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Amsterdam Independent Film Festival
No red carpets. No elitist audiences. No distraction from the art itself. The Amsterdam Independent Film Festival will provide an intimate environment for film-makers and film lovers to come together and share in the beauty of artistic expression.
The glitz and glamor of showbusiness in the mainstream film festival can sometimes detract from the true purpose of the event — the celebration of creative film-making. While the red carpets, the champagne parties, and the high admission prices may be good for grabbing headlines and driving profits, they may also prevent the dissemination of art to the audience.
We take pride in our astute selection process. The Amsterdam Independent Film Festival is known for discovering hidden gems that later go on to successfully thrive at A-list festivals, with some films even catching the eye of the Academy Awards. In 2021 for example, we selected 'Ala Kachuu – Take and Run', directed by Maria Brendle, which was nominated in 2022 for an Oscar in the Best Live Action Short Film category. Or in 2023, we selected 'The Mechanics of Fluids' by Gala Hernández López, which awarded as Best Short Documentary at the Césars.
At the Amsterdam Independent Film Festival, we focus on film. The festival will also bring independent artistic visions to an audience that demands a more fulfilling experience than the latest Hollywood fare.
In Amsterdam’s Lab 111 — a cult cinema located in a former anatomical pathology hospital — we’ll be screening the world’s best independent films free of charge, giving film-makers the widest possible exposure and freedom from commercial constraints.
We’ll also pay tribute to the masters of the independent film industry and explore their creative journeys. In 2018 we looked into the work of Jim Jarmusch and in 2019 our focus was the early work by David Lynch. In 2020, we look at famed Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman (1950-2015). A pioneer of modern feminist cinema, her oeuvre explores the mundanities of everyday life with a clear, personal eye and has left a considerable mark on avant-garde cinema.
Alongside our showcase of independent film will be the carefully-curated “Red Lights” selection, featuring the best of modern erotic cinema. This presentation of unique and original art will be a tasteful exploration of human sexuality — demonstrating the full spectrum of human experience through the medium of motion picture.
No red carpets. No elitist audiences. No distraction from the art itself. The Amsterdam Independent Film Festival will provide an intimate environment for film-makers and film lovers to come together and share in the beauty of artistic expression.