The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) opens on Thursday for its 39th edition, with 253 films from 80 countries screening until November 22. The festival was founded in 1988 by Ally Derks, at a time when documentaries rarely made it into Dutch cinemas. The first edition showed 72 films to around 2,000 visitors. There are prizes for the best films in the International Competition and the Envision Competition, which is for more experimental work.