Specialty film houses and cinemas in Amsterdam
13 October 2026
10 films to watch at IDFA 2026
Last updated on 26 October 2026 at 11:30
Written by Louise GraysonReading time: 3 minutes
From the inner workings of a bird’s egg to the spectacle of a legendary boxing match, documentaries offer a closer look at the world around us. IDFA returns to Amsterdam from 12 to 22 November 2026, bringing films and installations from around the world to the city. Here are 10 picks to add to your festival list.
1. Becoming Bird
What happens inside an egg before a chick hatches? Dutch filmmaker Jan van IJken uses time-lapse photography and close-ups to follow a bird embryo as it develops turning a biological process into a magical experience that reminds us of the marvel that is life.
2. The Siege of Paradise
Turquoise water, pastel-coloured villages and plates of fresh pasta: Italy’s Cinque Terre looks like paradise. But millions of visitors put pressure on the people who live there. With a gently ironic eye, this documentary follows a restaurant owner, a winemaker, a fisherman and others trying to balance tourism with everyday life.
3. Union Town
In New York, warehouse and gig workers organise to improve their working conditions and take on some of the biggest corporations around. Directed by Barbara Kopple, Union Town follows the people trying to make their voices heard in a system that often leaves them with little power.
4. Dao
French-Senegalese filmmaker Alain Gomis follows a family between France and Guinea-Bissau. A wedding brings relatives together in France, while a ceremony in Guinea-Bissau honours the dead. Moving between places, generations and traditions, Dao explores the full spectrum of the human experience.
5. You Can See Everything
Filmmakers Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim enter Elizabeth Holmes’s world in the final 34 days before she begins her 11-year prison sentence. Holmes, known for the collapse of her health technology company Theranos, makes for an intriguing subject. The result is strange, awkward and suspenseful, filtered through Fielder’s unmistakable point of view.
6. The Mayor: Halsema & Amsterdam
What does it take to lead a city like Amsterdam? This film follows mayor Femke Halsema throughout 2025, from moments of public unrest and the fire at Vondel Church to quieter glimpses of life behind the scenes.
7. Closure
In May 2023, 16-year-old Krzysztof disappeared in Warsaw. He was last seen on camera on a bridge over the Vistula. Polish director Michał Marczak follows his father, Daniel, as he searches the river from a boat fitted with cameras and drones, then follows the trail online through his son’s digital footprint. Along the way, Daniel meets other families living with the same uncertainty. Closure stays with the question of what it means to keep searching when answers remain out of reach.
8. The Fight
In 1971, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier faced off in one of boxing’s most famous matches. William Greaves captures the build-up, from debates among fans to the fighters’ promotional appearances, before taking viewers ringside. There is no sports commentary, just the crowd, the punches and the atmosphere of a landmark event.
9. Hope Is a Word
Decades after Nigerian writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa was executed for opposing oil extraction in the Niger Delta, the region still suffers from pollution. This documentary follows environmental activist Nnimmo Bassey and young poets who are finding their own ways to speak out.
10. Interviews with Two Strangers (video installation)
In this video installation, older New York theatre artists talk with a chatbot modelled on artist Carrie Sijia Wang, then meet Wang herself. The two conversations raise questions about connection, authenticity and how an exchange with a person differs from one with a machine.
