Australian International Documentary Conference


The Australian International Documentary Conference is an Australian conference for the promotion of documentary, factual and unscripted screen content, regarded as one of two major national conferences for filmmakers.

Description

AIDC is a not-for-profit organisation 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.
the Conference is regarded as one of two major annual conferences for filmmakers, the other being the Screen Makers Conference held in Adelaide.
The 2020 conference will be located at the State Library Victoria.

History

First established in 1987, 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.
It was held in Melbourne in 2006, 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.

List of Conferences

YearLocationThemeDirector
1987McLaren ValeInaugural ConferenceDaniela Torsh
1991CanberraIdeas for AustraliaMarguerite Grey
1993SydneyReflecting the FutureDaniela Torsh
1995MelbourneDeb Verhoeven
1997BrisbaneNew FrontiersMelanie Guiney
1999AdelaideCreativity & the Freedom to Express ItMichael Elwood
2001PerthRichard Sowada
2003Byron BayOutside the FrameCatherine Marciniak
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
2014AdelaideDocWeekJoost den Hartog
2015AdelaideNet-Work-PlayJoost den Hartog
2016MelbourneTrue StoriesBritt Arthur
2017MelbourneThree Sides to Every Story Britt Arthur / Andrew Wiseman
2018MelbourneSouthern ExposureAlice Burgin

The 2017 conference will take place in ACMI and Federation Square's Deakin Edge Auditorium from 5 – 8 March 2017.

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.