“Trains” and “Chronicles of the Absurd” claim top honors at IDFA 2024 in the Netherlands
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) revealed the winners of its 37th edition during a ceremony at the Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA). Top honors in the prestigious festival went to Poland’s Trains by Maciej J. Drygas and Cuba’s Chronicles of the Absurd by Miguel Coyula.
International Competition Highlights
Trains secured the IDFA Award for Best Film in the International Competition, along with a €15,000 prize. The jury praised its “bold and inventive use of archive” that creates a haunting exploration of modern industrial innovation. Director Drygas also received the Best Editing award for the same film.
The IDFA Award for Best Directing in this category went to Auberi Edler for An American Pastoral (France), recognized for its observational depth and insight into U.S. political complexities. Meanwhile, the Best Cinematography honor was shared by Zvika Gregory Portnoy and Zuzanna Solakiewicz for The Guest (Poland/Qatar).
Envision Competition Achievements
Miguel Coyula’s Chronicles of the Absurd claimed Best Film in the Envision Competition, with the jury commending its radical form and innovative use of sound as a political diary. This award also came with a €15,000 cash prize.
Massimo D'Anolfi and Martina Parenti won Best Directing for Bestiaries, Herbaria, Lapidaries (Italy/Switzerland), while the Outstanding Artistic Contribution prize was shared between Omar Mismar’s A Frown Gone Mad (Lebanon) and Yo-Hen So’s Park (Taiwan).
Innovations in DocLab and Youth Films
Lisa Schamlé’s Me, a Depiction (Netherlands) won the DocLab Award for Immersive Non-Fiction, applauded for its inventive approach to digital and physical body representation. Pegah Tabassinejad’s Entropic Fields of Displacement (Canada) won the DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling, celebrated for its layered exploration of global injustices.
In the youth categories, Everything Will Be Alright (Netherlands) by Eefje Blankevoort and Lara Aerts won Best Youth Documentary (13+), while Poorva Bhat’s What’s the Film About? (India) triumphed in the 9-12 age group.
Special Awards and Industry Recognition
The FIPRESCI Award went to Najiba Noori for Writing Hawa (France/Netherlands/Qatar/Afghanistan), while Suhel Banerjee’s CycleMahesh (India) was named Best First Feature. The IDFA Forum Awards recognized emerging projects, including Dry Sky by Ibrahim Omar as Best Pitch.
International Competition
- Best Film: Trains / Maciej J. Drygas / Poland
- Best Directing: An American Pastoral / Auberi Edler / France
- Best Editing: Trains / Maciej J. Drygas / Poland
- Best Cinematography: The Guest / Zvika Gregory Portnoy and Zuzanna Solakiewicz / Poland/Qatar
Envision Competition
- Best Film: Chronicles of the Absurd (Crónicas del absurdo) / Miguel Coyula / Cuba
- Best Directing: Bestiaries, Herbaria, Lapidaries / Massimo D'Anolfi and Martina Parenti / Italy/Switzerland
- Outstanding Artistic Contribution (ex aequo):
- A Frown Gone Mad / Omar Mismar / Lebanon
- Park / Yo-Hen So / Taiwan
DocLab Competition for Immersive Non-Fiction
- Best Immersive Non-Fiction: Me, a Depiction / Lisa Schamlé / Netherlands
- Special Mention: The Liminal / Alaa Al Minawi / Netherlands/Lebanon/Palestine/Norway
DocLab Competition for Digital Storytelling
- Best Digital Storytelling: Entropic Fields of Displacement / Pegah Tabassinejad / Canada
- Special Mention: Burn from Absence / Emeline Courcier / France/Canada
Short Documentary Competition
- Best Short Documentary: The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing / Theo Panagopoulos / United Kingdom
- Special Mention: Mama Micra / Rebecca Blöcher / Germany
Youth Documentary Competition (13+)
- Best Youth Documentary (13+): Everything Will Be Alright / Eefje Blankevoort and Lara Aerts / Netherlands
- Special Mention: Simply Divine / Mélody Boulissière / France/Romania
Youth Documentary Competition (9-12)
- Best Youth Documentary (9-12): What’s the Film About? / Poorva Bhat / India
- Special Mention: The Invisible Ones / Martijn Blekendaal / Netherlands/Belgium
Cross-Section Awards
- Best First Feature: CycleMahesh / Suhel Banerjee / India
- Best Dutch Film: The Propagandist / Luuk Bouwman / Netherlands
- Beeld & Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award: My Stolen Planet / Farahnaz Sharifi / Iran/Germany
- Special Mention - ReFrame Award: Eight Postcards from Utopia / Radu Jude and Christian Ferencz-Flatz / Romania
FIPRESCI Award
- FIPRESCI Award: Writing Hawa / Najiba Noori / France/Netherlands/Qatar/Afghanistan
Forum Awards
- Best Pitch: Dry Sky / Ibrahim Omar
- Best Rough Cut: Do You Love Me / Lana Y. Daher
- DocLab Forum Award: Amorphous / May Abdalla
- Producers Connection Award: Looking for the Mermaid / Yara Costa