**UPDATE Monday 10 November 2025 – FACTory applications for AIDC 2026 are NOW CLOSED**
The FACTory is AIDC’s international pitching forum for new documentary and factual projects, proudly presented by VicScreen.
Do you have a unique documentary or series project in development that has global appeal and is market-ready? Would you like the opportunity to pitch your project to a world-class line-up of Australian and international broadcasters, streamers, sales agents, funders, festivals, and distributors at AIDC 2026?
Applications for the 2026 edition of AIDC’s international pitching forum for new documentary and factual projects – The FACTory – are open from Thursday 18 September 2025.
Up to 15 projects with strong market potential will be selected to pitch to international and local decision makers across three strands: Central Showcase, New Talent Showcase and Rough Cut Showcase. Decision makers will include a wide range of representatives from broadcasters, streamers, sales agents, distributors, funders, and festivals.
In 2026, AIDC welcomes all producers and decision makers to attend the FACTory in-person while still providing the opportunity to participate online if needed.
In 2026, The FACTory will feature:
- an enhanced line-up of international decision makers assessing and providing feedback on projects;
- access to tailored online mentoring conducted by experienced screen practitioners, in addition to group and individual pitch training;
- greater opportunity for one-on-one meetings with key decision makers by having high visibility and priority in the marketplace.
Over the last nine editions, AIDC has supported 132 project teams to participate in The FACTory. Don’t miss your chance to pitch to the people who can help take your project to new heights!
“I FOUND THE FACTORY PROGRAM TO BE TOP NOTCH EXPERIENCE. FROM THE STUNNING VENUE TO THE TERRIFIC PANEL OF HIGHLY RESPECTED AND VERY THOUGHTFUL PANEL OF DECISION MAKERS, THE CLEAN TECHNICAL EXECUTION, TO EVEN THE CAMARADERIE THAT WAS FOSTERED WITH THE OTHER PARTICIPANTS – EVERYTHING ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE REPRESENTED THE UTMOST PROFESSIONALISM AND WARMTH THAT INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATE WITH THE AIDC. FROM OUR PARTICIPATION IN THE FACTORY, WE WERE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF BROADCASTERS AND POTENTIAL CO-PRODUCING PARTNERS.”
– CHAZ BEAUDETTE
PRODUCER, NIKAN PRODUCTIONS (CANADA)
AIDC’s Industry Team works closely with an international assessment committee to shortlist projects for the prestigious FACTory program.
The program will offer tailored feedback and training from industry experts in the lead-up, and increased opportunities for business outcomes by hosting both a live pitch and a tailored one-to-one meeting program with decision makers during AIDC.
Selected projects will pitch and present their trailers over 7 minutes (or 15 minutes for Rough Cuts), and will also be required to submit a pre-recorded pitch ahead of AIDC (with trailer or footage included in this edit), to be made available to decision makers who cannot physically attend. Select decision makers will then:
- Request meetings with projects to occur during AIDC
- Provide feedback on the projects
Entry to the FACTory is competitive, so please ensure your projects are original ideas that will appeal to buyers across Australian and international markets.
The FACTory’s Central Showcase is designed to present experienced project teams to international decision makers, including commissioners, funders, streamers, distributors, sales agents, and festivals. Projects in development and production demonstrating strong international potential will be automatically considered for this showcase.
The FACTory Central Showcase will be held in The Edge amphitheatre at Fed Square. Click ‘Read More’ below for information about Applicant Eligibility and Project Eligibility.
Applicant Eligibility
- Australian and international filmmakers are eligible to apply.
- Individuals, teams or companies may apply.
- Applicants must be the rights holder in the work.
- Applicants must be 18 years of age or over.
- There is a fee to cover handling and administration of your application.
- Entry for each project must be submitted via the FACTory portal (see below).
Project Eligibility
- Entry is open to feature films, singles, and series.
- Projects should be at development or production stage (projects in post-production may be eligible for the FACTory’s Rough Cut Showcase – refer to the submission guidelines below for this strand).
- Projects need to be recognised factual or documentary formats intended for broadcast and distribution. The Australian Content Standard defines documentary as ‘a program that is a creative treatment of actuality other than a news, current affairs, sports coverage, magazine, infotainment or light entertainment program’. For more info, visit the ACMA website.
Successful applicants will be offered a 10% discount on AIDC 2026 All Access Passes as FACTory participants. (An All Access Pass is required for participation The FACTory). Refer to relevant Submission Guidelines for further details.
The FACTory’s New Talent Showcase is designed to present the brightest new screen talents to decision makers and production companies around the world. Projects in development and production featuring a director or producer presenting their first major work will be automatically considered for this showcase.
The FACTory New Talent Showcase will be held in The Edge amphitheatre at Fed Square. Click ‘Read More’ below for information about Applicant Eligibility and Project Eligibility.
Applicant Eligibility
- Australian and international filmmakers are eligible to apply.
- Individuals, teams or companies may apply.
- Applicants must be the rights holder in the work.
- Applicants must be 18 years of age or over.
- There is a fee to cover handling and administration of your application.
- Entry for each project must be submitted via the FACTory portal (see below).
PLUS
- The director or producer must be presenting their first major documentary or factual work (excluding shorts).
- The director or producer may have experience working in XR, online, commercials, fiction or theatre, and previous credits in these fields will not disqualify them.
- The director or producer may have experience working in documentary, factual or unscripted production, in roles other than their Central credit on the submitted project (e.g. cinematographer, editor, assistant director, etc).
Project Eligibility
- Entry is open to feature films, singles, and series.
- Projects should be at development or production stage (projects in post-production may be eligible for the FACTory’s Rough Cut Showcase – refer to the submission guidelines below for this strand).
- Projects need to be recognised factual or documentary formats intended for broadcast and distribution. The Australian Content Standard defines documentary as ‘a program that is a creative treatment of actuality other than a news, current affairs, sports coverage, magazine, infotainment or light entertainment program’. For more info, visit the ACMA website.
Successful applicants will be offered a 10% discount on AIDC 2026 All Access Passes as FACTory participants. (An All Access Pass is required for participation The FACTory). Refer to relevant Submission Guidelines for further details.
The FACTory’s Rough Cut Showcase is designed to present projects in late stages and post-production that need to close financing gaps, and secure sales, distribution and festival opportunities.
The FACTory Rough Cut Showcase will take place in ACMI, Fed Square. Click ‘Read More’ below for information about Applicant Eligibility and Project Eligibility
Applicant Eligibility
- Australian and international filmmakers are eligible to apply.
- Individuals, teams or companies may apply.
- Applicants must be the rights holder in the work.
- Applicants must be 18 years of age or over.
- There is a fee to cover handling and administration of your application.
- Entry for each project must be submitted via the FACTory portal (see below).
Project Eligibility
- Entry is open to feature films and singles at post-production stage that will not be completed before AIDC in March 2025.
- Applicants must submit up to 20 minutes of footage (max), which can comprise of either a length of consecutive film or an assembly of sequences, provided in a single streamable link. Please do not submit an entire film.
- In addition to the Rough Cut footage submission, you may supply a trailer or teaser of up to three minutes.
- If selected, the team will have 15 minutes to pitch (approximately 5 minutes for a verbal pitch and 10 minutes of footage).
- Projects need to be recognised documentary formats intended for broadcast and distribution. The Australian Content Standard defines documentary as ‘a program that is a creative treatment of actuality other than a news, current affairs, sports coverage, magazine, infotainment or light entertainment program’. For more info, visit the ACMA website.
Successful applicants will be offered a 10% discount on AIDC 2026 All Access Passes as FACTory participants. (An All Access Pass is required for participation The FACTory). Refer to relevant Submission Guidelines for further details.
All 2026 submissions for the FACTory will be independently assessed by a panel of highly experienced screen professionals hand-picked by AIDC.
Projects are assessed and shortlisted based on the following criteria:
- Strength and originality of the project;
- The commercial viability of the project in the marketplace;
- The project’s international appeal;
- The track record of the creative team and any finance already in place.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to provide visual materials (trailer, teaser, or footage from the project) as part of their submission.
MEET THE ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE
- Robert Y. Chang, Co-Producer POV, American Documentary | POV (USA)
- Pamela Martínez Martínez, CEO / Sales & Acquisitions, Limonero Films BCN SL (Spain)
- Dean Gibson, Co-Founder, Producer, Writer, Director, Allstory Pictures (AUS)
- Michael Hilliard, Executive Producer, Boardwalk Pictures Australia (AUS)
- Mita Suri, Film Programme Manager, Sheffield DocFest (UK)
- Julian Etienne, Climate Story Fund Officer, Doc Society (UK)
CLICK HERE to learn more about the Assessment Committee members.
Teams will be paired with an international mentor/tutor in the lead-up to AIDC in sessions that will focus on:
- Story interrogation
- Budget and finance interrogation (if needed)
- Pitch training
- Trailer consultations
2026 FACTory Mentors
- Heather Haynes, Independent Consultant, former Director of Programming at Hot Docs (Canada)
- Inka Achté, Head of Acquisition & Strategy, Raina Film Festival Distribution and Artistic Director, DocPoint Helsinki (Finland)
- Grant Keir, Film Consultant, Owner & Producer, Faction North Ltd (Scotland)
- Heejung Oh, Founder and Producer, Seesaw Pictures (South Korea)
Learn more about the mentors HERE.
Each year, AIDC partners with international documentary industry events to provide FACTory pitch prizes, allowing successful projects to attend and / or participate in other forums and marketplaces.
2026 FACTory Pitch Prizes
- Docs by the Sea 2026 FACTory Prize (Indonesia) – includes two complimentary passes to participate and invitation to participate in a development lab.
- DMZ Docs Industry 2026 FACTory Prize (South Korea) – includes two complimentary passes to participate, a waiver on project submission fees and 3-4 nights accommodation if attending in-person.
- DOK Leipzig 2026 FACTory Prize (Germany) – includes two complimentary passes to participate.
- Visions du Réel 2026 FACTory Prize (Switzerland) – includes two complimentary Networking Accreditations and a waiver of project submission fees where applicable
- Doc Edge NZ 2026 FACTory Prize (New Zealand) – includes two complimentary All Access Passes and a waiver of project submission fees where applicable
- Sheffield DocFest Networking Award 2026 FACTory Prize (UK) – includes two complimentary festival passes and a waiver on MeetMarket pitch submission fees where applicable
- Raina Film Festival Distribution 2026 FACTory Prize – includes festival consultation & strategy, or 6 months of free global festival distribution based on a strategy devised by Raina, determined in consultation with the winning team
“I HAD AN EXCELLENT EXPERIENCE ATTENDING AIDC 2025. THE OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET THE VIBRANT FILMMAKERS AND DECISION MAKERS FROM AUSTRALIA AND BEYOND IN THE MOST CASUAL AND OPEN ATMOSPHERE IS UNPRECEDENTED. IT OWES ITS EXCELLENCE TO THE MOST DEDICATED ORGANISERS AND THE STAFF WHO HELP CONNECT PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY NOT ONLY DURING, BUT ALSO BEFORE AND AFTER THE EVENT. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ATTENDING THIS REMARKABLE EVENT FROM OVERSEAS.”
– KEIKO TSUNEKI
SENIOR PRODUCER, NHK ENTERPRISES (JAPAN)
CENTRAL SHOWCASE PROJECTS
CONFIDENTIAL GAS PROJECT
Australia (Grain Media)
An investigative journalist’s life becomes a real-life spy thriller as he uncovers a global conspiracy to hide the secret deadly impacts of the global gas boom.
THE LAST RODEO
New Zealand, USA, Australia (Monsoon Pictures International)
Embedded within New Zealand’s tight-knit rodeo scene, The Last Rodeo captures the adrenaline-fueled circuit, as riders and intergenerational families navigate tradition while fighting for their sport’s right to exist.
Director: Ursula Grace Williams; Producer: Alexander Behse
MARLIYA
Australia, UK (Pandamonium Films)
A choir of young First Nations women journey from carrying others’ stories to owning their voices, confronting identity, activism and authorship as music carries them from Country to the world.
Director: Stephen Page; Producers: Shontell Ketchell, Ewan Cutler
OUR BODIES
South Korea, Japan (SonaFilms, ARTicle Films)
CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) filmmaker Bora Lee-Kil explores the vibrant Deaf community, sharing stories that challenge disability, normalcy, and reproductive rights.
Director: Bora Lee-Kil; Producers: Sona Jo, Emi Ueyama
SAVING TUVALU
Australia, Tuvalu, Germany (Media Stockade, Filmtank)
As Tuvalu sinks beneath rising seas young people begin transferring their land and culture online – but can a digital nation save what the ocean will erase?
Directors: Amelia Tovey, Kate Blackmore; Collaborating Director: Kato Ewekia; Producers: Chris Kamen, Rebecca Barry; Cultural Advisor: Lilivao Roberts
SCENT: THE LANGUAGE OF LIFE
Australia (Smith & Nasht)
One man’s mission to digitise scent revealed something extraordinary — the language all life speaks.
Directors: Annamaria Talas, Oliver Nasht; Producers: Simon Nasht, Annamaria Talas
NEW TALENT SHOWCASE PROJECTS
ALL FIXED UP
China, USA (Dudububu Ltd)
After trying to “straighten out” their queer heir, a Southwest Chinese family pursues a face-saving masquerade, leading the family into a reconciliation with lies, identity, and a changing vision of their future.
Director: Hao Zhou; Producers: Jenny Wu Man, Tyler Hill
SEAHORSE SCHOOL
Australia (Media Stockade, Grumpy Turtle Films)
A filmmaker forms an unexpected bond with two marine biologists racing to save a critically endangered seahorse species in one of the world’s busiest harbours as they navigate the challenges of fatherhood.
Director: Harriet Spark; Producers: Rebecca Barry, Chris Kamen
THE SIMULATION
Canada, France (TAK Films, Survivance)
For one week, 3,000 students simulate the UN general assembly, debating how to save the planet and end wars, embodying hope for dialogue in a fragile world.
Director: Justine Harbonnier; Producers: Line Sander Egede, Carine Chichkowsky
SISTERS IN WAR
Australia, Myanmar (Closer Productions)
Two brave sisters turn away from their family duties to join the armed fight against the military Junta, along with thousands who dream of a democratic, ethnically diverse Myanmar.
Director: Lay Thida; Producer: Maya Newell
WILD THING: THE REAL CROCODILE DUNDEE STORY
Australia (Wild Productions)
Behind Australia’s most iconic story is a man erased.
Director: Matt Sterne; Producers: Matt Sterne, Henry Richardson
ROUGH CUT SHOWCASE PROJECTS
HELL HAS NO FIRE ESCAPE
South Africa, UK, Australia (Try Hard Films, Closer Productions)
Inheriting her husband’s evangelical drug clinic, Ina Dry clings to faith – until an online romance with “Jason Momoa” awakens desires that threaten her ministry and those who rely on her.
Director: Georgina Savage; Producers: Sorcha Bacon, Matthew Bate, Rebecca Summerton
EL PESO DE LA NIEVE (THE WEIGHT OF SNOW)
Australia, Chile (People Productions)
In Chilean Patagonia, a dwindling group of gauchos still live a traditional lifestyle, resisting the pull of modernisation. An intimate meditation on isolation, class and climate, punctuated by striking landscapes.
Director: Matias Bolla; Producers: Carolina Sorensen, Cristian Valle Celedón
WHALES, RATS & KAURI
New Zealand (Tohorā Films)
A Māori conservationist’s fight to save whales, forests, and whenua exposes what is truly at stake for Aotearoa’s future.
Directors: Kim Webby, Mike Jonathan; Producer: Kim Webby
Click the button below to submit a project for The FACTory.
**UPDATE Monday 10 November 2025 – FACTory applications for AIDC 2026 are NOW CLOSED**
Regular Deadline: Wednesday, 5 November 2025 at 23:59 AEDT
Submission cost AUD $60.00 (inc GST) per project*
Late Deadline: Sunday, 9 November 2025 at 23:59 AEDT
Submissions cost AUD $70.00 (inc GST) per project*
Note: To complete your application you will first need to register for a free MY AIDC account (or login to your existing account). The application form link above will prompt you to register (or login) to your MY AIDC account before you are able to access and complete your form. Please contact info@aidc.com.au if you encounter any issues.
Submissions received after 23:59 AEDT, 16 November 2025 will not be accepted. Once the submission process is complete, submissions can no longer be amended.
Questions? pitch@aidc.com.au
*a 2.5% credit card is added to all purchases at checkout.
