IDFA must-sees

IDFA is in full swing! But with so many good documentaries to see, which ones are really worth your time? We dove into IDFA’s schedule and present you with the IDFA must-sees!

Click on the documentaries to see the viewing times and locations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fANAk7UC6rg

The Dawn Wall
Josh Lowell, Peter Mortimer | Austria | 2017 | 100 min

The Dawn Wall tells the story of the most difficult rock climb in the world. This rock climb can be found in Yosemite National Park and the smoothest side, the Dawn Wall, is the subject of this documentary. We follow Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson in their historic ascent to the summit. Flashbacks to the preparations and excerpts from the climbers’ private lives make it clear that Caldwell has had many obstacles to overcome in his life. These scenes aren’t as fascinating as the absurd adventure on El Capitan, but they do give a good sidelight on how this climbing pioneer got to be so unrelenting.

Jane
Brett Morgen | United States | 2017 | 90 min

Jane Goodall(now 83), famous for her work with the chimpanzees is the subject of this documentary. When 100 hours of footage, that was presumed lost, resurfaced in 2014 the world got an unique insight into her work. During the film we see Jane through the eyes of Hugo Lawick, a famous filmmaker for National Geographic, he was there to document her work but the two fell in love. This is probably why the documentary is an surprising mix between personal and work related clips. See her work and the chimps come to life in this touching documentary.

The Other Side of Everything
Mila Turajlic| Serbia, France, Qatar | 2017 | 102 min

This is the story of a door that has been locked for 70 years… An apartment in Belgrade is divided in two, the property was split on the orders of the communist government. The film is a symbol of a country in political turmoil and how a family deals with all of this. Will they open the door? And what is behind it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6LelhMHSaQ

Recruiting for Jihad
Adel Khan Farooq, Ulrik Imtiaz Rolfsen | Noorwegen | 2017 | 76 min

Norwegian Muslim extremist and recruiter is contacted by filmmakers Imtiaz Rolfsen and Adel Khan Farooq. Surprisingly, he gives them permission to follow him closely for three years. They do and film everything he does in this time. We see them at gatherings of Muslim Brothers, recruiting people for jihad and following an 18-year-old Norwegian to the airport ready to travel to Syria.

And this concludes our list of IDFA must-sees. Of course there is much more too see during the festival, please check the website for all details.