Australian International Documentary Conference

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.

History

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]

Description

AIDC is a not-for-profit organisation[4] committed to the sustainability of documentary, factual and unscripted storytelling. Its goal is to connect creators, purveyors and viewers of non-fiction screen content in ways that promote business, inspire creativity and ignite social change.[1]

As of 2018 the Conference is regarded as one of two major annual conferences for filmmakers, the other being the Screen Makers Conference held in Adelaide.[5]

List of Conferences
YearLocationThemeDirector
1987McLaren ValeInaugural ConferenceDaniela Torsh
1991CanberraIdeas for AustraliaMarguerite Grey
1993SydneyReflecting the FutureDaniela Torsh
1995Melbourne(no theme)Deb Verhoeven
1997BrisbaneNew FrontiersMelanie Guiney
1999AdelaideCreativity & the Freedom to Express ItMichael Elwood
2001Perth(no theme)Richard Sowada
2003Byron BayOutside the FrameCatherine Marciniak[2]
2004FremantleJourney to where sand & sea meetJohn Beaton
2005AdelaideCommon Ground New HorizonsHeather Croall
2006MelbourneSurvival of the FittestHeather Croall
2007AdelaideDocumentary: what is it good for?Joost den Hartog
2008FremantleFollow the Story...Joost den Hartog
2009AdelaideWho's WatchingJoost den Hartog
2010AdelaideIt's a small world after allJoost den Hartog
2011AdelaideNetwork, Deal, InspireJoost den Hartog
2012AdelaideNetwork, Deal, InspireJoost den Hartog
2013AdelaideDocWeekJoost den Hartog[6]
2014AdelaideDocWeekJoost den Hartog[7]
2015AdelaideNet-Work-PlayJoost den Hartog[8]
2016MelbourneTrue StoriesBritt Arthur[9]
2017MelbourneThree Sides to Every Story (30th Anniversary)Britt Arthur / Andrew Wiseman[10][11]
2018MelbourneSouthern ExposureAlice Burgin[12]
2019MelbourneThe Bigger PictureAlice Burgin[13]
2020MelbourneCollective IntelligenceAlice Burgin[14]
2021onlineMoment of TruthAlice Burgin[15]
2022MelbourneBearing WitnessNatasha Gadd[16]
2023 Melbourne Agents of Change Natasha Gadd[17]

The conference was held online in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[15]

The Stanley Hawes Award

The annual Stanley Hawes Award for contribution to the documentary in Australia is announced at each AIDC.

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.[18]

Previous winners

AIDC Awards

On 2021, AIDC announced the inaugural winners of the AIDC Awards in the following categories:[22]

  • Best Feature Documentary
  • Best Documentary/Factual Series
  • Best Documentary/Factual Single, won by Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky, directed and co-written by Steven McGregor, co-written and presented by Steven Oliver[22][23]
  • Best Short-form Documentary
  • Best Audio Documentary
  • Best Interactive/Immersive Documentary

On 18 February 2022 the nominees for the second time were announced,[24] with the winners announced on 9 March 2022.[25]

David and Joan Williams Documentary Fellowship

The David and Joan Williams Documentary Fellowship was established in 2011 by Kim Williams,[26][27] 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".[28]

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 scheduled to be given in June 2011, and was to be awarded annually.[26]

In 2015, the fellowship was worth A$50,000, and became biennial at the same time as transferring its management to the Documentary Australia Foundation.[28]

Recipients have included Jennifer Peedom, Matthew Bate, Juliet Lamont, Lynette Wallworth,[29] Al Hicks (2015)[30] and Erica Glynn (2017).[28]

References
  1. "AIDC-About us". Australian International Documentary Conference. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  2. Sunderland, Kerry (March 2003). "The 2003 Australian International Documentary Conference – A Report". Senses of Cinema issue 25. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016.
  3. "ACMI to host major documentary conference AIDC in 2016". ACMI. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  4. "Charitable Organisation Current Details". ABN Lookup. November 2014.
  5. Tiley, David (3 October 2018). "Media Resource Centre aims for national conference". ArtsHub. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  6. Ritchie, Kevin (26 September 2012). "Australia's DocWeek to launch with Pennebaker-Hegedus retrospective". Realscreen. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012.
  7. Knight, David (23 December 2013). "DocWeek Returns to Adelaide in 2014". The Adelaide Review. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021.
  8. "AIDC Exec Director steps down after decade in the role". IF Magazine. 24 February 2015.
  9. "Emmy award winning producers to headline AIDC 2016". IF Magazine. 3 December 2015. chief executive and co-director, Britt Arthur
  10. "AIDC 2017 First Program Announcement". AIDC. 8 November 2016. Archived from the original on 2 March 2017.
  11. Edwards, Dan. "Documentary in a virtual, post-truth world". RealTime Arts-Magazine. No. 137. interview with AIDC Director Andrew Wiseman
  12. "AIDC 2018 Program First Look". AIDC. 14 November 2017. Archived from the original on 24 March 2018.
  13. "See The Bigger Picture". AIDC. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  14. "AIDC reveals first Headline Speakers, Marketplace Opportunities and Theme for 2020 Conference". AIDC. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  15. "AIDC 2021 unveils full online conference program". AIDC. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  16. "AIDC reveals first look at 2022 Hybrid Program". AIDC. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  17. "AIDC Reveals 2023 Theme and First Look at Program Line-Up". AIDC. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  18. "Stanley Hawes Award". Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  19. "Stanley Hawes Award-Past Winners-read more". AIDC. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  20. "AIDC 2022 Awards Nominees and Stanley Hawes Award Winner announced". AIDC. 18 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  21. "AIDC 2023 Awards Nominees and Stanley Hawes Award Winner announced". AIDC. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  22. "2021 AIDC Awards Nominees". AIDC. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021.
  23. "Steven McGregor". AustLit. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  24. "2022 AIDC Awards Nominees". AIDC. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  25. "AIDC 2022 AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED". AIDC. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  26. "New documentary fellowship announced by Kim Williams". Inside Film. 18 March 2011. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  27. "David & Joan Williams Fellowship". AIDC. 2013. Archived from the original on 9 August 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  28. Groves, Don (8 June 2017). "Erica Glynn wins $50,000 documentary fellowship". if.com.au. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  29. Chatelin, Bruno (3 June 2015). "David & Joan Williams Documentary Fellowship Winner". Filmfestivals.com. Retrieved 18 February 2022. Editor's blog
  30. Nancarrow, Amy (3 June 2015). "Alan Hicks wins David and Joan Williams Fellowship". The AU Review. Retrieved 18 February 2022.

Further reading
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