The Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) is an Australian conference for the promotion of documentary, factual and unscripted screen content, regarded as one of two major national conferences for filmmakers.
First established in 1987,[1] AIDC began life as a biennial conference. Over time the event has moved to several different regions in Australia, mostly being held in capital cities. Over the years it has grown from being a small conference with a few international guests, to being a major annual international event. Serving both the commercial and creative needs of the industry, the conference provides a marketplace for documentary product for national and international buyers and distributors, showcases the work of Australian and international documentary makers, and creates a forum to discuss content, craft, technology and future directions.
It was as a result of the first AIDC, held in 1987 at McLaren Vale, in the heart of South Australia's wine growing region, that the ABC introduced its pre-sale commissioning system.[2]
It was held in Melbourne in 2006 (and possibly previous to this), before relocating back to Adelaide for five successful years until 2015, again moving to Melbourne in 2016. In that year it was held at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)[3], and remained there for four years. In 2020, the event moved to State Library Victoria for one edition[4] . The conference was held online in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, before returning to ACMI for following editions.
AIDC is a not-for-profit organisation[5] committed to supporting and elevating nonfiction storytelling through creative and business opportunities across film, television, streaming, and digital media.[1]
| Year | Location | Theme | Director | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | McLaren Vale | Inaugural Conference | Daniela Torsh | |
| 1991 | Ideas for Australia | Marguerite Grey | ||
| 1993 | Reflecting the Future | Daniela Torsh | ||
| 1995 | (no theme) | Deb Verhoeven | ||
| 1997 | New Frontiers | Melanie Guiney | ||
| 1999 | Creativity & the Freedom to Express It | Michael Elwood | ||
| 2001 | (no theme) | Richard Sowada | ||
| 2003 | Outside the Frame | Catherine Marciniak | ||
| 2004 | Journey to where sand & sea meet | John Beaton | ||
| 2005 | Adelaide | Common Ground New Horizons | Heather Croall | |
| 2006 | Melbourne | Survival of the Fittest | Heather Croall | |
| 2007 | Adelaide | Documentary: what is it good for? | Joost den Hartog | |
| 2008 | Fremantle | Follow the Story... | Joost den Hartog | |
| 2009 | Adelaide | Who's Watching | Joost den Hartog | |
| 2010 | Adelaide | It's a small world after all | Joost den Hartog | |
| 2011 | Adelaide | Network, Deal, Inspire | Joost den Hartog | |
| 2012 | Adelaide | Network, Deal, Inspire | Joost den Hartog | |
| 2013 | Adelaide | DocWeek | Joost den Hartog[6] | |
| 2014 | Adelaide | DocWeek | Joost den Hartog[7] | |
| 2015 | Adelaide | Net-Work-Play | Joost den Hartog[8] | |
| 2016 | Melbourne | True Stories | Britt Arthur[9] | |
| 2017 | Melbourne | Three Sides to Every Story (30th Anniversary) | Britt Arthur / Andrew Wiseman[10] [11] | |
| 2018 | Melbourne | Southern Exposure | Alice Burgin[12] | |
| 2019 | Melbourne | The Bigger Picture | Alice Burgin[13] | |
| 2020 | Melbourne | Collective Intelligence | Alice Burgin[14] | |
| 2021 | online | Moment of Truth | Alice Burgin[15] | |
| 2022 | Melbourne | Bearing Witness | Natasha Gadd[16] | |
| 2023 | Melbourne | Agents of Change | Natasha Gadd[17] | |
| 2024 | Melbourne | Frontlines | Natasha Gadd [18] |
The annual Stanley Hawes Award for contribution to the documentary in Australia was announced at each AIDC until 2023.
The Stanley Hawes Award was established in 1997 to honour Stanley Hawes as first Producer-in-Chief of the Australian National Film Board and Commonwealth Film Unit. The award recognises the significant support he gave independent filmmakers in the documentary sector and is awarded to a person that makes an outstanding contribution to the documentary sector in Australia.[19]
The annual AIDC Southern Light Award was established in 2024 to celebrate luminaries of the Australian documentary and factual industry.
Expanding the eligibility scope of the pre-existing Stanley Hawes Award, presented from 1997 – 2023, the AIDC Southern Light Award is a $5,000 cash prize presented by AIDC to an Australian industry professional for their outstanding contribution to nonfiction screen, digital and/or audio media.
The annual AIDC Awards were established in 2021 to recognise outstanding completed works of new Australian documentary and factual content across six categories. The awards are traditionally announced on the final day of the AIDC conference.[24]
| 2021[25] | The Australian Dream | Miriam Margoyles: Almost Australian | Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky, directed and co-written by Steven McGregor, co-written and presented by Steven Oliver[26] | My Body Says | The Eleventh | Mt Resilience | |
| 2022[27] | I'm Wanita | See What You Made Me Do | Our African Roots | Freedom Swimmer | Tender: Roia Atmar | Gondwana | |
| 2023[28] | Wash My Soul in the River's Flow | The Australian Wars | Still We Rise | Eden Alone Surpasses Thee | The Greatest Menace: Inside the Gay Prison Experiment | Night Creatures | |
| 2024[29] | This is Going to be Big | Never Let Him Go | Rebel With a Cause: Oodgeroo Noonuccal | Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black) | House of Skulls | Turbulence: Jamais Vu |
The David and Joan Williams Documentary Fellowship was established in 2011 by Kim Williams,[30] [31] former CEO of News Limited, Foxtel and Fox Studios Australia, in honour of his parents. It is intended "to give an independent filmmaker enough money and time to reflect and prepare for his or her next work or to undertake relevant study and research".
The fellowship is given in the form of grants, initially overseen by filmmakers Bob Connolly and Victoria Treole, and administered by the AIDC. The first fellowship was awarded in June 2011,[30] to producer Jennifer Peedom.[32]
In 2015, the fellowship was worth, and became biennial at the same time as transferring its management to the Documentary Australia Foundation.[33]
Other recipients have included Matthew Bate, Juliet Lamont, Lynette Wallworth,[34] Al Hicks (2015),[35] and Erica Glynn (2017).[33]