The premier event for nonfiction screen content in the Southern Hemisphere – the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) – has announced the first suite of in-person and online programming for its 2022 conference, including guest speakers Ted Hope, former Co-Head of Movies at Amazon Studios and trailblazing independent film producer of over 70 films including Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America and Sundance Award-winner The Devil and Daniel Johnston; Nanfu Wang, Independent Spirit Award and Peabody Award winning director of In the Same Breath and Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winner One Child Nation; Eva Orner, Oscar and Emmy Award-winning producer of Taxi to the Dark Side, director of AACTA award-winning Chasing Asylum and Amazon Prime Original Burning; and Sue Maslin, executive producer of Brazen Hussies, Anonymous Cluband Jill Bilcock: Dancing The Invisible – with many more to be announced.
With submissions already open for The FACTory international pitching forum, AIDC also seeks applications for its Cut to the Chase curated meetings program, the new DocPlay Originals Pitch and the Getty Images Archive Pitch, as well as announcing the return of the hugely successful AIDC Awards. Registrations are now open for the popular All Access Pass, which offers unlimited access to AIDC’s extensive resources and invaluable networking opportunities.
“Exploring the theme Bearing Witness, AIDC 2022 celebrates nonfiction storytellers who continue to innovate and adapt to bring us stories during times of crisis. Taking this lead, AIDC is proud to introduce our first ever hybrid event to enable documentary and factual creators to access AIDC 2022 in-person and online from anywhere in the world. We’re thrilled to be able to share a taste of our world-class speakers and buyers as well as a host of new industry initiatives designed to facilitate creative and business outcomes, aid recovery and contribute to a sustainable and vibrant future for our industry.” Natasha Gadd, AIDC CEO / Creative Director commented.
Gadd said that committed to supporting and elevating nonfiction storytelling through a range of creative and business opportunities, AIDC is an innovative and industry-leading event welcoming industry players from all over the globe to drive collaboration, production and industry development across film, television, streaming and digital media, and to inspire innovation and ignite social change. This conference will be the first under the direction of visionary new leader, CEO and Creative Director Natasha Gadd, who brings to the role more than two decades of industry experience and a passion for elevating and progressing the sector.




Gadd explained that through its central theme, Bearing Witness, AIDC 2022 will consider how documentaries have continued to bring us vital stories from the frontlines and the margins during a time of pandemic-driven lockdowns, travel restrictions and border closures. In a year of immense social upheaval, environmental change, political unrest and cultural reckonings, documentarians have turned their lenses to all corners of the globe, expanding our knowledge of the world we live in, giving visibility and voice to the underrepresented, and acting as an agent of change. Gadd said that the AIDC 2022 program will explore the act, art and impact of Bearing Witness via sub-themes; On the Record (investigative documentary and interrogation); Truth to Power (films for change, accountability and impact), Moments in Time (crafting observation, capturing the everyday); Documenting History (memories of the present, archives for the future); and Future Visions (innovation, regeneration and potential futures). In a landmark moment in its 34-year history, AIDC 2022 will deliver its first ever hybrid in-person and online conference, allowing Australia’s foremost documentary and factual content event to be accessible to all. The in-person conference sessions will return to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Melbourne from 6-9 March, simultaneously broadcast via the AIDC online event platform for remote participants. In addition, an international market for documentary and factual content will take place 10- 11 March available only online, for all AIDC marketplace participants. The hybrid event will allow attending delegates to enjoy in-person sessions, masterclasses, networking, and marketplace activities in Melbourne, whilst remote delegates can view session livestreams and take part in the international online market from anywhere in the world.
“Future Visions is not only one of the themes of the 2022 program but encapsulates why Film Victoria is delighted to continue our longstanding partnership with AIDC. This innovative conference continues to evolve, and with 2022 offering a hybrid online and in-person experience – we will see this leading industry event reach an even wider audience. We can’t wait to see everyone gather in Melbourne for AIDC next year.” Caroline Pitcher, CEO of Film Victoria commented.
“As the national museum of screen culture, ACMI is proud to be the home of AIDC and to host its hybrid event in 2022 online, and excitingly in person at our renewed museum. Factual content has always been at the heart of ACMI and along with our ongoing screening and public programs the Story of the Moving Image celebrates the breadth and power of factual content. Providing AIDC with accommodation year-round and hosting the conference in the heart of Melbourne supports our industry and connects our audiences to these makers and their work” Katrina Sedgwick OAM, ACMI Director & CEO commented.

Editor’s Note: Apparently the jury has been announced today for the AIDC Awards, a highlight event taking place during the conference.
The Awards will be presented on Wednesday 9 March at ACMI, Melbourne during AIDC 2022, acknowledging the very best Australian documentary and factual work of the last year across six categories: Best Feature Documentary, Best Documentary/Factual Series; Best Documentary/Factual Single; Best Short-Form Documentary, Best Audio Documentary, and Best Interactive/Immersive Documentary.
The 2022 AIDC Awards Jury comprises members with a wealth of screen knowledge and industry experience, including:
• Abigail Priddle, Creative Director, BBC Studios, The Documentary Unit, UK
• Gillian Moody, Producer, Kalori Productions, Australia
• Julie Shapiro, Vice President of Editorial, PRX & Radiotopia, USA
• Kate Montague, Managing Director / Co-Founder of Audiocraft, Australia
• Kitty Green, Director / Producer, Australia
• Lindsay Poulton, Head of Documentaries, The Guardian, UK
• Nashen Moodley, Festival Director, Sydney Film Festival, Australia
• Penny Smallacombe, Producer, Bunya Productions, Australia
• Rebecca Barry, Co-Founder & Producer, Media Stockade, Australia
• S. Leo Chiang, Director, Walking Iris Media, USA / Taiwan
• Sonya Pemberton, Creative Director, Genepool, Australia
• and more to be announced