by FilmInk Staff
Marking its 40th anniversary, the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) has revealed its theme and first guest announcements for the milestone edition. The Southern Hemisphere’s premier industry event for documentary and factual storytelling, AIDC will return to Sydney for the first time in more than 30 years in 2027, made possible by a new Principal Partnership with the NSW Government through Screen NSW.
Thanks to the support of Screen NSW, Presenting Partner Screen Australia, and Major Partners ABC and SBS, AIDC 2027 will take place in-person from Monday 8 March – Thursday 11 March 2027 in Sydney, on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, State Library of NSW and Botanic Gardens of Sydney, followed by an online international marketplace 23-24 March.
AIDC 2027: REFRAMED
Sharing courageous truths about the world around us is at the heart of documentary and factual storytelling. Yet, never before has the idea of truth been so heavily debated, distorted and weaponised.
AIDC’s 2027 theme, REFRAMED, invites us to look at the same realities through different lenses: to ask who gets to frame the truth, and what happens when we challenge the narratives through which accepted points of view have been historically understood.
Through guest speakers and sessions, REFRAMED will call into question selective reframing through propaganda, misinformation, censorship and distorted realities, and will prompt us to harness alternate ways of seeing an existing truth through a contemporary lens by bringing in new, different and multiple viewpoints.
As AIDC marks its 40th anniversary, the 2027 edition of the conference will look back in order to look forward, acknowledging that our understanding of the world is never fixed and ever changing. REFRAMED asks us to reconsider what we think we know: to reveal what has been hidden, challenge what has been accepted, restore voices that have been silenced, and shine a light on what previous frames have left out.
Through a curated program of industry sessions, spotlight speakers, screenings and initiatives, REFRAMED will illuminate new perspectives on our craft and our stories to foster a deeper understanding of our diverse human experiences. At the same time, it celebrates the filmmakers, advocates, thought leaders and policy makers working to protect the foundations of our practice and uphold the legitimacy and authenticity of documentary and factual storytelling.
AIDC CEO / Creative Director Natasha Gadd, said, “Celebrating our 40th anniversary as we embark on a new era, AIDC 2027 will be an essential gathering place for the documentary and factual sector to showcase not only what our diverse and creative storytelling community continues to create but to also actively reframe what the future could hold through bold thinking, innovative practice and radical solutions to complex sector challenges.
“Through our 2027 theme, REFRAMED, AIDC provides a vital forum to explore and interrogate who gets to frame the truth, the forces that shape our understanding of reality, and to consider what becomes visible when we change the frame.
“Alongside AIDC Principal Partner, Screen NSW, we look forward to hosting the Southern Hemisphere’s premium gathering of documentary and factual storytellers in the heart of Sydney and warmly welcome you to AIDC 2027.”
AIDC’s new partnership with Screen NSW sees AIDC in a new location for the first time in 11 years, shining a spotlight on New South Wales as a destination for interstate and international screen leaders and an Asia-Pacific hub for screen business.
Screen NSW Executive Director Kylie Munnich, said: “Screen NSW is proud to support the return of AIDC to NSW for its landmark 40th anniversary edition. With a packed line-up of compelling speakers and sessions, AIDC is set to bring together the best minds in documentary filmmaking, commissioning and financing from around the world.
“We’re excited to see Sydney become a hub for discussion and collaboration, reinforcing NSW’s position as a leading destination for the screen industry. We’re also delighted to present the FACTory International Pitching Forum, which continues to connect talented creators with decision makers and to champion bold new documentary projects.”
FIRST ANNOUNCED GUEST SPEAKERS
POH SI TENG – Founder, Tiny Boxer Films, Director, American Doctor (USA)
Poh Si Teng is the award-winning director and producer of the highly acclaimed feature documentary American Doctor, which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, Documentary at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and is widely considered an Oscar® contender. She produced the Oscar®- nominated St. Louis Superman and executive-produced the Emmy® Award–winning Patrice: The Movie. She is the founder of Tiny Boxer Films, and a former creative executive at ABC/Disney, and former IDA grants director. She has served as the senior commissioning producer (Americas) for Al Jazeera’s Witness strand and is also a former journalist for The New York Times, where she received an Emmy® nomination, an NPPA Award, and a SPJ Deadline award for her documentary, Flirting With the Islamic State.
DARREN DALE – Managing Director and Producer, Blackfella Films (AUS)
Darren Dale is Managing Director at Blackfella Films, where he has produced award-winning documentary, factual and drama programs since 2000. He makes his directorial debut with 2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback (which he also produced), a cinematic documentary series examining the legacies of race, justice, and colonial policing, which world premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and will premiere locally on SBS on 10 November. His producing credits include the landmark First Australians, two seasons of the award-winning First Contact, 2023 AIDC Award-winner First Wars, Filthy Rich and Homeless, and the features The Tall Man and The Dark Emu Story. Darren is a Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and serves on the board of Screen Australia, the Sydney Film Festival (Chair), NIDA and the Sydney Festival.
TAMARA KOTEVSKA – Director, Writer, The Tale of Silyan (MKD)
North Macedonian filmmaker Tamara Kotevska’s debut feature documentary, Honeyland, won all three major documentary awards at Sundance 2019 and went on to make Academy Awards® history as the first documentary ever to receive simultaneous Oscar® nominations for Best Documentary Feature and Best International Feature Film. Known for a unique style of blending observational cinema with cinematic narrative, her most recent film, The Tale of Silyan, was acquired by National Geographic and received the Venice Film Festival’s Muse Award. It secured over ten Grand Prix honors, including IDA and Chicago Silver Hugo awards, plus PGA and Critics Choice nominations.
RACHEL ANTELL – Co-Founder, Archival Producers Alliance (USA)
Rachel Antell has worked in documentary film production for 25 years, and over a decade of those as an archival producer with credits including the Oscar®-nominated Crip Camp, executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s media company, Higher Ground Productions, and Emmy®-nominated The Way I See It, directed by Dawn Porter and produced by Laura Dern. In 2023, Rachel co-founded the Archival Producers Alliance (APA) to organise archival producers, educate the film community about the craft, and advocate for the field. There she helped lead the APA to publish the first industry guidelines and tool kit for the responsible use of generative AI in documentary; as well as co-founding the Trust in Archives Initiative, which builds tools to safeguard audiovisual library and archive collections in the synthetic age.
BASIL TSIOKOS – Senior Programmer, Sundance Film Festival (USA)
Basil Tsiokos has been with the Sundance Film Festival since 2005, and currently serves as Senior Programmer, specialising in non-fiction features. He was previously the longtime Director of Programming for DOC NYC and the Nantucket Film Festival, and before that, the Artistic and Executive Director of NewFest: The New York LGBT Film Festival. Basil has regularly served on the feature nominations committees for the Cinema Eye Honors and the IDA Awards. He co-produced the feature documentary The Canal Street Madam, which had its world premiere in competition at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival, and was a regular contributor to IndieWire writing extensively about documentaries between 2010 and 2022.
MANDY CHANG – Filmmaker, Executive producer, Consultant, Creative Director, CEO of Documentary Film Council (UK)
Mandy Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, consultant, curator and a leading figure in international documentary filmmaking. In 2026, she was appointed CEO of the UK’s Documentary Film Council (DFC), and continues to produce films with her own company Undeniable Productions, and to consult on independent projects. Previously, she was Fremantle’s Global Head of Documentaries, Commissioning Editor of the BBC’s Storyville, and Head of ABC Arts in Australia. In her long career, she has directed, produced, executive produced and commissioned hundreds of critically acclaimed films and series, including The Mole Agent, Writing with Fire, One Child Nation, Welcome to Chechnya, Mischa and the Wolves, It’s Never Over: Jeff Buckley, One in a Million and many more.
NEW DECISION MAKERS AND BUYERS
AIDC is excited to welcome decision makers and companies new to the market or attending in-person for the first time. Participating names include: Howard Myers-Rifai, Head of Unscripted Originals, Foxtel / Binge (Australia), Basil Tsiokos, Senior Programmer, Sundance Film Festival (USA), Denise Barren, Assistant Director, The Whickers (UK), Aleksandra Derewienko, Head of Sales, CAT&Docs (France), Jane Nice, Head of Development, Icon Entertainment (Australia), Cynthia Paribello, Development Coordinator, Original Content, ESPN (USA) and Caden Pearson, Commissioning Editor, NITV (Australia), with more to be confirmed.
Returning commissioners and funders from high profile companies in the doc and factual space, include Zoe Stinson, Acquisitions and Productions Manager, TVF International (UK), Pamela Martínez, CEO/Managing Director, Limonero Films (Spain), Bo Zhang, Head of International Department – Factual, bilibili (China), Jessie Shih, Director of Program Development, PTS | Taiwan Plus (Taiwan), Choy Lin Mok, Commissioning Editor, TRT World (Turkiye), Kazz Basma, Head of Sales & Acquisitions, Sideways Film (Spain), Paul Wiegard, Co-Founder and CEO, Madman Entertainment (Australia).
Following a successful 2026 event, with over 750 Australian and international delegates attending, AIDC 2027 will continue to expand its networking, knowledge, and professional and project development opportunities for documentary and factual practitioners, with more high profile international and national speakers and decision makers to be revealed in the coming months.
AIDC MARKETPLACE & INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT
AIDC’s 2027 Marketplace & Industry Development Program will once again provide an expansive range of business and development opportunities specifically for documentary and factual practitioners. Alongside sales, acquisitions, and funding decisions resulting from AIDC marketplace activity, in the past seven years, AIDC’s industry development
initiatives have unlocked over $3.6 million in professional and project development opportunities, and awards and prizes.
Confirmed AIDC Marketplace attendees include representatives from high-profile broadcasters, streamers, distributors, sales agents and funding bodies like: ABC (Australia), BBC Storyville (UK), bilibili (China), Boardwalk Pictures (USA/Australia), Cargo Film & Releasing (USA), CAT&Docs (France), DMZ Docs (South Korea), DocPlay (Australia),
Documentary Australia (Australia), ESPN (USA), Foxtel/Binge Australia), Icon Entertainment (Australia), In-Docs | Docs By The Sea (Indonesia), Jambika Docs (Spain), Limonero Films (Spain), Madman Entertainment (Australia), NITV (Australia), Paramount ANZ (Australia), PTS | Taiwan Plus (Taiwan), SBS (Australia), Shark Island Foundation (Australia), Sideways Film (Spain), Sundance Film Festival (USA), The Post Lounge Group (Australia), TRT World (Türkiye), TVF International (UK), The Whickers (UK).
The 12th edition of AIDC’s market centerpiece, The FACTory International Pitching Forum, presented by Screen NSW, is currently accepting submissions, with projects sought across three strands; the Central Showcase (for projects in development with international potential); New Talent Showcase (for projects by filmmakers presenting their first major work); and Rough Cut Showcase (for projects seeking sales, distribution, and exhibition opportunities). Selected projects will pitch live to decision makers during AIDC 2027, and also compete for seven international pitch prizes from festivals and markets, including Sheffield DocFest (UK), Visions du Réel (Switzerland), Doc Edge (New Zealand), Docs by the Sea (Indonesia), DMZ Docs (South Korea), Tokyo Docs (Japan) and Hot Docs (Canada). The final submission deadline is Sunday 8 November.
Meetings between industry guests and accredited producers will again take place through Cut to the Chase, AIDC’s curated meetings program for Business Pass and All Access Pass-holders. Now open for submissions, Cut to the Chase matches producers and their projects to the most relevant commissioning editors, acquisitions executives, distributors, sales agents, financiers and funders, with meetings with local and international decision makers participating in person taking place during AIDC and additional international meetings arranged online.
Returning for its fourth year is AIDC’s slate-pitching program The Showroom, designed specifically for established Australian production companies with multiple non-fiction projects in development. The Showroom generates business opportunities through extended meetings and exclusive access to high-level buyers representing international broadcasters, streamers and sales agents attending AIDC. Applications open 18 November.
The AIDC 2027 Marketplace & Industry Development program will also host a number of partnered initiatives, including the fifth year of the $100,000 Shark Island Foundation Feature Docs Pitch, offering up to four projects a $25,000 development grant and the opportunity to participate in the Shark Island Kangaroo Valley Development Lab; The Post Lounge Group Doc Pitch, with selected projects sharing in up to $35,000 of equity investment through development, production, and postproduction support; and the $20,000 DocPlay Indie Booster, providing two independent feature documentaries at any stage, from development to completion, with up to $10,000 per project to boost their theatrical screening campaigns. Pitch meetings for each initiative take place as part of Cut to the Chase.
AIDC’s philanthropically-funded program for emerging and diverse storytellers – Leading Lights – will also return for its 10th anniversary edition, featuring a tailored professional development program and the exclusive Leading Lights Pitch co-presented by AFTRS. Applications for Leading Lights are accepted until 6 December, with successful recipients receiving a complimentary AIDC 2027 Sessions Pass.
2027 AIDC AWARDS
Set to close AIDC 2027 on Thursday 11 March 2027, entries are currently sought for the prestigious 7th annual AIDC Awards, recognising outstanding completed works of new Australian documentary and factual content across a refreshed seven categories: Best Feature Documentary, Best Documentary Series, Best Factual Series, Best Documentary/Factual Single, Best Short Documentary, Best Audio Documentary and Best Digital First Documentary. Submissions close Sunday 22 November, with late submissions accepted until Wednesday 25 November (late fee applies).
AIDC members will also soon be able to nominate Australian industry professionals for the fourth annual AIDC Southern Light Award, a $5,000 cash prize given by AIDC to an Australian documentary and factual industry luminary for their outstanding contribution to the sector. Opening date to be announced soon.
Between AIDC’s combined Marketplace, Industry Development and Awards programs, AIDC 2027 has already unlocked access to over $275,000 in project development funding, professional development and prizes for delegates.
Further announcements about AIDC’s Indigenous Creators Program and major new initiatives and pitching opportunities will follow in the coming weeks, with the full session program to be revealed 2 February 2027.
Business Passes and All Access Passes for AIDC 2027 are now available, offering full access to AIDC’s full suite of marketplace, sessions, and networking opportunities.
We also offer a Sessions & Networking Pass for those without a project for the marketplace who still want to attend AIDC 2027 sessions and networking events; and a Sessions Pass for delegates only wanting to attend AIDC’s comprehensive program of panels and talks. Day Passes providing access to sessions and networking on each of the four
days will be made available upon the full program announcement, 2 February 2027.
