IDFA believes in the power of documentary film as a high-quality, artistic form of information and reflection. In films that help young viewers understand the world and determine their own place in it. In films that make us think, see, and experience so we are willing to stand up for others and build better societies with more democracy, openness, and humanity.
In addition to a special film selection for schools, IDFA offers workshops, Q&As, discussions, online content and other educational resources that help enable teachers and students to engage with the films and the issues they deal with more thoroughly.
Every edition of IDFA includes over a hundred school screenings. These screenings are non-profit and can only be visited by schools. On every festival weekday, mostly in the early mornings, a special selection of films is screened in different theaters in Amsterdam and other cities in The Netherlands. Over 10.000 Dutch primary and secondary school students come to IDFA every year.
Our Docschool Online collection consists of over 140 documentaries made available for primary and secondary school teachers in The Netherlands, to screen in their classrooms for free. In 2022, over 20.000 students watched IDFA films at school through Docschool Online.
In collaboration with filmmakers and various cultural organizations, IDFA offers a number of educational workshops. Taking place mostly at school, these workshops allow students to make their own documentaries, express themselves through spoken word, develop and produce their own film festival and try their hand at stop-motion.
For more information, contact the team at educatie@idfa.nl.