The Anticipation of Rain
Using animated brush strokes in a 3D environment, a soundscape and scents, Naima Karim brings the tropical thunderstorm to life. Climate change has made the once-romantic monsoon into a life-threatening phenomenon.
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Explore all films and interactive documentaries that have been shown at IDFA over the years. Many are available to watch online (by using the filter Watch Online), some for free! We're working hard to keep the selection as broad and accessible as possible, but unfortunately, some titles are available to stream within the Netherlands only.
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Achewiq, the Song of the Brave Women
The traditional improvisational song of the Northern Algerian Berbers is called achewiq. It is a vehicle for women to express their feelings and deal with disaster—such as the recent forest fires, which were unprecedented in their intensity.
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Alone Together
Step into the world of the Alone Together Agency, where lonely people can hire replacement relatives. Use the app at DocLab to become a freelance family member and have real conversations with a virtual loner.
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Apolonia, Apolonia
A portrait of the artist as a young woman. Apolonia is talented, but is that enough to break into the art world? An impressive film that covers 13 years in an anything-but-average life.
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Away
A heartbreaking portrait of two 16-year-old Ukrainian refugees in Budapest. They help out at a school for refugee children and make protest art on the streets—triggering political discussions among the Hungarian passersby.
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Beyond Our Stars
In voice-over, children speak candidly about death and exchange ideas about it with elderly people. The visual illustrations include cut-out animations to which the children have clearly contributed.
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Border Birds
While humans erect more and more physical boundaries around the world, birds just carry on cheerfully ignoring them. This digital project picked out 100 images of border-crossing birds from footage on publicly accessible cameras.
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Budapest Silo
A powerfully visual film, with stunning cinematography, about a worker at an old grain silo in Budapest. His work is like that of a scuba diver: each day he is lowered into the 25-meters-deep silos, where he performs a dazzling dance.
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The Butterfly Effect
In this multi-sensory installation, we make intimate acquaintance with a 4.5-billion-year-old rock fragment that traveled the universe before landing on Earth as a meteorite. Scientific data is translated into a sensorial experience.
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Colette and Justin
Debut filmmaker Alain Kassanda and his grandparents explore their family history in this richly layered portrait, drawing together politics and personal memories. The upheavals of post-colonial Congo feel palpably close.
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