The Australian International Documentary Conference, to take place next March at ACMI, Melbourne / Naarm, has announced its 2025 theme: Future Telling.
The 2025 conference will present a program that explores new horizons for the sector and considers ways to actively shape the future we want to see for ourselves and our communities.
First confirmed international and local guests include Shane Boris (Navalny, Fire of Love, Stray, Hollywoodgate), Shiori Ito (Black Box Diaries), Gabriel Shipton (Ithaka: A Fight to Free Julian Assange, The Censored* Collection) and Elizabeth Klinck (Into the Inferno, Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words, Stories We Tell) for virtual and in-person sessions.
The conference will explore:
Dok-Politik (advocacy, sector reform, policy change)
Curious Truths (experimentation in form, creative nonfiction, investigative storytelling)
Stories Without Borders (co-pros, international formats, crossing genres, field building)
ReFraming Reality (future of truth, innovation, new technologies and future-casting)
Pulling Focus (sustainability, audience and distribution, impact and narrative strategy).
AIDC CEO / Creative Director Natasha Gadd, said, “As we stand at the precipice of a new era for our sector, at AIDC 2025 we turn our lens to the future of documentary and factual storytelling to create a forum that not only explores what is on the horizon but also invites us to envision possible or alternative futures for ourselves and our sector.”
“We’re thrilled to announce this incredible first lineup of speakers, decision makers and initiatives for AIDC 2025 as we explore the bold, innovative and creative ways that we can actively shape the changes we want to see.”
Participating for the very first time are Alison Barrat, Head of Content, Love Nature / Blue Ant Media (Canada),
Adam Jacobs, Creative Director, Quintus Studios (UK), Laura Miret, Commissioning Editor – Specialist Factual and Natural History Unit, ARTE France (France), Bo Zhang, Head of International Co-Productions, bilibili (China), Charlotte Madsen, Commissioning Editor, Documentary, SVT (Sweden), Alice Burgin, Head of Industry, Visions du Réel (Switzerland) and the newly appointed commissioning team from NITV, Dena Curtis, Head of Indigenous Commissioning and Production, Cieron Cody, Senior Commissioning Editor, and Joseph Meldrum, Commissioning Editor.
Also attending are Lucie Kon, Commissioning Editor, BBC Storyville (UK), Nic Meloney, Executive in Charge of Documentary & Factual, CBC (Canada), Natsu Kawakami, Senior Producer, NHK (Japan), Stephanie Fuchs, CEO,
Autlook Filmsales (Austria), Poppy McAlister, Head of TVF International, TVF International (UK), Theresa Navarro, Co-Director & Chief Operations Officer, Catapult Film Fund (USA), Alicia Brown, Commissioning Editor, Stan (Australia), Ari Harrison, General Manager, Umbrella Entertainment (Australia) – with many more to be announced.
2-5 March 2025
ACMI, Melbourne / Naarm
links to content on ABC
TV Tonight
