It’s that time of the year again – when International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) is in full swing. If you’d like to trade the big blockbusters of fiction for heartfelt videography and documentaries, then plan a visit to this year’s film festival. Taking place from November 18^th until 28^th for, coincidentally, the 28^th time, the program contains 319 titles with 78 documentary world premieres. And BLEND\BUREAUX decided to gather a few highlights from this year’s program.

The main locations are the same as in previous years: Pathé Tuschinski, Pathé de Munt, EYE and Flemish Arts Centre de Brakke Grond. The program is divided into ‘Competition Programs’, ‘Non-Competitive Programs’ and ‘Special Focus Programs’. All the sub-categories in the ‘Competitive’ segment are judged by an international jury. There are a number of different categories in the ‘Non-Competitive’ program, and the one that allows you to get involved through technology is called ‘DocLab: Seamless Reality’.

The category deals with an interactive search for the boundaries between our physical and digital realities. The possibilities of this category are promising, ranging from interactive projects to webdocs, apps, virtual reality projects, data art and installations. The experience will offer interactivity, allowing visitors to experiment with virtual reality, artificial intelligence, biometric technology and their own most personal data. The large number of virtual reality projects demonstrate the scope of possibilities this medium brings to the table, and we want to list a couple, just to give you a taste of what you can experience.

Part of the Seamless Reality program, ‘LoVR‘ explores human brain activity. The four-minute immersive experience allows you to witness the exact moment a person falls in love. But there’s a twist. It’s seen from the inside of a human brain, neurons and all. If you’ve ever wondered how that emotion affects your brain activity, now you can see it first hand, literally. Aaron Brandbury, the creator, wants to bring us closer to our raw emotions by creating a virtual slightly out-of-control daze, mimicking what it feels when you’ve fallen head over heels.

Another project worth your time focuses on the social issues of our generation. ‘Do Not Track’ is a web series about privacy. Have you ever thought who benefits from all our private data we unthinkingly share through tracking every day? A social media presence can influence your daily life more than you might think. For instance, companies such as Lenddo make use on online profiling and lend money to people based on their activity on social media. While watching the web docs, you can participate and find out what the web already knows about you. Eery?

These programs are just a small representation of what this year’s program has to offer. So get your ticket for the IDFA today and check out these interactive installations, or simply catch up on some good documentaries and let the festival provide you with food for thought. See you there!