International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (2026)
Event Calendar: 2026-11-18 through 2026-11-29 • Amsterdam, Netherlands
Deadlines & Fee Structure
2026-05-01
Discounted Window2026-07-01
Standard Window2026-08-01
Final Standard Call2026-10-15
Program AnnouncementCategory Entry Fees (EUR)
| Competition Category | Regular | Late |
|---|---|---|
| Feature Documentary (Over 60 min) | EUR 160 | EUR 210 |
| Short & Mid-Length Doc | EUR 60 | EUR 90 |
| IDFA DocLab (AI & Interactive Non-Fiction) | EUR 90 | — |
Premiere Rules & Category Requirements
European Premiere required minimum (World/International preferred)
Your film may have screened in its country of origin or outside the continent, but must not have premiered publicly within this regional territory.
Global
Open competition without geographic exclusivity restrictions; previously released films remain eligible for selection.
Potential Disqualification Risks
Based on official regulations for the 2026 edition. Review before locking in your festival submission strategy.
Screening at any public venue, festival, or ticketed event prior to selection will invalidate world/continental premiere categories.
Public streaming availability (outside password-protected review screeners) triggers immediate forfeiture in competitive sections.
Films produced outside the stated 12–24 month production window are ineligible without an official programming waiver.
Failure to provide an ethical AI disclosure statement or utilizing unlicensed voice/likeness models violates submission terms.
Exhibition DCPs without formatted French or English dialogue subtitles will be rejected at projection inspection.
Short film categories strictly enforce runtime limits including all opening/closing credit rolls.
AI & Synthetic Media Policy
Documentaries utilizing synthetic recreation, AI voice cloning, or generated archival materials must provide explicit verification of subject consent and on-screen journalistic disclaimers.
- →DocLab
- →Envision Competition
- →Luminous
- ✓Ethical provenance declaration covering synthetic archives and consent documentation
- ✓Technical pipeline summary submitted to IDFA DocLab curators
Delivery Requirements
Distinguishing between mandatory festival-specific specifications and Creator Intel's master preparation checklist.
A. International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (2026) Official Specifications
DCP Theatrical Screening Master
SMPTE DCP, 24fps or 25fps, English subtitles mandatory for non-English dialogue.
B. Universal Master Preparation Guide (General Best Practice)
In addition to festival-specific requirements, Creator Intel recommends preparing high-bitrate ProRes masters, separated 5.1 stems, bilingual subtitle files, and high-res EPK assets for universal circuit readiness.
Theatrical projection standard for A-list festival circuit.
High-fidelity digital archive and broadcast master.
Multi-channel cinema sound delivery.
Verified Source Ledger
IDFA Regulations & DocLab Entry Rules 2026
Publisher: Stichting IDFA