AIDC Reveals 2026 Theme and First Look at Program & Marketplace Line-Up

AIDC is thrilled to unveil the theme and first confirmed guests for the 2026 Australian International Documentary Conference – the Southern Hemisphere’s premier gathering for documentary and factual storytelling. 

Thanks to Principal Partner VicScreen, Presenting Partners ACMI and Screen Australia, and Major Partners ABC and SBS, AIDC 2026 comes to life Monday 2 March – Thursday 5 March 2026 at ACMI, Melbourne / Naarm, followed by an online international marketplace, 11-12 March 2026.

AIDC 2026: HOLD TRUE

In 2026, AIDC celebrates the solidarity and resilience of the documentary and factual community, inviting us to come together and HOLD TRUE in order to safeguard creative practice and the principles of truth, and, importantly, to fortify a sustainable future for our filmmakers, our sector and our stories. 

Navigating shifts in the global media landscape, increased censorship, unregulated new technologies and industry contraction, our sector is meeting change head-on. HOLD TRUE is a rallying cry to remain steadfast in the face of challenges and adversity, and a call to action for legislators, policy makers and funders to support the sector and drive vital change.

Through a curated program of industry sessions, spotlight speakers, screenings and initiatives, AIDC 2026 will celebrate the work of those navigating the evolving media landscape, and call for a joining of forces to protect the ongoing viability and sustainability of our sector; a goal we collectively share. 

Under the theme HOLD TRUE, AIDC 2026 will explore the following subthemes: Truth States (truth to power, story sovereignty and the future of truth), Forward Focus (innovation, experimentation and alternative pathways), Change Agents (field building, sustainability and impact), Field of Vision (storytelling, craft and creative explorations), and State of the Nation (sector advocacy, policy and reform).

AIDC CEO / Creative Director Natasha Gadd, said, “Storytelling is at the heart of documentary and factual filmmaking driven by the bold, courageous and creative storytellers whose works provide a lens through which to explore the world in all its diversity, complexity, brutality, and beauty.

“As we find ourselves in an era in which the very foundations of our storytelling practice are increasingly under threat, through our 2026 theme ‘Hold True’, we ask, how can we hold true – to each other, to the principles of truth and to the stories that demand to be told?

“Join us at AIDC 2026 as we come together to uphold our creative practice and protect our stories – stories that champion change, speak truth to power and reveal the wonders, challenges, and potentialities of the world around us.” 

FIRST CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

Aloke Devichand, Head of Documentaries, Mindhouse (UK)

Aloke Devichand is Head of Documentaries at Mindhouse (UK), the BAFTA-winning production company founded in London by filmmaker Louis Theroux. Aloke has executive-produced numerous projects including the Netflix series Can I Tell You a Secret? and the upcoming feature Hanging by a Wire. Previously, Aloke was a commissioner in the Original Documentaries team at Netflix, overseeing projects including the Oscar®-winning The Elephant Whisperers and Emmy®-winning Hope Frozen. Aloke has also worked as a global commissioner for Al Jazeera’s Witness strand.

Rita Baghdadi, Filmmaker / Co-Founder, Lady & Bird Films (USA)

Rita Baghdadi is an Emmy®-winning US filmmaker lauded for the intimacy of her bold, character-driven documentaries. She is known for the Natasha Lyonne and Maya Rudolph executive-produced Sirens (2022), the award-winning Finding the Light (2024, part of the Photographer series), My Country No More (2019), and City Rising (2018). She is a co-founder of the LA/London-based production company Lady & Bird Films, at the forefront of ethical storytelling.  

Tom McDonald, Executive Vice President of Content, National Geographic (UK)

Tom McDonald is National Geographic’s EVP of Content, overseeing television, streaming, editorial, digital and social across all platforms, including Disney+. He leads global content teams in Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles, and London. Since joining in 2023, he has helped drive a bold content strategy that has received recognition from the Emmys, Critic’s Choice, BAFTA, RTS, Peabody Awards and the James Beard Foundation. He was recently appointed as Chairperson of The Grierson Trust, a charity which supports the best of documentary filmmaking in the UK & around the world.

Maya Daisy Hawke, Editor (NZ / USA)

Maya Daisy Hawke is the editor of the Oscar® and double Sundance Award-winning Navalny and the Oscar®-nominated Sugarcane, and co-editor of Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams. She has been a supervising and consulting editor on films like Black Box Diaries (2024), The Dating Game (2025), and River of Grass (2025), and assistant-edited eight more films with Werner Herzog, including Grizzly Man. She has also created her own projects – exhibited at the Museum of Moving Image NYC, Sundance, ICA London, LACMA, Camden International Film Festival, and IDFA – and is the co-director, with partner Joe Bini, of the live documentary Little Ethiopia.

FIRST DECISION MAKERS AND BUYERS

AIDC is excited to welcome new decision makers and companies to our market for the first time, including: Tom McDonald, Executive Vice President, National Geographic, (USA), Charlie Parsons, Senior Vice President of Global Development, National Geographic (USA), Aloke Devichand, Head of Documentaries, Mindhouse Productions (UK), Anna Miralis, Senior Commissioning Editor, Channel 4 (UK), Inka Achté, Head of Acquisition & Strategy / Artistic Director, Raina Film Festival Distribution/DocPoint Helsinki Documentary Film Festival (Finland), Ana Fernández Saiz, Head of Sales, Impronta Films (UK), Natalie Campbell-Reid, Acquisitions & Business Development Executive, Together Films (UK), Maria Ruggieri, Head of Sales & Acquisitions, Asian Shadows (Hong Kong), Yuda Dilianzia, Executive Director, In-Docs | Docs by the Sea (Indonesia) – with many more still to be announced.

The newcomers will participate alongside returning commissioners and funders from high profile companies in the doc and factual space, like Erika Dilday, Executive Director/Executive Producer, American Documentary | POV (USA), Oli Harbottle, Chief Content Officer, Dogwoof (UK), Kate Lemberg, Associate Manager, Industry Relations & Artist Programs, Points North Institute (USA), Alison Barrat, SVP, Head of Content, Blue Ant Media/Love Nature (USA), Hannah Iafrati, Documentary Coordinator, Hulu (USA), Jenny Bohnhoff, International Sales and Operations Manager, MetFilm (UK), Robin Smith, CEO, Blue Ice Docs Inc. (Canada), Kazz Basma, Head of Sales & Acquisitions, Sideways Films (UK) with many more to come. 

Following a successful 2025 event with 780 Australian and international delegates attending, AIDC 2026 will continue to expand its networking, knowledge, and professional and project development opportunities for documentary and factual practitioners. Many more high-profile national and international speakers and decision makers will be revealed in the coming months. 

AIDC MARKETPLACE & INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT

AIDC’s 2026 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 $3.1 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), American Documentary | POV (USA), Asian Shadows (Hong Kong), Blue Ant Media/Love Nature (USA), Blue Ice Docs Inc. (Canada), Cargo Film & Releasing (USA), CAT&Docs (France), Channel 4 (UK), Dogwoof (UK), Hulu (USA), Impronta Films (UK), In-Docs | Docs by the Sea (Indonesia), Jambika Docs (Australia/Spain), Journeyman Pictures (UK), Madman Entertainment (Australia), MetFilm (UK), Mindhouse Productions (UK), National Geographic (USA), NITV (Australia), Points North Institute (USA), Raina Film Festival Distribution/DocPoint Helsinki Documentary Film Festival (Finland), SBS (Australia), Shark Island Foundation (Australia), Sideways Film (UK), Together Films (UK), TRT World (Türkiye), with many more yet to be announced.

The 11th edition of AIDC’s market centerpiece, The FACTory International Pitching Forum, presented by VicScreen, 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 early-career filmmakers); and Rough Cut Showcase (for projects seeking sales, distribution, and exhibition opportunities). Selected projects will pitch live to decision makers during AIDC 2026, and also compete for eight international pitch prizes from festivals and markets, including Sheffield Docfest (UK), Visions du Réel (Switzerland), Sunny Side of the Doc (France), Docs by the Sea (Indonesia) and more. First deadline 5 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 third year is AIDC’s slate-pitching program The Showroom, designed specifically for established Australian production companies with multiple nonfiction 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 19 November.

The AIDC 2026 Marketplace & Industry Development program will also host the $100,000 Shark Island Foundation Feature Docs Pitch for its fourth year, offering up to four projects a $25,000 development grant and the opportunity to participate in a new Shark Island Kangaroo Valley Development Lab set to launch in 2026. Pitch meetings will take place as part of Cut to the Chase.

And with the return of Leading Lights – AIDC’s philanthropically-funded program for diverse and emerging storytellers, featuring a tailored professional development program by presenting partner AFTRS and the exclusive Leading Lights Pitch (applications accepted until 7 December)  – AIDC 2026 has already unlocked over $190,000 in project development funding, professional development and prizes for delegates.   

AIDC AWARDS

Set to close AIDC 2026 on Thursday 5 March 2026, submissions are currently sought for the prestigious 6th annual AIDC Awards, recognising outstanding completed works of new Australian documentary and factual content across six categories: Best Feature Documentary, Best Documentary/Factual Series, Best Documentary/Factual Single, Best Short-Form Documentary (with a $2,000 cash prize presented by AFTRS), Best Audio Documentary and Best Interactive/Immersive Documentary. First submission deadline Sunday 16 November 2025 for Features and Series.

AIDC Members are also encouraged to nominate an Australian documentary and factual industry luminary for the 2026 AIDC Southern Light Award, a $5,000 cash prize given by AIDC to an Australian industry professional for their outstanding contribution to nonfiction screen, digital and/or audio media.

“FOSTERING ADAPTABLE SCREEN PRACTITIONERS”

Creative and economic screen development agency VicScreen continues its long-running and welcome support of AIDC, with the conference now entering its 11th year in Victoria.

VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher said, “This March, AIDC will transform Melbourne into the epicentre of global documentary storytelling with another dynamic program of panels featuring world-renowned talent, must-see screenings, and a vibrant industry marketplace. The conference creates significant opportunities for local talent to connect with the world’s best factual screen storytellers. VicScreen is proud to support AIDC, reinforcing Victoria’s position as a global hub for innovation in screen – stimulating stories that inspire dialogue, action, and lasting change.”

Presenting Partner ACMI also continues its commitment to AIDC, hosting the event within the nationally-recognised museum in Melbourne’s Fed Square.

ACMI Director and CEO, Seb Chan, said, “Continuing ACMI’s partnership with AIDC for the 11th year, we are excited to present the next edition of Australia’s leading conference for documentary and factual content. As the media environment shifts and new challenges to truth and evidence emerge, nonfiction documentary makers are essential navigators for all of us on this unpredictable journey. Our longstanding collaboration with AIDC is central to ACMI’s work in fortifying the screen sector and fostering adaptable screen practitioners through our globally connected hub in Melbourne.”

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 29 January 2026. 

AIDC 2026 registration is now open, with new pass types available to provide the best opportunities for marketplace access, networking, and knowledge-gathering.

AIDC 2026 sees the introduction of a Sessions & Networking Pass, for those not bringing a project to the marketplace but still wanting to connect with peers and potential collaborators. 

Browse our pass options on the link below, including:

• Business Passes 
• All Access Passes 
• Sessions & Networking Passes
• Sessions Only Passes
• Day Passes (on sale 29 Jan 2026)

BUY A PASS

AIDC 2026: HOLD TRUE

Conference 2-5 March, ACMI, Melbourne / Naarm

International Marketplace 11-12 March, Online

Main Image: AIDC 2026 ‘Hold True’ key art. Source image Image credit: Yurlu | Country (2025) Illuminate Films. Photo by Tom Bannigan, Directed by Yaara Bou Melhem