Osman Faruqi is an award-winning journalist and head of audio at Schwartz Media. He is the editor of their daily news podcast 7am and hosts their weekly arts and culture podcast, The Culture. He has worked as an editor at the ABC and was a reporter with the flagship audio documentary program Background Briefing. He’s hosted shows on Melbourne’s Triple R and Sydney’s FBi radio station, and is regularly published in The Saturday Paper, The Guardian, and The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. He currently holds positions as an adjunct at the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney.
Alice Burgin EP / Producer, Sweetshop & Green (AUS)
Alice is the Documentary & Factual Executive at Sweetshop & Green, overseeing a large slate of features and series. Prior to joining the Sweetshop & Green family, she was best known for her role as the CEO/Conference Director of the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) where she oversaw over one million dollars of project funds and skills development training invested into the documentary and factual sector across her five-year tenure. She has over two decades of experience in the film and television industry in Australia and overseas, including programming with POV (PBS), Tribeca Film Festival and the Melbourne International Film Festival and sitting on juries at DocAviv, Hot Docs, Doc Edge NZ and Sunny Side of the Doc.
Oscar Raby Creative Director / CO-FOUNDER, VRTOV (AUS)
Oscar Raby is a VR maker, Co-Founder and Creative Director at VRTOV, Melbourne-based Virtual Reality studio behind the projects A Machine for Viewing (Sundance Film Festival 2020), The Unknown Patient (Venice Biennale 2018), A Thin Black Line (Art Gallery South Australia 2017), The Turning Forest (Tribeca Film Festival 2016), Easter Rising: Voice of a Rebel (Sheffield Doc/Fest 2016), and Assent (IDFA 2015).
In 2013 he completed a master’s degree in Animation and Interactive Media at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology where the subject of his research was Portraiture in New Media. His graduating work, the autobiographical Virtual Reality documentary Assent, has been part of Sundance New Frontier, IDFA DocLab and Sheffield Doc/Fest as well as exhibitions in Australia, Canada, USA, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the UK. Assent received the Audience Award for Cross-platform at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2014.
Oscar is currently working on a PhD at SensiLab, Monash University, under the supervision of Professor Jon McCormack and Dr Vince Dziekan that examines the underlying technical and cultural frameworks of XR production software.
Katerina Cizek Artistic Director / Co-Founder, Co-Creation Studio (CAN)
Katerina Cizek is a two-time Emmy and Peabody-winning documentarian working with emergent technologies. She is the artistic director, executive producer and co-founder of the Co-Creation Studio at MIT Open Documentary Lab. At the studio, she wrote (with Uricchio et al.) the world’s first field study on co-creating media called Collective Wisdom (forthcoming with MIT Press in 2022). At the studio, she designs and facilitates co-creation workshops, research, delegations and fellowships fusing art, documentary and journalism together with emergent tech and science through the practice of collective creation.
For over a decade, Cizek worked as a documentary director at the National Film Board of Canada, transforming the organization into a world-leading digital hub, with the projects HIGHRISE and Filmmaker-in-Residence. Both community-based and globally recognized, these two ground-breaking long-form digital projects garnered international awards and critical acclaim.
Cizek’s earlier award-winning human rights documentary film projects instigated criminal investigations, changed UN policies, and screened as evidence at an International Criminal Tribunal.
Cizek is a member of the Directors’ Guild of Canada, and serves as an advisor at the Sundance Institutes’ Interdisciplinary Lab and CPH:LAB in Copenhagen. She is a founding member of the Guild of Future Architects, a member of the editorial collective at IMMERSE, as well as a member of the Inaugural Interactive Board of jurors for the Peabody Awards.
Fiona Lawson-Baker EP of Documentaries, Al Jazeera (QA)
Fiona Lawson-Baker is the executive producer of Witness, the flagship global documentary strand on Al Jazeera English (AJE). Since 2015, she has led a small team commissioning, acquiring and co-producing documentaries while overseeing the curation and broadcast of more than 100 international documentaries annually. In that time, Witness documentaries have won dozens of awards, and have been nominated for the Academy Awards, Grierson Awards and International Emmys.
With more than 20 years’ experience working with documentaries for broadcast, Fiona has commissioned and executive produced films by independent filmmakers from across the globe. Prior to Witness, Fiona worked at the BBC, SBS and is an award-winning graduate of the prestigious Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). Her career spans living and working in the United Kingdom, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Qatar, where she is currently based.
Mitchell Stanley Producer, No Coincidence Media (AUS)
Mitchell Stanley began his career as a producer line producing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s series MOVE IT MOB STYLE, which was broadcast on NITV and ABC3. He went on to produce COLOUR THEORY with Richard Bell, an eight-part documentary series before writing and producing the critically acclaimed documentary, SERVANT OR SLAVE, garnering the highest audience viewership to date for National Indigenous Television, and winning the audience award at the Harlem International and Antenna Documentary film festivals. He recently produced Warwick Thornton’s documentary television series, THE BEACH, as well as Jack Steele’s short film BETWEEN TWO LINES selected for Sydney Film Festival and Cinefest Oz.
Abigail Priddle Creative Director History and Arts, BBC Studios (UK)
Abigail brings years of experience as a BBC Commissioning Editor to her role as Creative Director for History & Arts.
Her previous credits include BAFTA-winning The Yorkshire Ripper Files, Chris Packham: Asperger’s & Me, Princess Margaret: Rebel Royal, and My Family The Holocaust & Me with Robert Rinder.
Prior to this, Abigail was a director making a wide range of factual programming from acclaimed documentaries including The Met and 24 Hours in A&E, to popular returners including Back in Time… and Hunted.
Gillian Moody, a Wodi Wodi woman, has worked in both management and production roles during her years in the screen industry. Gillian has worked in production roles at SBS and as an Investment and Development Manager in Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department.
In 2016, Gillian Series Produced the 6 x 30 min Documentary TV Series Family Rules for NITV before spending a year working with Bunya Production through a producing internship in 2017/18 which saw her work across programs Mystery Road TV Series 1 and Blue Water Empire.
A 2018 co-production saw a continued collaboration with Director Adrian Russell Wills with the production of the documentary Black Divaz, having premiered at the Sydney Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival receiving the Audience Award for Best Documentary, before screening on NITV and SBS1.
In 2019 Gillian produced the short film Ties That Bind with writer/director Michael Hudson which premiered at Sydney Film Festival and won the Event Cinema Award for Best Australian Short Screenplay. Gillian also Series Produced online sketch series Nice Shorts in 2019. 2021 has seen Gillian continue her collaboration as producer with Adrian Russell Wills and as co-directors on a personal feature documentary Kindred.
Julie Shapiro Vice President of Editorial, PRX & Radiotopia (USA)
Julie Shapiro (@jatomic) is the Vice President of Editorial, PRX & Radiotopia. She is also the executive producer of Ear Hustle.
From 2014-15, Julie was the executive producer of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation / Radio National’s (RN) Creative Audio Unit. In 2000 she co-founded the Third Coast International Audio Festival, where as artistic director she shaped the Festival’s creative trajectory and nurtured a robust international listening culture. Julie has taught radio to university students, presented at conferences all over the globe, and produced stories for podcasts and the airwaves in the US and beyond.
Kate Montague Managing Director / Co-Founder, Audiocraft (AUS)
Kate Montague is the Managing Director and co-founder of Audiocraft. As a producer and executive producer, Kate has created audio projects for Spotify, Audible, the ABC, CBC (Canada), NPR’s Snap Judgement (US), Narratively (US) and the Venice Biennale of Architecture. Kate has presented on audio storytelling at Hearsay International Audio Festival, Ozpod Podcast Conference, AIDC, AFTRS, and Radio Alive, and has led podcast workshops at the Sydney Opera House, Screen QLD, Spotify, Word Travels Festival and the NSW Writers Centre.
Kitty Green is an Australian filmmaker who broke out with her debut film, UKRAINE IS NOT A BROTHEL, in 2013 for which she went undercover for a year to expose Femen, a Ukrainian feminist group known for their topless protests. Her debut narrative feature, THE ASSISTANT, premiered at Telluride Film Festival to critical acclaim. 3311 financed with James Schamus producing. The film stars Julia Garner.
Kitty’s prior work also includes the award-winning film CASTING JONBENET, an unorthodox documentary/true-crime hybrid about the murder of six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey that premiered at Sundance in 2017 to rave reviews and sold to Netflix.
Lindsay Poulton Head of Documentaries, Guardian News & Media (UK)
Lindsay is Head of Documentaries at the Guardian where she commissions and curates the Guardian’s documentary films. Her core focus is the documentary strand for short films with character-led narratives that are about compelling, contemporary stories, including the Oscar-winning Colette. Lindsay has a strong journalistic as well as filmmaking background, her work has been shown at festivals around the world, including Sundance, Tribeca, IDFA, and has been recognized with a number of prestigious awards.
Nashen Moodley Festival Director, Sydney Film Festival (AUS)
Nashen Moodley is in his 10th year as Festival Director of Sydney Film Festival. During his tenure, the festival has grown vastly. In 2019, the Festival program presented 307 features and documentaries from 55 countries. Audience increased 63% from 115,000 in 2012 to a record high of 188,000 in 2019.
Moodley’s career in film programming has encompassed many leadership roles, including Manager at the Durban International Film Festival (2001–2011) and as a Programming Consultant for Dubai International Film Festival (2005–2017).
During Moodley’s 11 years at Durban International Film Festival, he dramatically increased its content and reach. He also raised the profile of the African film industry by establishing the Durban FilmMart, a program providing African filmmakers with the opportunity to pitch film projects to financiers.
He has been a jury member at various film festivals worldwide including San Sebastián, Busan, Toronto, Rotterdam, El Gouna, Durban and Tokyo film festivals.
Born in South Africa in 1978, Moodley studied English and philosophy at the University of Natal and worked as a journalist before turning to film programming. His writing has appeared in newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, GQ, the Sunday Tribune, and the Sunday Independent.
Penny is a Member of the Maramanindji people, from the Northern Territory in Australia. She has completed a cadetship with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and has a Masters of Arts (Documentary Producing) from the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) in Sydney.
Between 2004 and 2005, Penny worked in the Indigenous Programs Unit at the ABC. She was selected for Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department’s Producers Initiative in 2011, and also worked as a Senior Programmer for NITV, National Indigenous Television, a division of SBS.
Most recently Head of the First Nations Department at Screen Australia, Penny managed the department for six years overseeing a large slate of successful film and television including Total Control, Spear, She Who Must Be Loved, Sweet Country, We Don’t Need a Map, Grace Beside Me and Little J and Big Cuz. She also created numerous special initiatives which have provided development opportunities for some of Australia’s newest rising writing, directing and producing talents. In June she began her new role as a Producer at Bunya Productions.
Rebecca Barry Producer / Director, Media Stockade (AUS)
Rebecca is a storyteller and an adventurer at heart, with a deep desire to share new perspectives and observations about our world. Rebecca is driven to facilitate exceptional stories, share these with an audience in a creative way, and get people thinking. In 2012 she founded the production company Media Stockade with fellow filmmaker Madeleine Hetherton-Miau. Highlights of her work as a director include: Footy Chicks (SBS), Inspiring Teachers (SBS), Home and Away (Drama – Channel 7), The Surgeon (Network 10 starring Justine Clarke, producers John Edwards & Judi McCrossin) and I Am A Girl (nominated for 4 AACTA awards and winner of best documentary film at the 2014 SPA Awards). As a producer, credits include: The Surgery Ship (SBS) which evolved into an 8-part series for National Geographic, The Opposition (Hot Docs, IDFA, Sydney Film Festival & HRAFF), China Love which was the ABC Arts, Create NSW Doc Feature Fund recipient. The five-part true-crime series Frozen Lies screened on Foxtel in 2019 and 8-part documentary series Back to Nature recently went to air on the ABC. She is currently producing a 4-part series on The Family Court Murders for the ABC which will broadcast on the ABC in 2022.
S. Leo Chiang Director, Walking Iris Media (USA / Taiwan)
S. Leo Chiang is a filmmaker based in San Francisco and Taipei. His most recent film, Our Time Machine, was nominated for an Emmy and the Gotham Awards, and played at over 75 film festivals worldwide. In 2020, he directed two episodes of the Peabody-winning 5-part PBS series, Asian Americans.
His previous films include the Emmy Award-nominated A Village Called Versailles, Out Run, Mr. Cao Goes To Washington, and To You Sweetheart, Aloha. Leo’s work has received support from the Sundance Documentary Fund, the Tribeca Film Institute, and ITVS. He has been a Sundance-Time Warner Fellow, a Rockwood JustFilms Fellow, and a Co-Chair of New Day Films.
He has served as a mentor/trainer for the Hot Docs CrossCurrent Fellowship, the CNEX Chinese Documentary Forum, and AIDC. He is the co-founder of A-Doc, the Asian American Documentary Network, and a documentary branch member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences.
Sonya Pemberton is one of Australia’s leading documentary filmmakers; an Emmy Award recipient and record-breaking five-time winner of the prestigious Eureka Prize for Science Journalism. Her passion is creating quality science documentaries for international audiences.
Sonya has written and directed over 60 hours of broadcast documentary and executive produced many award-winning factual series, her films winning over 80 international awards. Previously Head of Specialist Factual at the ABC, Sonya created Genepool Productions to explore complex and polarised areas of science.
Recent titles include Vitamania (SBS/Arte/CuriosityStream), Uranium – Twisting the Dragon’s Tail (SBS/PBS/ ZDF/Arte), Jabbed – love, fear and vaccines (SBS/ARTE), and Vaccines – Calling the Shots (PBS NOVA, with Tangled Bank Studios).
Genepool Productions is based in Melbourne, Australia, and works closely with global partners and collaborators.