IDFA:
A year-round online venue for the world's leading documentary film festival
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam is known as the world's largest documentary film festival held annually since 1988. Every year, IDFA brings together the global community of documentary lovers, makers, and professionals. To break through the limitations of a one-week festival and forge connections each day of the year, our strategy and design transform the digital realm as the home for the community.
From festival to year-round community
The world’s leading creative documentary film festival brings together filmmakers and enthusiasts for a week of discovery, inspiration, and collaboration. IDFA is the center stage for high-quality documentary films by creative talent around the world.
To support this crucial ecosystem and highlight the power of documentaries beyond the limitations of a physical festival, it was time to transform IDFA.com from a festival website into a place where you can login and connect year-round.
Personalized journey of discovery
The new IDFA.com enables active participation. Funders and distributors can now support talent all the way from idea to premiere, while audience members get to experience the gems of IDFA anywhere, anytime.
It used to be a challenge to find your way around IDFA’s rich offerings. The new strategy puts the needs of different community members first, guiding them toward the right opportunities at the right time.
Documentaries on Demand
IDFA is globally known as the expert guide for creative documentaries. The platform builds upon this reputation by making movies that matter available on demand. With a focus on quality curation, IDFA aims to become the go-to channel for creative documentaries in a landscape dominated by entertainment.
As part of its mission, IDFA aims to put the spotlight on makers and stories worldwide. It levels the playing field by making IDFA’s services and connections accessible to creative talent anywhere, even when they are not able to physically attend the annual festival.
Creating a cinematic experience
The platform breathes cinema. It mirrors the film experience by using full-screen images and video that blend into their dark surroundings. The design can be adapted to the year’s festival theme, creating a holistic and artful experience without compromising on brand consistency.
To ensure the same qualitative experience for first-time visitors and seasoned professionals alike, we created a design that can be tailored to different roles and priorities throughout the year. Once tickets go live for the annual event, the homepage switches to Festival Mode.
