2026 AIDC Awards Nominees & $5,000 AIDC Southern Light Award Winners Announced

Today, the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) proudly reveals the exceptional nominees for the 6th annual AIDC Awards, and announces the winners of the 3rd AIDC Southern Light Award for outstanding contribution to nonfiction screen, digital and/or audio media.  

The AIDC Awards recognise outstanding works of new Australian documentary and factual content across six categories: Best Feature Documentary, with a $5,000 cash prize presented by Film Finances; 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.

“AIDC is delighted to pay tribute to the extraordinary talent of the doc and factual creators and projects nominated for our sixth edition of the AIDC Awards,” said AIDC CEO / Creative Director, Natasha Gadd.

“The incredible quality of submissions across all categories made for considered and extensive discussions to select the 26 nominated projects – which reflect an impressive breadth of styles and stories. Congratulations to all the nominees and thank you to the AIDC 2026 pre-selection committees and juries for their time, expertise and thoughtful deliberations.”

Complementing the category awards, and presented for the third time, the AIDC Southern Light Award is a $5,000 cash prize presented by AIDC to an Australian industry professional for their outstanding contribution to nonfiction screen, digital and/or audio media.  

In a first for the award, two winners have been selected. Thanks to a donation by an anonymous AIDC donor, each winner will receive an individual $5,000 cash prize and be invited to speak at the AIDC Awards Presentation.

The 2026 Southern Light Award winners are Karla Hart and Simon Nasht.

“A huge round of applause for both of our 2026 Southern Light Award winners, Karla Hart and Simon Nasht, who individually exemplify the scope of what is meant by ‘outstanding contribution’ to the industry and the form,” affirmed Natasha.

“Their dedication and commitment to our sector and our stories, and their advocacy and bravery in staying true to themselves and their craft – each in very distinct ways – is to be commended, honoured and celebrated ”

AIDC is also pleased to announce that the presentation will be hosted by Whadjuk Noongar journalist, presenter and author Narelda Jacobs OAM, whose career spans a quarter of a century with Network 10, and includes appearances on NITV and SBS, the ABC, podcasts, documentaries and Australian dramas.

The 2026 AIDC Awards will take place Thursday 5 March at ACMI in Melbourne / Naarm.

BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY

This award is supported by completion guarantor Film Finances with a $5,000 cash prize.

The Colleano Heart

2025 | WildBear Entertainment  | Director/Writer: Pauline Clague | Co-Writer: Ljudan Michaelis-Thorpe | Producer: Kate Pappas  | Executive Producer: Bettina Dalton 

Deeper

2025 | Stranger Than Fiction | Director: Jennifer Peedom | Producers: Blayke Hoffman, Jennifer Peedom, Paul Ryan 

The Golden Spurtle

2025 | Hytra Films, Hopscotch Films | Director: Constantine Costi | Producers: Rebecca Lamond, John Archer

Iron Winter

2025/2026 | Repeater Productions | Director: Kasimir Burgess | Producers: Ben Golotta, Morgan Wright, Chris Kamen

Yurlu | Country

2025 | Illuminate Films | Director: Yaara Bou Melhem | Producer: Yaara Bou Melhem | Executive Producers: Maitland Parker & Chris Kamen | Co-Producers: Tom Bannigan & James Saunders

Dan Read, CEO of Film Finances, said, “AIDC remains an incredibly important platform for celebrating outstanding storytelling, and we’re delighted to be part of it. Documentary filmmaking reminds us of the importance of holding true to what matters – authenticity, integrity, and the human stories that connect us all. We’re really excited to once again sponsor the Best Feature Documentary award at the 2026 AIDC Awards.” 

BEST DOCUMENTARY / FACTUAL SERIES

Annabel Crabb’s Civic Duty

2025 | Australian Broadcasting Corporation | Director: Stamatia Maroupas | Producers: Jo Chichester (Executive Producer), Madeleine Hawcroft (Series Producer), Tania Doumit (Producer)

The Kimberley

2025 | Wild Pacific Media | Director: Nick Robinson | Producers: Electra Manikakis, Nick Robinson, Peta Ayers, Mark Coles Smith

The People Vs Robodebt

2026 | CJZ | Director: Ben Lawrence | Producers: Michael Cordell, Paula Bycroft, Andrew Farrell

Revealed: Death Cap Murders 

2025 | Dreamchaser, Den of Martians, FIFTH SEASON | Producers: Gil Marsden, Monique Keller, Carl Fennessy, Billy Russell, Mary Lisio, Elissa Johnson, Ariel Richter

When The War Is Over

2025 | Mint Pictures in association with Magdalene Media | Director: Sophie Meyrick | Producers: Dan Goldberg, Rachel Griffiths, Craig Graham, Ili Bare

BEST DOCUMENTARY / FACTUAL SINGLE

Emily: I Am Kam

2025 | Tamarind Tree Pictures Pty Ltd | Director: Danielle MacLean | Producers: Anna Grieve, Danielle MacLean

Island of the Dead

2025 | Ad Hoc Docs, Australian Broadcasting Corporation | Director: Daniel Clarke | Producer: Daniel Clarke

Killer Whale: Australia’s Megapod

2025 | Australian Broadcasting Corporation | Director: Jeff Siberry | Producers: Elle Gibbons, Penny Palmer

PNG: Road to Independence

2025 | WildBear Entertainment, Australian Broadcasting Corporation | Director: Max Uechtritz | Producer: Alan Erson

The War Below: Restoring Hope in the Solomon Islands

2026 | Nine Islands Media, Solomon Islands Local Media Agency | Director: Tuki Laumea | Producers: Tuki Laumea, Cleo Fraser, Elizabeth Osifelo.

BEST SHORT-FORM DOCUMENTARY

This award is supported by AIDC Industry and Events partners, AFTRS, with a $2,000 cash prize.

Aṉangu Way

2025 | Goguljar Yok | Directors: Tace Stevens in collaboration with Lydon Stevens | Producer: Brooke Collard

Bringing His Spirit Home

2025 | Australian Film Television & Radio School | Director: Dylan Nicholls | Producers: Dylan Nicholls, Sophia Carolyn Wallace

In the Depths of Her Memory

2025 | Bleu Electrik, Playlab Films | Director: Chloe de Brito | Producers: Estephania Bonnett, Chloe de Brito 

Wieambilla Reconstructed

2025 | Guardian Australia | Producer: Lisa Favazzo | Reporter: Andrew Messenger | Sound Designer: Miles Martignoni | Executive Producers: Molly Glassey, Shelley Hepworth

Robbie Miles, AFTRS Head of Industry & Alumni Engagement, said, “AFTRS is proud to once again support the Best Short‑Form Documentary Prize at AIDC, an award that helps elevate practitioners in this highly impactful and accessible format. This year’s nominees reflect the strength, diversity and innovation of Australia’s non-fiction storytellers, and we are pleased to stand alongside AIDC in recognising and nurturing talent in this vital sector of the documentary ecosystem.”

BEST AUDIO DOCUMENTARY

Broken Trust

2025 | Guardian Australia | Producer: Miles Herbert | Reporter: Ben Smee | Sound Designers: Joe Koning, Camilla Hannan | Executive Producers: Hannah Parkes, Shelley Hepworth | Investigations Editor: Marni Cordell

Fallout: Spies on Norfolk Island

2025 | SBS Audio | Producers: Richard Baker, Liz Burnett, Joel Supple, Max Gosford

Skase: Fall of a Tycoon

2025 | ABC Radio National | Directors: Michelle Rayner, Claudia Taranto | Producers: Claudia Taranto, Kirsti Melville, Jake Morcom, Sarah Allely, Emrys Cronin

Toy Soldier

2025 | CBC in association with Mint Pictures | Directors: Dan Goldberg | Producers: Greg Crittenden & Ilina Ghosh

BEST INTERACTIVE / IMMERSIVE DOCUMENTARY

The Great Kimberley Wilderness

2024 | White Spark Pictures | Director: Briege Whitehead | Producers: Jodie Bell, Benn Ellard, Ella Wright

We Were Children Once

2025 | Soul Vision Films, Disruptor Studios | Director: Peter Hegedus | Producers: Bobbi-Lea Dionysius, Peter Hegedus

The World Came Flooding In

Year: 2025 | Film Camp | Directors: Isobel Knowles, Van Sowerwine | Producers: Philippa Campey, Isobel Knowles, Van Sowerwine

2026 AIDC SOUTHERN LIGHT AWARD

The AIDC Southern Light Award is a $5,000 cash prize presented by AIDC to an Australian industry professional for their outstanding contribution to nonfiction screen, digital and/or audio media.  

This year, in a Southern Light Award first, we celebrate two deserving winners – Karla Hart and Simon Nasht.

Thanks to an anonymous AIDC donor, each winner will receive an individual $5,000 cash prize and be invited to speak at the AIDC Awards Presentation.

KARLA HART

Karla Hart is one of Australia’s most influential First Nations screen practitioners – a Noongar filmmaker, producer and cultural leader whose work has fundamentally reshaped nonfiction and narrative storytelling on national platforms. Named Aboriginal West Australian of the Year, she is also a two-time Perth NAIDOC Artist of the Year, recipient of the ImagineNATIVE International Award, multiple Performing Arts Awards, a National Deadly Award and the CinefestOZ Award.

As founder of Karla Hart Productions, she has spent more than a decade delivering premium television, major cultural events and community-driven screen projects. Karla has created over 140 episodes of broadcast television as a producer, writer and director, including Our Medicine, Yokayi Footy, Family Rules, On Country Kitchen, Mamma’s on a Mission and The Return – Stuff the British Stole.

Her creative slate spans ambitious factual, drama and immersive work – from game Broken Roads to her forthcoming series Saltwater Cowboys, which enters production next month – and she is currently in development on her first feature film, Moodja.

Across every project, Karla champions First Nations creative leadership and community authority on screen – building Indigenous workforce capacity while redefining what Australian storytelling looks like at the highest level.

Karla Hart said, “Thank you to AIDC for this extraordinary honour. I’m deeply humbled to receive an award that recognises contribution to nonfiction storytelling — a form that is a powerful platform for making incredible change, and one I feel privileged to work within. I acknowledge the storytellers, broadcasters, communities and Elders who have trusted me with their stories, and the incredible production teams who help bring them to the screen. This work is never done alone. As a Noongar woman working in this space, I carry responsibility as much as opportunity — to tell stories with care, joy, integrity and courage, and to help build pathways for the next generation of First Nations filmmakers. Thank you for recognising the impact of this work — and for backing stories that truly matter.”

SIMON NASHT

Filmmaker Simon Nasht is a passionate advocate on behalf of the documentary craft.  He has worked all over the world, helping to create hundreds of hours of nonfiction films and running successful production companies.

He began his career in journalism, first at his hometown newspaper, The Age in Melbourne, before joining the ABC and SBS, reporting current affairs from Canberra. This was followed by a stint presenting the popular science series Beyond 2000.

After 20 years producing and teaching in the UK and Europe, he returned to Australia to start Smith&Nasht, a collaboration with Australian entrepreneur and philanthropist Dick Smith. The company has created many groundbreaking films, including Frackman, The Children In The Pictures and I Can Change Your Mind about Climate, all released in conjunction with extensive impact campaigns. 

Simon has written best-selling nonfiction books, been a visiting lecturer at leading film schools, sat on the board of Screen Tasmania and in recent years has been a strong voice on behalf of documentary in the wider screen industry, among policy makers and the media.

Simon Nasht said, “What an honour to receive this recognition from AIDC.  And thank you also to the many wonderful, passionate people I have worked with over the years who have contributed to my success. We are all a little crazy to pursue this calling, but also brave. Our role as documentary filmmakers has always been important, but perhaps never more so than now. Everywhere we turn, truth is under attack, and the biggest threat of all, a technology that outsources humans from the driver’s seat, is about to reinvent the very notion of reality. We have a job ahead of us to try and make sense of all of this, so stay brave. “

The 2026 AIDC Awards Presentation will be held at ACMI in Melbourne / Naarm on Thursday 5 March. Click below to learn more about the nominees and the winner of the AIDC Southern Light Award.

2026 NOMINEES

Main Image (L-R): PNG: Road to Independence | The People Vs Robodebt | Iron Winter | Emily: I Am Kam