experience that allows us to understand universal truths through individual stories,” IDFA explains in the press release.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

The selection includes Sara de Gouveia's The Sound of Masks (South Africa/Portugal), Ksenyia Elyan's How Big Is the Galaxy? (Russia/Estonia) and Ben Asamoah's Sakawa [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(Belgium/Netherlands). For the full list, click here

Frontlight, on the other hand, comprises films that tell stories not covered by the mainstream media, or movies that explore familiar stories in greater depth, with an emphasis on social issues of global concern and the journalistic documentary. These include Katja Fedulova's The Patriot (Germany), Ramy A Katz's Cause of Death (Israel), Henry Singer and Rob Miller's The Trial of Ratko Mladić (UK/Norway), and Alex Winter's highly anticipated The Panama Papers (USA/UK), which will be followed by an extended Doc Talk, where Trouw journalist Jan Kleinnijenhuis, who was part of the international investigation team that led to the revelations, will interview the filmmakers. For the full list of films, click here

The traditional Masters section will feature hot titles by the most prominent documentarians working today, including Werner Herzog's Meeting Gorbachev [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
Victor Kossakovsky's Aquarela [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Victor Kossakovsky
film profile
]
Sergei Loznitsa's The Trial [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
and Victory Day [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
Errol MorrisAmerican Dharma [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
Rithy Panh's Graves Without a Name [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rithy Panh
film profile
]
, Vitaly Mansky's Putin's Witnesses [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vitaly Mansky
film profile
]
and Nicolas Philibert's Each and Every Moment [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
. For the full list, click here.

In Best of Fests, IDFA will yet again screen award winners, audience favourites and hotly debated titles from the festival circuit, including Marcus Lindeen's The Raft [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marcus Lindeen
film profile
]
, Gabrielle Brady's Island of the Hungry Ghosts [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, Anja Kofmel's Chris the Swiss [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anja Kofmel
film profile
]
and James Longley's Angels Are Made of Light. For the full list, click here.

Finally, the Paradocs section sits at the intersection of film and art, homing in on innovative forms that seek freedom within the documentary genre. This year’s selection consists of 13 films, including works by Feargal Ward and Adrian Duncan (Memory Room), and Melanie Bonajo (Progress vs. Sunsets). For the full list, click here.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy