IDFA Forum’s reported 2026 selection spans 47 documentary and new-media projects, from the rough-cut film Artificial Clouds to Being North Korean, and introduces two presentation settings: larger-audience Forum Pitches and more intimate Roundtable Presentations. Both are described as connecting projects with industry professionals through one-on-one meetings. The figures, schedule and format details below are attributed to The Hollywood Reporter’s coverage of the announcement.
What is IDFA Forum, and what is in the 2026 slate?
IDFA Forum is IDFA’s co-production and co-financing market. The 2026 edition is described as its 34th. According to The Hollywood Reporter’s report, 47 projects were selected from 859 entries assessed by 42 external experts. These are reported announcement figures, not independently audited statistics.
The selection covers documentary works at different stages as well as new-media projects. The report describes projects from five continents and names Paraguay, Tunisia, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Namibia and Palestine among the locations represented. It also reports that organizers said gender balance was achieved across formats, while expressing a commitment to broader diversity; that statement is an organizer claim, not an independently audited measure.
How are the presentation formats changing?
The report says IDFA Forum revised its presentation formats in response to a documentary market organizers described as increasingly fragmented and difficult to navigate. Selected projects are assigned to either a larger-audience presentation or a more intimate setting intended to make room for deeper discussion.
#1 Best Overall
| Format | Setting and purpose described in the report | One-on-one industry meetings |
|---|---|---|
| Forum Pitches | Presentation to a larger audience | Available |
| Roundtable Presentations | More intimate setting intended to support deeper discussion | Available |
Co-production and producer-to-producer meetings remain part of the Forum. The report also names Rough Cut Presentations and IDFA DocLab Forum as program categories; DocLab Forum is for new-media projects.
Where do Being North Korean and Artificial Clouds appear?
The titles in the headline are listed in different parts of the program, reflecting distinct project stages and presentation categories.
Rank #2
- Being North Korean: listed among Forum Pitch and Roundtable Presentations. It is directed by Roxy Rezvany and produced by Aya Kaido / Besheh Meesheh Films Ltd. and Roxy Rezvany. The listed country is the United Kingdom.
- Artificial Clouds: listed in Rough Cut Presentations. It is directed by Josefina Buschmann Mardones and produced by Daniela Camino / Mimbre Films and Boris Garavini / Les Films Invisibles. The listed countries are Chile and France.
Selection and presentation at the Forum do not establish that a project has secured financing or distribution, is complete, or will receive a public release.
What other projects are listed?
Forum Pitch and Roundtable Presentations
The reproduced slate also places these projects in Forum Pitch and Roundtable Presentations:
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- Jiabiangou (Wang Bing)
- Odesa.Mama (Vitaly Mansky)
- Podium (You Have Three Minutes) (Rachel Leah Jones)
- Ship of Fools (Liang Zhao)
The report identifies these as new projects by their respective filmmakers.
Rough Cut Presentations
- Camels of the Sea
- Moon Is Watching You
- My Mother & I
- Oh Heart, Don’t be Afraid
- Resisting Residents
IDFA DocLab Forum
The report lists the following new-media projects in DocLab Forum:
Rank #4
- Artificial (Body) Intuition
- The Atlas of Sound
- The Bridge
- How to Make a Chiffon Cake
- Just a game?
- Lidscape XR
- Mine Land
- The Passage
- This Pleasant Lady
- Time Hunter XR: Colonial Protocols
- TKHAFSH / تخفش (working title)
- We Walk the Bridge of Worlds
Some titles explicitly reference XR or immersive media; the DocLab listing as a whole is described as a new-media section, not as a category in which every project is necessarily XR.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When is the 2026 Forum scheduled?
The reported schedule places the 2026 IDFA festival on November 12–22 and IDFA Forum on November 15–18. These dates come from the report and should be treated as reported schedule details rather than independently confirmed official dates.
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