2024 AIDC Awards winners and Factory Pitch Prize winners announced

At a special presentation hosted at ACMI, Melbourne / Naarm, the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) announced the winners of the 4th annual AIDC Awards.  

Hosted by TV presenter, broadcaster and educator Namila Benson, the AIDC Awards ceremony marked the conclusion of the four-day conference for the documentary and factual industry, with two more days of International Marketplace meetings still to come (7-8 March).  

The 2024 event saw the attendance of over 750 delegates, including the participation of 117 local and international speakers, and 103 local and international decision makers in a program of 40-plus sessions and over 577 curated meetings, with many more spontaneous meetings made throughout the event.

The AIDC Awards provided the perfect capstone to the 2024 conference, acknowledging the very best in Australian documentary and factual from the past 12 months. 

MAIN AWARDS 

The Winners of the 4th annual AIDC Awards, as selected by AIDC AWARDS JURY, are: 

BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY 

(With a $5,000 cash prize presented by Film Finances) 

THIS IS GOING TO BE BIG 

2023 | TRUCE FILMS AND FREMANTLE MEDIA 

Director: THOMAS HYLAND | Producers: CATHERINE BRADBURY, JIM WRIGHT, JOSIE MASON CAMPBELL 

JURY STATEMENT: “With a cast of truly unforgettable participants, This Is Going to Be Big shines for its highly original subject matter, and touched the jury for its deceptively simple but masterfully crafted coming of age story. Director Thomas Charles Hyland and his team thoughtfully engages the young students to partake in the filming process which impressed the jury for its inclusive approach. The patient, fly on the wall editing and cinematography lovingly centers the narrative within the students’ perspective to joyous and entertaining effect. One can see that the filmmaking team built a trusting relationship with the school, students, and families, resulting in a gem of a film about the power of kindness and what it means to belong.”

BEST DOCUMENTARY / FACTUAL SINGLE 

REBEL WITH A CAUSE: OODGEROO NOONUCCAL 

2023 | INKEY MEDIA 

Director: SIO F TUSA | Producer: CITT WILLIAMS | Executive Producer: DENA CURTIS 

JURY STATEMENT: “Oodgeroo Noonuccal is the story of the First Nations Australian poet, and first Aboriginal woman to ever be published. Oodgeroo used her gift for words to advocate for Aboriginal rights, and her words proved powerful and hugely popular. We can learn from the film that her strong spirit is evidence of her struggle against the times in which she lived and gives strength and inspiration to us living today. The filmmakers have used glorious archive, interviews with Oodgeroo’s grandchildren, and her poetry which is intricately woven into the film. An elegantly crafted film that explores discrimination in post-war Australia, Oodgeroo Noonuccal is a fresh and empowering look at one of Australia’s most creative activists. High commendation goes to The Platypus Guardian for its unique and intimate insight through the cinematography, and to Neville Bonner for its complex and skilful use of archive and audio; creating a compelling story within the edit.”

BEST DOCUMENTARY / FACTUAL SERIES 

NEVER LET HIM GO 

2023 | BLACKFELLA FILMS AND SHOW OF FORCE 

Directors: JACOB HICKEY, JEFF DUPRE | Producers: DARREN DALE, JACOB HICKEY, JEFF DUPRE, SARALENA WEINFIELD 

JURY STATEMENT: “The documentary series Never Let Him Go is told in 4 hours of screen time.  It is the story of the impact and aftermath of a mysterious tragic death of a young gay man in Sydney in 1988 and his older brother’s determination to solve the mystery over the ensuing decades.  It is the story of persistence to find the truth in the face of political and institutional obstruction. The result is a beautifully crafted and emotional series.  It follows events over more than 30 years but is constructed to unfold those events in real time. The archival and the contemporary footage are used to maximum affect, as are still photographs and the insightful interviews conducted over the period of production. Never Let Him Go is very fine filmmaking and stands as a testament to the ability of dedication and love to bring some light out of the darkness of a tragedy. Congratulations to the whole team behind this well-deserved award for the series.”

BEST SHORT-FORM DOCUMENTARY 

MARUNGKA TJALATJUNU (DIPPED IN BLACK) 

2023 | OTHER PICTURES AND SWITCH PRODUCTIONS 

Directors: DERIK LYNCH, MATTHEW THORNE 

JURY STATEMENT: “The jury was impressed with the cinematic journey of Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black), which portrays the intimate life of subject and co-director Derik Lynch, a Yankunytjatjara artist. Lynch alongside co-director Matthew Thorne have crafted an evocative story that weaves a strong visual style with sublime composition and sound design to reveal a deeply complex and personal story. With a deft but graceful touch, the film immerses the audience in a unique world and experience that many often only glimpse from a distance. Whilst boldly creative and cinematic, the film stays true and authentic to its character and world as we travel with Derik from the city to his remote Aboriginal community of Aputula. Clear in its impact, this film is a spiritually healing work of sophisticated and rich storytelling.”

BEST AUDIO DOCUMENTARY  

(With a $3,000 cash prize presented by AFTRS) 

HOUSE OF SKULLS 

2023 | SONY AND AUDIBLE 

Key Creatives: MARC FENNELL, PALLAVI KOTTAMASU, PAUL HORAN 

JURY STATEMENT: “House of Skulls takes us inside a little-known classroom in a university where we find a collection of human skulls. The origin stories contained in this collection catapult us around the world. In less capable hands, we could have just learned what the anthropology students learn — a history lesson — but instead we get a history-as-mystery tale that is thoroughly entertaining and relevant. House of Skulls pulls on historical threads and ties them to the present-day in a way that helps us better understand systemic racism. It also taps into a global-scale cultural reckoning about who gets to tell their story. The series producer/host, Marc Fennell, is a masterful interviewer. His charm ensures we get candid, personal and illuminating insights from whoever’s in front of the mic. Fennell also has a knack for structuring stories in a way that makes the listener feel invested – the writing crackles with tension. In sum, Fennell is a force in Australian audio and with this series he continues to set the bar.”

BEST INTERACTIVE / IMMERSIVE DOCUMENTARY 

(With a $3,000 cash prize presented by Deakin Motion Lab) 

TURBULENCE: JAMAIS VU 

2023 | PERNICKETY SPLIT 

Directors/Producers: BEN JOSEPH ANDREWS, EMMA ROBERTS 

JURY STATEMENT: “Turbulence: Jamais Vu by Ben Joseph Andrews and Emma Roberts is an evocative and emotive piece, treating the user with the utmost care in guiding them through an atmospheric and potentially destabilising yet eye-opening experience. In classic stripped-back documentary style, Turbulence offers us insight into Ben’s vestibular condition while moving beyond the personal experience to encourage us to ask bigger questions of how we perceive our world. Technical limitations become creative foils in this transportive and unsettling work. Turbulence makes clear the unique experiential capacity of VR for documentary storytelling.”

PITCH PRIZES  

During the Awards Presentation, winners were announced for the Screen Australia-presented Fresh Cuts Documentary Pitch, Shark Island Foundation Feature Docs Pitch, and the FACTory Pitch Prizes awarded to participating projects by international documentary festivals and markets.  

FRESH CUTS DOCUMENTARY PITCH WINNERS 

In its second year, Fresh Cuts, co-presented by Screen Australia and AIDC, saw six project teams pitching short projects for younger audiences to a panel of industry decision makers with three teams in the running for up to $30,000 each in development funding from Screen Australia for their project. 

AIDC CEO and Creative Director Natasha Gadd announced the three successful projects: 

Paradise Camp: Homecoming 

In, Out  

Fridge Foraging  

The amounts for each project to be funded will be determined between Screen Australia and the project teams. 

SHARK ISLAND FOUNDATION FEATURE DOCS PITCH WINNER 

Shark Island Institute Executive Director Ian Darling announced the recipients of the second Shark Island Foundation Feature Docs Pitch, held as part of AIDC 2024’s Cut to the Chase curated pitch meetings program. 

“Due to the strength of the projects pitching at Cut to the Chase we’ve decided to offer above our original goal.” said Mr Darling.

“Shark Island Foundation would like to offer development grants totalling $150,000 to the following films through the Cut to the Chase pitch initiative.”

Streetside $20,000 

It’s Not About The Food $15,000 

In Frame $15,000 

Body Heat $20,000 

War Criminals $30,000 

The C Word $50,000 

Shark Island Foundation will also be awarding formal letters of interest to We Are Jeni & The Pledge asking these teams to apply for a Production grant.

FACTORY PITCH PRIZE WINNERS 

AIDC CEO and Creative Director Natasha Gadd returned to the Awards stage to announce the winners of the FACTory Pitch Prizes: 

Sheffield Doc/Fest Prize 

Winner – COPAN 

Two complimentary festival passes to participate in Sheffield DocFest 2024 (Sheffield, UK) 

Hot Docs Prize

Winner – Life in the Shadows 

Two complimentary passes to participate in Hot Docs Industry 2024 (Toronto, Canada) 

Sunny Side of the Doc Prize 

Winner – Frontline Rangers 

Two complimentary passes to participate in Sunny Side of the Doc 2024 (La Rochelle, France)  

Dok Leipzig Prize 

Winner – Downhill Kargil 

Two complimentary passes to participate in DOK Leipzig 2024 (Leipzig, Germany) 

Doc Edge Prize 

Winner – Frontline Rangers 

Two complimentary passes to participate in Doc Edge 2024 (Auckland, New Zealand) 

Docs By The Sea Prize 

Winner – Camels by the Sea 

Two complimentary passes to participate in Docs by the Sea 2024 (Bali, Indonesia)  

SOUTHERN LIGHT AWARD 

As part of the AIDC Awards ceremony, the already-announced Southern Light Award for outstanding contribution to nonfiction screen, digital and/or audio media was presented to producer Karina Holden, Head of Factual at Northern Pictures.

Karina has been a trailblazer in the field of factual television for over two decades. She has overseen more than 20 factual series, including See What You Made Me Do (SBS), called ‘one of the most important documentaries you’ll ever watch’; Employable Me (ABC), which gave people with disabilities their first opportunity to participate in the workforce; and the globally successful Love on the Spectrum (ABC, Netflix), winner of four Emmy® Awards.   

DAVID TILEY TRIBUTE 

AIDC CEO / Creative Director Natasha Gadd ended the Awards Presentation with a respectful tribute to screen journalist and 2022 AIDC Stanley Hawes Award winner for outstanding contribution to documentary, David Tiley, who is critically unwell.

“David has been an indefatigable champion of documentary and factual production, and one of our most passionate grassroots commentators and a singular voice on screen business in the Australia media.”, said Ms Gadd.  

“Thank you for helping us to honour the wonderful David Tiley tonight.”