The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) announced its 2025 award winners on November 20, with top honors going to two films by Iranian directors. 'A Fox Under a Pink Moon' by Mehrdad Oskouei won Best Film in the International Competition, while 'Past Future Continuous' by Morteza Ahmadvand and Firouzeh Khosrovani took the Best Film prize in the Envision Competition. Both awards include a €15,000 prize and highlight themes of exile and personal resilience.
The IDFA, recognized as the world's largest documentary film festival, concluded its awards ceremony in Amsterdam on November 20, 2025. Iranian filmmakers dominated the top categories, underscoring the festival's focus on global nonfiction storytelling amid themes of displacement and cultural identity.
International Competition Winners
'A Fox Under a Pink Moon,' directed by Mehrdad Oskouei, received the Best Film award, accompanied by a €15,000 prize. The documentary follows 16-year-old Afghan artist Soraya, who creates dark yet beautiful drawings and sculptures while attempting to flee Iran after five years of effort to join her mother in Austria. The jury, including members Eric Hynes, Isabelle Glachant, Maya Daisy Hawke, Michel K. Zongo, and Myriam Sassine, praised the film in their citation: “This film opens a window onto the power of art and hope during the difficult times through which we’re living. Through masterful cinematography often filmed in dangerous conditions, and the protagonist’s radiant energy, this empowering collaboration between an established filmmaker and a young new artist enables her to reclaim identity amid exile and domestic violence, to bloom despite repression, and to find solace through creation. A self-portrait that witnesses the growth of an Afghan artist whose work will continue to resonate.”
Other notable awards in this category included Best Directing for 'The Kartli Kingdom' by Tamar Kalandadze and Julien Pebrel (€5,000), Best Editing for 'December (Diciembre)' by Lucas Gallo, Best Cinematography for 'Silent Flood' by Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk, and a Special Mention for 'Flood' by Katy Scoggin.
Envision Competition Highlights
In the Envision Competition, 'Past Future Continuous,' directed by Morteza Ahmadvand and Firouzeh Khosrovani, earned the Best Film award with a €15,000 prize. The film explores the life of Maryam, who left Iran decades ago for the United States and now monitors her aging parents in Tehran via security cameras amid rising political unrest. Composed of security footage and childhood home videos, it delves into diaspora, exile, and memory. Jurors Ansuya Blom, Gladys Joujou, Ignacio Agüero, Massimo D’Anolfi, and Salomé Jashi described it as: “In this film, with an outstanding text, the form elevates the subject to another level. Here, time and space are both concrete and suspended. The authors invented and set up a reality where cinematic experience offers emotional truth. The film presents itself as an unusual and poignant cinematic experiment that holds together various lines of reflection: diaspora, exile, historical repetition, and personal memory.”
Additional Envision awards went to Best Directing for 'Holy Destructors' by Aistė Žegulytė-Zapolska (€5,000) and Outstanding Artistic Contribution for 'Amílcar' by Miguel Eek. The festival, running through Sunday in Amsterdam, also announced winners in categories like Best First Feature ('Paikar' by Dawood Hilmandi, which also won the FIPRESCI Award) and Best Short Documentary ('An Open Field' by Teboho Edkins). The NPO Doc IDFA Audience Award is set for Friday.