- Day One of Indy Film Library Awards sees four programmes of shorts – including international and Benelux-based artists
- Winners announced for Best International Film
- Tickets for Day Two, at Supermercator, still on sale for 3rd of April
Saturday the 2nd of May has seen Indy Film Library (IFL) kick off its first weekend-long festival in style. Showcasing some of the best independent films it has received for review over the last year, the 2026 event is the first where IFL has presented its international shorts at a theatre.
Taking place at Filmhuis Cavia, Day One exhibited two packages of international films, and Q&A sessions led by IFL contributor and Cavia programmer Dimitra Alexiou, who also selected the short-list.
Alexiou said ahead of the showcase, “It was a great pleasure to be the programmer of the Indy Film Library’s first international blocks. Film is a form of art, but it is also a protest, a shout out to the changes we need to make in the world, a revolution. The films chosen for the blocks are either portraying great ways of storytelling and filmmaking, or are socially and politically powerful.”
The movies were followed by the announcement of the winners for the Best International Film category.
Over the last month, an international jury of experts and friends of IFL has been voting for winning films from the selection. And at the final showcase on the 19th of April, IFL announced the triumphant films from that process.
Picking up special commendations, after a knife-edge final round of deliberations, were The Last Rehearsal, HUNGER, and Do Not Disturb.
The winner was selected as The Last Goodbye, however, with judges praising Kailey Wolf‘s film’s strong performances, and thought-provoking filmmaking choices.
Stay tuned for Day Two at Supermercator on the 3rd of May. After a feature documentary and three more packages of Benelux films, the rest of the festival’s winners will be announced at the end of the night. Tickets are still on sale if you haven’t booked your place already.
Best International Film
Winner: The Last Goodbye
Special commendations: HUNGER, The Last Rehearsal & Do Not Disturb
IFL’s 2026 Jury:
Federico Petrini
Cult Cinema Expert, Netherlands
Katalin Fikkert
Filmmaker, Filmtheater Kriterion Programmer, Netherlands
Elisabeth van Vliet
Cinemercator Programmer, Netherlands
Maaike Hasselaar
Cinemercator Programmer, Netherlands
Andreas van Riet
Cinemercator Programmer, Filmmaker and Previous IFL Winner, Netherlands
Xousha Eisenhardt
Filmmaker and Previous IFL Winner, Netherlands
Kino Lee
Musician and Previous IFL Winner, UK
Thisen Umagiliya
Filmmaker, Sri Lanka
Yara Helgenberger
Cinema Expert, Netherlands