AIDC 2026 to Welcome New Zealand Delegation

AIDC is pleased to welcome an international delegation of New Zealand documentary producers and directors to AIDC 2026, thanks to the proud support of the New Zealand Film Commission Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga (NZFC).

The delegation will include eight filmmakers whose attendance is officially supported by NZFC as well as participating filmmakers attached to the selected delegates’ projects.

The group comprises documentary feature film producers and directors whose work crosses multiple styles and genres and includes critically acclaimed feature documentaries which have reached audiences across the globe, including Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua – Two Worlds (2025), Stylebender (2023 ), Mister Organ (2022), There is no “I” in Threesome (2021) and Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web (2017).

The delegation is designed to foster new creative and business opportunities and connections between New Zealand practitioners and Australian and international documentary and factual representatives participating in AIDC 2026.

All official delegates have projects in development with NZFC or have recently received production funding, and NZFC’s support of their attendance is in recognition of the project and professional development opportunities that AIDC can provide.

Selected by AIDC, the New Zealand delegation will have access to the AIDC 2026 Marketplace including the opportunity to apply for The FACTory International Pitching Forum and the Cut to the Chase curated meeting program. 

They will also receive in-person entry to all open networking events, including all Happy Hours, a ‘Meet the New Zealand Delegation’ networking event, as well as an invitation for Māori and Pasifika delegates to join AIDC 2026’s Indigenous Creators Program, a dedicated strand of sessions designed by and for First Nations practitioners.

“We are thrilled to be working with NZFC to bring such a talented line-up of New Zealand documentary producers and directors to AIDC 2026,” said AIDC CEO/Creative Director, Natasha Gadd.

“We hope the delegation strengthens the cross-Tasman relationship and brings about new collaborations and connections between our creative communities, as well as with representatives from the international sector who are attending next year’s conference.”

New Zealand Delegates attending with NZFC support

Alex Reed (Bloom Pictures)

Alex Reed makes high-quality, thought-provoking stories that are distinctive, entertaining and promote social change. Bloom Pictures, helmed by Reed, is a nimble and dynamic production company focussed on producing thought-provoking stories that are fostered in New Zealand but resonate and ripple out to a global audience. Producer credits include Ms. Information, Pacific Mother, Te Ara – The Path, The Girl on the Bridge, There is no “I” in Threesome, and Mister Organ.

Kahu Kaiha (KAKAIA Productions)

Kahu Kaiha (Ua Pou – Iles Marquises) is a Marquesan multi-hyphenate and award-winning actor, director, producer, screenwriter, Marquesan Haka choreographer and music composer. He creates ambitious, culturally centred films and is deeply committed to preserving and promoting Marquesan culture.

Gwen Isaac (Independent)

Gwen Isaac is a documentary and factual film maker. She has directed two feature documentaries that were selected for Whānau Mārama NZ International Film Festival. Her third feature documentary, Be Merry, is being made in association with Kirlian and is supported by Creative UK.

Karen Sidney (The Script Lounge Ltd)

Karen Sidney (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Rongowhakaata, Rongomaiwahine) is an award-winning filmmaker and has been a contributor to the New Zealand film industry since the mid-1980s. Accolades include 2023 WIFT NZ Mana Wahine award, the inaugural Alanis Obomsawin Award (Dreamspeakers Festival Canada) and Best of the Festival (ImagineNative Festival, Canada), as Writer of the ‘Mataora’ episode and co-Producer of the Aroha Maori drama series.

Ursula Grace Williams  (Independent)

Ursula Grace Williams is an award-winning documentary director crafting culturally grounded stories, known for impactful series work, including the six-part series Milk & Money, and her feature debut Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua, which was developed by Cannes Docs and accepted into MIFF, SFF, PIFF, Alice Springs Film Festival and FIFO.

Jane Robertson (Our Story)

Jane Robertson is an award-winning New Zealand producer and co-founder of Our Story, creating premium documentary, factual and scripted projects. The company’s slate spans true crime, character-driven documentaries, observational series and authored screen storytelling in partnership with leading broadcasters, platforms and funding agencies.

Zoë McIntosh  (Independent)

Zoë McIntosh is a filmmaker whose work spans feature documentaries, narrative shorts, and commercial campaigns. She has helmed long-form branded documentaries for Netflix, BBC, SBS and MasterClass. Her credits include Stylebender and The World in Your Window, and her latest feature documentary, You Chose This, was recently completed with support from the New Zealand Film Commission and will premiere early 2026.

Kim Webby (Kimihia Films)

Kim Webby is an award-winning, director, executive producer, producer and journalist who explores people centred stories about identity, ethnicity, social issues and the environment. Her production company, Kimihia Films, has illuminated issues such as social injustice, or little-known worlds often from Māori or Chinese perspectives for 21 years. Projects include Home, Land & Sea, Waharoa: Art of the Pacific and Ake Ake Ake: Ihumātao. 

New Zealand delegates attending as part of a project team

Carrisse Uta’i (attending with Kahu Kaiha)

Carrise Uta’i is an award-winning Sāmoan-New Zealand producer and writer championing Indigenous narratives through KAKAIA Productions and acclaimed short films like KÜĪ and Find Where I Belong.

Annie Goldson (attending with Karen Sidney)

Annie Goldson has produced, co-produced, directed and edited over 15 award-winning feature and broadcast documentaries, including Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web and Red Mole: A Romance. She is a Professor at Waipapa Taumata Rau / University of Auckland, Aotearoa.

Alexander Behse (attending with Ursula Grace Williams)

Alexander Behse is an award-winning creative force who turns diverse, high-stakes stories into universally resonant hits that captivate audiences worldwide. Producer credits include Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web and There is no “I” in Threesome.

Mike Jonathan (attending with Kim Webby)

Mike Jonathan is a Māori filmmaker and producer of Haka Boy Films and Tohorā Films, devoted to telling powerful Māori and indigenous stories with authenticity, beauty, and ancestral truth. He directed dramatic feature film Ka Whawhai Tonu / In the Fire of War  (2024).

All participating New Zealand delegates will also take part in an exclusive invite-only Meet the New Zealanders networking event during AIDC 2026.

The 2026 New Zealand Delegation is proudly supported by NZFC.

NEW ZEALAND DELEGATION

Main Image: Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua – Two Worlds (2025) Monsoon Pictures International | Photo by Tim Flower