Meervaart Studio
Discover the IDFA Young Adult selection!
IDFA tickets now on sale
Young film lovers, nine remarkable documentaries and one shared mission: to discover which stories resonate with today’s generation.
Who decides which documentaries young visitors discover during IDFA? This year, too, that’s up to the IDFA Young Adults Selection Committee, a collaboration between IDFA and Meervaart Studio. Twelve young people aged 16 to 27 delve into the festival programme and select the films that move them, make them think or offer a new perspective. Their choice? Nine exceptional documentaries that will receive the Young Adult label during IDFA 2026.
Different perspectives, one shared passion
The selection committee includes Marie, Clea, Daisy, Levi, Lot, Kate, Bloem, Israa, Sil, Kathrin, Bibi and Fenne. They come from diverse backgrounds and have a wide range of interests. Some are already active in the film and media sector, while others are studying subjects such as psychology, public administration, veterinary medicine or international business. Their experience with IDFA also varies: for some, the festival is familiar territory; for others, this is their first chance to experience it up close.
What they have in common is their curiosity about film, personal stories and the world around them.
The committee members watch documentaries from a shortlist of around twenty films. Each member watches at least six documentaries. Then they discuss them together. Which stories stay with you? Which films make you think? And which documentary deserves to be discovered by a new generation?
It is precisely these different perspectives that make the process so special. What moves one person may be seen very differently by another. By watching, discussing and making choices together, they create a selection that speaks to the experiences of young viewers.
Nine documentaries with the Young Adult label
From the IDFA programme, the committee selected nine exceptional documentaries that resonate with them personally. These films can be seen at various locations and times during the festival, and are identifiable by the IDFA Young Adult label. In this way, the committee helps other young film enthusiasts discover new stories and perspectives. View the selection here.
The IDFA Young Adult label was created with support from CJP.
18 November Cinema De Vlugt: Filthy + accompanying programme
– on sexual violence, trauma and the power of art
One of the highlights of the selection is the screening event organised by Meervaart Studio together with IDFA and the Young Adults Selection Committee. On Wednesday 18 November 2026, Cinema De Vlugt will screen the documentary Filthy. Afterwards, experts and guests will join an in-depth discussion about how art can help people process sexual violence and trauma.
In Filthy, actor and theatre-maker Bárbara Mestanza tells her personal story. In 2019, she was sexually assaulted in a massage parlour in Madrid. She froze, paid out of shock and did not report the assault. When she later spoke about her experience, she was repeatedly asked the same question: why didn’t she do anything?
The incident continued to affect her life. To process her trauma, Mestanza decided to turn her experiences into a play, entitled Sucia. At the same time, she set out to find her assailant and tried to bring him to justice.
The documentary follows her through an intense and personal process. We see her working on her play and talking with her mother, friends, colleagues and lawyer. Her story is personal, but it also touches on a broader social reality. Audience members’ reactions to her performances make clear how many people carry similar experiences with them.
Filthy invites us to reflect on how people respond to sexual violence, on the expectations others place on them, and on the role art can play in making trauma easier to talk about.
After the film, we’ll talk together. How can you give shape to experiences that are sometimes difficult to put into words? What can art mean in the process of healing? And how can we create space for stories that too often go unspoken?
Please note: this film may contain sensitive images and subject matter.
Practical information
- What: screening of Filthy, followed by an in-depth discussion
- When: Wednesday 18 November 2026
- Time: 8.30 pm to approximately 10.40 pm
- Where: Cinema De Vlugt, Amsterdam
Buy your tickets here.
CJP Young Adults Programme
November 20 at Pathé Noord
On November 20, CJP presents CJP Young Adults, an evening-long programme featuring two exceptional films from the IDFA Young Adult label. End your week with two beautiful, inspiring films about solidarity and connection: Everybody to Kenmure Street and Still Night, Burning House (photo).
Not a CJP member? No problem! You don’t need a CJP membership to attend this event. CJP members do get a discount, though; simply enter your card number during the booking process. And there’s a lovely bonus: as a visitor, you’ll receive two one-year CJP memberships as a gift, worth €35 in total. Under 30? Keep one for yourself and make someone else happy with the second. Or simply give both away.