Volunteering at IDFA
Every year, hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers help make the festival a success. Whether you're guiding audiences at the cinemas, assisting with the new media exhibition, welcoming guests, or working behind the scenes, your contribution makes all the difference. Explore the available roles, find out what we ask of you (and what you get in return), and sign up to be part of the IDFA team.
General information for volunteers
This year, the festival will take place from November 12 until November 22, 2026. Will you join our team to make the 39th edition of the festival possible?
Read the general information and explore the various volunteer opportunities below. Then complete the application form. For questions, please contact us at vrijwilligers@idfa.nl.
- You are at least 18 years old.
- You have an EU passport/ID or EU residence permit, and are eligible to work in the Netherlands. More information on volunteering when you're coming from outside the EU can be found here.
- You are available for a minimum of 7 shifts during the festival. Completing 7 shifts during the festival grants you the all access Crew Pass. Are you available for less than 7 shifts? Please contact us at vrijwilligers@idfa.nl.
- You follow the general volunteer guidelines (scroll for English) and abide by our code of conduct. You can find more information about volunteering at IDFA by reading our Volunteer Policy.
New volunteers:
After completing your application you will be invited to pick a date for an introductory meeting with the two volunteer coordinators. Because it’s the first time you will be volunteering at IDFA, we would like to meet and get to know you. During the meeting we will also discuss the different volunteer positions available and answer any questions you may have about your volunteering experience. We will host meetings in small groups of 10 to 15 people, both online and in person, to cater to people that live outside of Amsterdam. These will take place from mid-September until the end of October.
Returning volunteers:
As a returning volunteer, you’ll receive an invitation email at the start of August with which you can promptly apply to be a volunteer for IDFA. Through the invitation email you will receive a unique link for the application where all your information will be pre-filled according to the application you filled in the previous year. Please check your information and make sure it's up-to-date before submitting the form.
All volunteers:
Once you filled out the volunteer application form, and attended your introductory meeting (only applicable to new volunteers), you should expect your role assignment. We usually let you know in the beginning of October. We will do our best to accommodate everyone’s team preferences, but please note that this may not always be possible. In this case we will notify you and talk about possible alternatives.
After that we will share the schedule with you - for some positions we use the Shiftpicker system where you're able to pick and choose your own shifts from the available shifts in the system. This works in a first-come, first-serve system, so make sure you check your emails frequently at this time. For other positions, we will put you in touch with your team coordinator and they will discuss your availability with you, and make sure you have a schedule that meets your needs.
- A crew pass that entitles you to special volunteer activities. The crew pass also serves to make yourself recognisable at the festival. With 7 shifts your crew pass will get upgraded to an all access Crew Pass which allows you to book free tickets to all regular IDFA screenings (unless the screening is sold out)
- Lunch and dinner during your shift.
- Coffee, tea and other refreshments during your shift.
- An reusable IDFA t-shirt.
- Traveling expenses within the Netherlands if applicable (see Volunteer Policy).
Volunteer positions
Below is a list of volunteer jobs at IDFA that are available to non-Dutch speaking volunteers, stating the competencies you should have to carry out each job as required, and the skills you can develop within the job. If you are a Dutch speaker, there are more jobs available here.
For questions, please contact us at vrijwilligers@idfa.nl.
The A-team is especially busy in the days before the start of festival with building up our locations. Their tasks include moving furniture, putting up signing and decorations, delivering things to different festival locations, and much more. During the festival they mostly help setting up for events at various festival locations, and after the festival they take everything down.
The A-team is a very close group of enthusiastic volunteers who love working hard. We are looking for flexible team players who are inventive, practical, and do not shy away from physical work.
Shifts: The A-team is active from Friday the 30st of October until Monday November 23rd. The A-team does not work in shifts, but full days. It is best if you are available the whole day, the A-team coordinator will tell you when they need you throughout the day. During the festival you are free to go and watch films in-between jobs.
Competences: This job allows you to develop your teamwork skills and gives an insight into the resources that go into making the festival work.
The drivers take care of transportation for the guests before, during, and after the festival between Schiphol/Amsterdam Central and the festival hotels or IDFA locations. Besides transporting our guests, car service volunteers are also used for all kinds of rides for the festival.
To be eligible, you must have held a driver's license for at least three years and have sufficient driving experience. As a driver, you need to have a strong sense of responsibility and be presentable, socially skilled, flexible, and proficiency in English is a must.
Period: The carservice drivers will be deployed between November 9th and November 23rd. Shifts will be adjusted according to scheduled rides and will take place throughout the day.
Competences: In this role, you may encounter festival guests from various cultural backgrounds.
As part of the Distribution team, your responsibilities include ensuring that all our festival locations are stocked up with our festival publications. With your team you are responsible for stocking up, refilling, and checking that there is always a sufficient supply of our publications at all festival venues.
Shifts: The distribution team is active throughout the festival from the 12th till the 23th of November, mostly in the morning. On the first day of the festival the whole team works from 10:00 till 16:00, on the other days you will work in shifts.
Requirements: sense of responsibility, flexibility, fast worker, alert and good physical condition. This position also requires confidence with riding a cargo-bike (bakfiets) around Amsterdam.
Competences: This job allows you to develop in teamwork and organisational skills.
As a DocLab volunteer, you will spend most of your time at the exhibition. Your responsibilities will include welcoming our visitors and telling visitors about the different interactive and digital documentary projects in the exhibition. You will receive a special training before your first shift. It is important that you attend this training.
Shifts: DocLab volunteers are needed (in shifts) on all days when the Doclab exhibition is open for the public (dates are to be confirmed). DocLab has morning, afternoon and evening shifts.
Requirements: You should be social and friendly, have a good command of the English language, and feel comfortable using technology - affinity with emerging media or virtual reality is a definite plus. Please note that special technical knowledge is not required.
Competences: At DocLab, you can expand your knowledge of emerging media and virtual reality, as well as pioneering documentary storytelling formats and improve your presentation skills.
As part of the DocLab VR crew, you will spend most of your time in the VR-focused exhibition of Doclab. Your responsibilities will include welcoming our visitors, guiding them through the VR experience, occasional troubleshooting, and informing visitors about the different interactive and digital projects. You will receive a special training before your first shift. It is essential that you attend this training.
Shifts: DocLab VR volunteers are needed (in shifts) on all days when the Doclab exhibition is open for the public (dates are to be confirmed). DocLab has morning, afternoon and evening shifts.
Requirements: You should be social and friendly, have a good command of the English language, and have an affinity to work with new technologies like VR. The ability to quickly identify technical issues is important, and experience with digital art, gaming, and/or virtual reality is a definite plus.
Competences: At DocLab, you can expand your knowledge of virtual reality, as well as pioneering documentary storytelling formats and improve your presentation skills.
Flex team members are assigned to various positions. During the festival you will fill in for sick volunteers, perform courier tasks and get assigned to last-minute jobs such as event usher and manning the volunteer desk. Flex team members also handle the distribution of catering to the various venues.
Shifts: The Flex team is active throughout the festival (12-22 November). There are morning, afternoon and evening shifts.
Requirements: You are service-oriented, flexible, an effective communicator, have a good command of English, are in good physical shape and able to think on your feet.
Competences: Depending on the various jobs you get assigned to, this position is a great opportunity to experience different aspects of the festival and develop a plethora of skills, among which your sense of responsibility and your skills as a team player.
The Guest Desk is the first place our 3000+ (international) professional guests visit when they arrive at the festival. Your most important task is to make our guests feel welcome. You will be handing out guest passes, supplying guests with relevant information about the festival and the city of Amsterdam and fielding any questions they might have about their stay at IDFA.
Shifts: The Guest Desk is open from Wednesday November 11th till Thursday November 19th and has multiple shifts per day between 09:00 and 21:00.
Requirements: You are an effective communicator, good with computers, able to improvise, service-oriented and have an excellent command of English.
Are you interested in getting insight into the industry and business side of documentaries? As Industry Crew, you will be helping our team at Docs for Sale, IDFA Forum or IDFAcademy – IDFA's professional development and networking events. You will help prepare for the events (setting up the venue, filling goodie bags for registered guests), welcoming international guests and guiding them at the venue, sourcing questions, offering production assistance and keeping the venue neat and clean.
Requirements: You are an effective communicator, service minded, able to improvise and have an excellent command of English (most of our guests attending these events are international). Good computer skills are also needed for some roles.
The shifts will depend on the event you’re working on. Docs for Sale have morning/afternoon and afternoon/evening shifts. It is best if you are available for all the days of the event. At IDFAcademy and Forum you will ideally work the full days of the events, and a shift in preparation of the event.
Competences: In this position, you can develop skills in terms of teamwork, people coordination, and hospitality. As a volunteer you are part of a bigger team of volunteers. You will gain insight into the importance of IDFA for documentary professionals and will see first-hand how industry events at IDFA function. It’s great if you have an interest in or understanding of the broader media field, as this will help guide our guests. These roles are service oriented and are an invaluable part of the production of the event. Therefore, there is no room for personal networking with our professional guests within these volunteer roles.
The poster crew is responsible for decorating the festival locations with film posters, updating public bulletin boards and distributing flyers. Because there is limited space for film posters, these need to be changed daily. The Poster team is active throughout the festival (11th till 22nd of November). There are morning and afternoon shifts, but you will mostly work in the morning. On the first festival day (November 12th) the entire team works from 10:00 – 16:00.
Requirements: sense of responsibility, flexibility, fast worker, alert and good physical condition. This function requires a feeling of confidence with riding a bike around Amsterdam.
Competences: This job allows you to develop insight into the resources needed to promote the festival and inform our visitors.
As a theater crew member, you are part of the largest group of volunteers. You’ll be helping at our festival venues making sure that all screenings run smoothly. During your shift, the location or floor manager will assign you to one of the following tasks:
- scanning tickets,
- problem solving related to ticket scanning,
- upkeeping of the screening rooms in between screenings,
- making sure the audience finds their way around the venue,
- and other small production-related jobs in the theater.
Shifts: The theatre crew is active throughout the festival (12th till the 22nd of November) and has morning, afternoon and evening shifts
Requirements: You are an effective communicator, helpful, service-minded and speak English very well. Attending the emergency and scan training for theater staff the Saturday before the festival is mandatory.
Competences: This position will allow you to develop skills in collaboration and communication.