Up until the festival's 33rd edition in 2020, IDFA's flagship competition was the IDFA Competition for Feature-Length Documentary. Below, you can look back on the selection from the competition's last year, which included twelve films by some of the world’s leading filmmakers: giants of documentary film, but also theater and visual art. With strong artistic concepts and bold formalist approaches, each title displays the mark of an auteur, from hybrid films to cinéma vérité. See the jury members.
Selected for the Feature-Length competition 2020
A fascinating interview with former Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev, one of the most influential figures of the last century, whose rule heralded the end of the Soviet Union. In an intimate setting, he gives his view of Russia then and now.
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In a one-street village in southern France, while some are harvesting or struggling with hail, others are creating an international streaming platform for independent documentaries. An inspiring tale of tenacity and idealism and their salutary effects.
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A candid account of the student protests that took place at Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2019, culminating in a violent police crackdown. The journalistic reporting makes this feel like a compelling action movie.
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Fishermen in Madagascar are alarmed when an Australian company threatens to turn their sacred beach into a harbor. Filmmaker Nantenaina Lova follows the passionate activists and paints an engaging portrait of the villagers who refuse to give in.
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Zurich’s old railway station is making way for a giant prison, soon to be filled with rejected refugees. Their testimonies turn the spectacle of transformation, shot entirely from the filmmaker’s window, into a vision for our times.
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The story of the crucifixion of Jesus gains topical relevance in this docufictional film about alarming conditions for illegal farm workers in southern Italy. A convincing passion play, making-of film, and powerful statement against exploitation.
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For years, Mateo Sobode Chiqueno has been visiting Ayoreo communities in Paraguay with an antique cassette recorder to register conversations, stories, and songs of his people. This heritage contains the poignant testimonies of a disappearing culture.
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Odoriko are the dancers of the dying Japanese striptease theater. An intimate observation of the moments backstage when, stripped of their costumes, they chat, eat, and philosophize—until it’s time to get ready for the next act.
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Director Firouzeh Khosrovani is the daughter of a secular father and a devout Muslim mother, co-existing under one roof in Tehran. The Islamic Revolution took place in their home, affecting every corner of their family life.
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At a cafe in Buenos Aires, a group of aging Marcel Proust fans have been getting together for years to read In Search of Lost Time, the author’s seven-part classic novel. This black-and-white film celebrates writing, reading, and bygone times.
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Every day we can witness scenes from countless violent conflicts all over the world, through television, news sites, social media and newspaper images. This exciting, dreamlike film explores the intimate relationship between war and cinema.
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Congolese plantation workers set a new precedent: they successfully co-opt the concept of the “white cube” gallery space as a means to stop the commercial exploitation of their land by multinationals such as Unilever.
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