Natsu Kawakami (Japan) Producer
NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)

Natsu Kawakami is a producer/associate commissioning editor at “World Documentary.”

Emile Guertin (Malaysia) Senior Producer
Al Jazeera English

Emile is a Senior Commissioning Producer at Al Jazeera English in Malaysia, commissioning documentaries for the Witness strand across broadcast and digital, with a focus on Asia-Pacific.

Oli Harbottle (UK) Chief Content Officer
Dogwoof

Oli is responsible for acquisitions across the company's slate as well as the sourcing of projects for production.

Zoe Stinson (UK) Acquisitions and Productions Executive
TVF International

Zoe Stinson is Acquisitions and Productions Executive at TVF International, the UK’s leading independent factual distributor.

Susie Jones (Australia) Head of Documentary and Specialist
ABC

Susie Jones is the Head of Documentary and Specialist at the ABC.

Joseph Maxwell (Australia) Head of Unscripted
SBS

Joseph oversees commissioning for all unscripted content at SBS Australia.

Kelrick Martin (Australia) Head of Indigenous
ABC

Kelrick is the Head of Indigenous at ABC (AUS)

Shiori Ito (Japan) Co-Founder
Hanashi Films

ONLINE GUEST

Shiori Ito is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker whose debut feature is the Oscar®-nominated Black Box Diaries (2024).

Jo Chichester (Australia) Commissioning Editor
ABC TV

Jo is a Commissioning Editor in the ABC's Documentary & Specialist team with responsibility for major brands Grand Designs Australia, Grand Designs Transformations and Restoration Australia, as well as developing and commissioning the hit show Muster Dogs.

Stephen Oliver (Australia) Commissioning Editor
ABC

Stephen is a commissioning editor with a passion for people and impactful stories.

Kalita Corrigan (Australia) Commissioning Editor
ABC

As a commissioning editor for ABC Documentary and Specialist, Kalita is passionate about finding ways to make Australian stories/history/true crime/arts entertaining and informative.

Bethan Arwel-Lewis (Australia) Commissioning Editor
SBS

Bethan Arwel-Lewis is Commissioning Editor of Factual for SBS Australia, and is responsible for commissioning original factual content for the broadcaster.

Joseph Meldrum (Australia) Commissioning Editor
NITV

Commissioning Editor at NITV and oversees commissioning of NITV's original content slate.

Paul Wiegard (Australia) Co-Founder & CEO
Madman Entertainment

Paul Wiegard is the Co-Founder and CEO of Madman Entertainment, a leading independent film distribution company in Australasia.

Ian Darling (Australia) Executive Director
Shark Island Foundation

Ian Darling is Executive Director of Shark Island Institute and Chair of Shark Island Foundation.

Stephanie King (Australia) Impact Director
Documentary Australia

Stephanie is a filmmaker, Impact Producer and Director at Documentary Australia.

Mat Kesting (Australia) CEO & Creative Director
Adelaide Film Festival

Mat Kesting is a festivals and programming specialist having worked in the sector since the late 1990s.

Julian Brave NoiseCat (Canada) Filmmaker/Writer
Independent

ONLINE GUEST

Julian Brave NoiseCat is a writer, filmmaker, and co-director of Academy Award-nominated® film Sugarcane.

Emily Kassie (Canada) Filmmaker/Investigative Journalist
Independent

ONLINE GUEST

Emily Kassie is an Emmy® and Peabody®-nominated investigative journalist, filmmaker, and co-director of the Academy Award®-nominated film Sugarcane.

Shane Boris (USA) Founder
Cottage M

ONLINE GUEST

Shane Boris is an Oscar®-winning and two-time Oscar®-nominated film producer, best known for the 2022 documentaries Fire of Love and Navalny.

Piotr Winiewicz (Poland) Artist/Filmmaker
Independent

ONLINE GUEST

Piotr Winiewicz is a Copenhagen based, Polish artist, filmmaker and scenographer, and the director of 2024 IDFA opener 'About a Hero.'

Gabriel Shipton (Australia) Producer
Shipton House

Gabriel Shipton is an award-winning Australian film producer, transmedia storyteller and human rights advocate.

Gabrielle Brady (Australia/Germany) Director/Screenwriter
Independent

Gabrielle Brady is an Australian director and screenwriter who makes hybrid films, including Island of the Hungry Ghosts and The Wolves Always Come at Night.

Ariunaa Tserenpil (Mongolia) Arts, Film & Media Producer
Guru Media

ONLINE GUEST

Ariunaa Tserenpil is the arts, film and media producer of the Guru Media, a Mongolian based production company

Evan Ratliff (USA) Journalist/Author
Independent

ONLINE GUEST

Evan Ratliff is an award-winning investigative journalist, bestselling author, podcast host, and entrepreneur.

Renan Öztürk (USA) Filmmaker/Expedition Climber/Photojournalist
Expedition Studios

ONLINE GUEST

Renan is a commercial and documentary filmmaker, and an expedition climber.

Marlikka Perdrisat (Australia) Filmmaker
Independent

Filmmaker Marlikka Perdrisat is the director of short film Ornmol, a documentary that premiered at Flickerfest and has been selected for Berlinale

Chouwa Liang (China) Filmmaker
Independent

ONLINE GUEST

Chouwa Liang is a documentary filmmaker based in Beijing.

Elizabeth Klinck (Canada) Visual Researcher
Independent

Elizabeth Klinck is a producer, researcher and clearance specialist.

Jazz Money (Australia) Poet/Artist
Independent

ONLINE GUEST

Jazz Money is a Wiradjuri poet and artist.

Richard Harris (Australia) Speleopix

Dr Richard “Harry” Harris is an experienced underwater photographer and videographer, and is a participant in Jennifer Peedom's 'Deeper' (2025.)

Rosie Lourde (Australia) Writer/Director/Executive Producer
Independent

Rosie Lourde is a multi-faceted filmmaker with a passion for advocacy. 

Daniel Stephenson (Australia) Content Partnerships Manager
Youtube Australia

Daniel Stephenson is Content Partnerships Manager for YouTube Australia.

Darren Dale (Australia) Managing Director and Producer
Blackfella Films

A director of Blackfella Films since 2000, Darren Dale has produced award winning documentary, factual and drama programs.

Joanna Beveridge (Australia) Development and Investment Manager (Narrative Content)
Screen Australia

Joanna Beveridge is currently a Development and Investment Manager (Narrative Content) at Screen Australia.

Rita Arrigo (Australia) Strategic Engagement Manager
National AI Centre

Rita Arrigo serves as the Strategic Engagement Manager at the National AI Centre.

Marlee Silva (Australia) TV and Radio Host, Podcaster and Best-selling Author

Marlee is emerging as one of the brightest stars on the Australian media landscape.

Catherine Olsen (Canada) International Documentary Consultant
Passionate 4 Docs

Catherine Olsen specializes as a Creative & Editorial Documentary Consultant, Moderator, & Tutor at Festivals and International workshops.

Keri Elmsly (Australia) Executive Director of Programming
Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)

Keri is Executive Director of Programming for ACMI, Australia’s national museum of screen culture.

Kathryn Fink (Australia) Director of Television
SBS

Kathryn is the Director of Television at Special Broadcasting Service (SBS).

Eliorah Malifa (Australia) Co-Founder
Pasifika Film Festival & Climate Story Lab Pacific

Doctor Eliorah Malifa is a producer, academic and project manager.

Dr Cathy Henkel (Australia) Producer/Associate Professor
Edith Cowan University (ECU)

Associate Professor Cathy Henkel is the Course Coordinator of post-graduate courses in the WA Screen and Media Academy at Edith Cowan University

Richard Welch (Australia) Filmmaker/Discipline Lead - Documentary
The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS)

Richard Welch is an experienced documentary curator, lecturer and filmmaker, with over 20 years’ experience in the screen media industry.

Stephano Mendelek (Lebanon) Director of Development
AFLAMUNA

ONLINE GUEST

Stephano Mendelek is the Director of Development at AFLAMUNA.

Amelia Hapsari (Australia/Indonesia) Communication Director
Ashoka Indonesia

Amelia Hapsari is a documentary filmmaker born and raised in Indonesia.

Luke Clark (Australia) Senior Producer
New Mac/Never Too Small

Luke is a writer and producer with a passion for grounded storytelling whether documentary or fiction, across TV, film and games.

Katrina McGowan (Australia) Director/Producer
iKandy Films

Katrina is the director and co-producer of feature documentary How To Poison A Planet.

Avani Dias (Australia) Journalist
ABC

Avani Dias is a reporter for Australia's leading investigative program, the ABC's 'Four Corners'.

Ahmed Hassouna (Palestine) Filmmaker
Independent

ONLINE GUEST

Ahmed Hassouna is a Palestinian director.

Alaa Damo (Palestine) Filmmaker
Independent

ONLINE GUEST

Alaa Damo is a Palestinian filmmaker and the director of "24 Hours" part of the "From Ground Zero" collection.

Tony Briggs (Australia) Filmmaker
Typecast Entertainment

Tony Briggs is a theatre, television, and film practitioner working as an actor, writer, director, and producer.

Nic Meloney (Canada) Executive in Charge of Production, Factual & Documentary
CBC

Nic is an Executive in Charge of Production with CBC Unscripted and is a member of the CBC/Radio-Canada Indigenous Advisory Council.

Robert Y. Chang (USA) Co-Producer POV
American Documentary | POV

Robert Y. Chang is the Co-Producer Producer of POV.

Madonna Benjamin (UK) Senior Commissioning Editor, Documentaries & Factual Entertainment
Channel 4

Madonna Benjamin is Senior Commissioning Editor for Channel 4 Documentaries and Factual Entertainment, responsible for commissioning and delivering original factual series.

Devina McPherson (Australia) First Nations Co-Producer
AIDC

Devina is a proud Widi Yamatji and Noongar women from Western Australia, who is the Development and Associate Producer at RAMU Productions.

Shelley Quinn (New Zealand) Commissioner
Warner Bros. Discovery

Shelley Quinn is a factual commissioner at Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ, responsible for commissioning factual and entertainment content for local platforms ThreeNow and THREE.

Theresa Navarro (USA) Co-Director / Chief Operations Officer
Catapult Film Fund

Theresa is currently Co-Director and COO at Catapult Film Fund, a SF-based nonprofit providing early-stage support for independent documentaries.

Sudeep Sharma (USA) Programmer
Sundance Film Festival

Sudeep is a Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival.

Debra Zimmerman (USA) Executive Director
Women Make Movies

Debra Zimmerman is the Executive Director of Women Make Movies, a NY non-profit social enterprise that has been supporting women filmmakers with distribution and production assistance of their independent films since 1972.

Pamela Martínez (Spain) CEO/Managing Director, Limonero Films
Limonero Films Limited

Limonero Films is a straight-talking, committed and reliable boutique international distributor of  factual programming and documentaries.

Scott Limmer (Australia) Software Engineering Manager
National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA)

Scott Limmer is Software Engineering Manager at the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA).

Mitch Nivalis (Australia) Photographer and Filmmaker
MDP Photography & Video

Mitch Nivalis (they/them) is a documentary filmmaker, photographer, speaker and consultant.

Patrick Abboud (Australia) Founder/Creative Partner
Only Human Productions/Dreamchaser Studios

Patrick (Pat) Abboud is a two-time Walkley Award–winning journalist, presenter and ADG-nominated director and filmmaker.

Jennifer Peedom (Australia) Director/Producer/Co-Founder
Stranger Than Fiction

ONLINE GUEST

Jennifer Peedom is a BAFTA and Emmy nominated writer, director and producer.

Eliza Cox (Australia) Filmmaker
Independent

Eliza Cox is the director of the feature documentary Queens of Concrete.

Cieron Cody (Australia) Senior Commissioning Editor
NITV

Cieron Cody has recently joined NITV as Senior Commissioning Editor.

Anu Hasbold (Australia) Development Producer, Documentary Projects, Film & Television
MOFA

Anu Hasbold is currently a documentary producer at MOFA (formerly Sweetshop & Green).

Chanel Bowen (Australia) Producer, Access Coordinator, Disability Advocate
Norfolk Pictures

Chanel Bowen is a Producer and Access Coordinator across documentary and scripted spaces.

Hollie Fifer (Australia) Director of Special Projects
Doc Society

Doc Society is a global non-profit working with the boldest and most impactful filmmakers all over the world.

Frances Elliott (Australia) Filmmaker
Independent

ONLINE GUEST

Frances Elliott is a documentary writer and director from Western Australia, and co-director of feature documentary Renee Gracie: Fireproof.

Marc Fennell (Australia) Journalist and Documentary Storyteller
Independent

Marc Fennell is a Walkley-winning journalist, AACTA-nominated director and one of Australia’s most distinctive documentary storytellers.

Kate Jinx (Australia) Senior Programmer
Melbourne International Film Festival

Kate Jinx is a Senior Programmer of feature films and the talks/in conversations curator at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF).

Alice Burgin (Australia) Investment Manager – Documentary
Screen Australia

Alice Burgin is currently working as an Investment Manager with the Documentary Unit at Screen Australia.

Genevieve Grieves (Australia) Co-creator/Creative Director
GARUWA

Genevieve Grieves is a proud Worimi woman and respected artist, educator, field builder, film director and oral historian.

Isaac Elliott (Australia) Filmmaker
Independent

Isaac Elliott is an AACTA and Australian Directors Guild (ADG) nominated director.

Josie Mason Campbell (Australia) Head of Programming
Eureka, a Fremantle Company

Josie is currently the Head of Programming at Eureka, a Fremantle Company.

Karla Hart (Australia) Filmmaker
Karla Hart Productions

Karla is an award-winning filmmaker, actress and radio personality.

Mia Falstein-Rush (Australia) Program Manager
Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF)

Mia Falstein-Rush is a film programmer, talks curator, and event producer.

Mitzi Goldman (Australia) CEO
Documentary Australia

Mitzi is a Co-Founder and CEO of Documentary Australia, a not-for-profit organisation enabling social impact documentaries to be funded and screened to inspire social change.

Sarah Steel (Australia) Head of Marketing and Industry Support
Screenrights

Sarah Steel is Screenrights' Head of Marketing and Industry Support, where she looks after the organisation's comms and sponsorships as well as its annual Cultural Fund grant round.

Arran Birchenough (New Zealand) Director of Sales, APAC
Getty Images

Arran is Director of Sales (Production and Broadcast) for Getty Images APAC.

James Dickinson CEO
Screenrights

James Dickinson is the CEO of Screenrights.

Julia Scott-Stevenson (Australia) Researcher/Producer/Curator
University of Technology Sydney

Dr Julia Scott-Stevenson is a researcher and maker of interactive and immersive media.

Kaylene Butler (Australia) Writer/Director/Producer
Independent

Kaylene specialises in character-driven stories, and focusing on Indigenous culture awareness.

Alice McShane (Australia) Conference Programmer
AIDC

Alice McShane is the conference programmer for AIDC 2025.

Blayke Hoffman (Australia) Producer
Stranger than Fiction

Blayke Hoffman is an Emmy award winning creative producer with Stranger Than Fiction.

Ivan O'Mahoney (Australia) Co Founder/Managing Director
In Films

Ivan O’Mahoney is the founder of In Films.

Katy Roberts (Australia) Production Executive
VicScreen

Katy Roberts is a production executive at VicScreen.

Jacob Hickey (Australia) Head of Factual
Blackfella Films

Jacob is an award-winning writer and producer, and is the Head of Factual at Blackfella Films.

Lauren Valmadre (Australia) Industry Manager
AIDC

Lauren is the Industry Manager at AIDC.

Santilla Chingaipe (Australia) Journalist & Filmmaker
Independent

Santilla Chingaipe is a journalist, filmmaker and author.

Jodie Bell (Australia) CEO / Producer
Ramu Productions

Jodie Bell is the CEO and Producer at Ramu Productions in Broome, Western Australia.

Karina Holden (Australia) Head of Factual
Northern Pictures

For almost three decades, Karina has been a trailblazer in the field of non-fiction television.

Alex Kelly (Australia) Producer/Strategist/Director
Unquiet Collective

Alex Kelly (she/her) is a filmmaker and impact producer based on Dja Dja Wurrung Country.

Dom Bartolo (Australia) Designer/Director/Co-Founder
21-19

Dom is an international designer director and co-founder of 21-19, a Brand & Moving Image agency, based in Melbourne, Australia.

Samantha Dinning (Australia) Head of Content Investment
VicScreen

Sam is Head of Content Investment at VicScreen

Samuel Nuggin-Paynter (Australia) Development and Investment Manager
Screen Australia

Sam currently works as a Development and Investment manager at Screen Australia’s First nations Department.

Kimberley Benjamin (Australia) Director
Independent

Kimberley Benjamin is Yawuru, Bardi and Kija woman from Rubibi/Broome, and proudly living and working on Country.

Douglas Watkin (Australia) Film Director
Double Wire Productions

Douglas Watkin is a First Nations director, producer and writer.

Jennifer Collins (Australia) Head of Screen
ABC

With a career spanning 30 years, Jennifer Collins is one of Australia’s leading television executives.

Grainne Brunsdon (Australia) COO
Screen Australia

Grainne Brunsdon is the Chief Operating Officer of Screen Australia.

Maha Ismail (Australia) Head of Member Services
Screenrights

Maha Ismail is Screenrights' Head of Member Services.

Adrian Swift (Australia) Head of Content, Production & Development
Nine Network

Adrian is Nine’s Head of Content, Production & Development working across the 9Network’s broadcast and digital video businesses.

Kylie Washington (Australia) General Manager and Creative Director of Production
BBC Studios ANZ

Kylie Washington is BBC Studios ANZ’s General Manager and Creative Director of Production.

Richard Huddleston (Australia) Head of Documentary
Screen Australia

Richard has over twenty-five years of experience in the television industry, with creative and strategic leadership positions across a wide range of documentary and factual genres.

Kate Fitzpatrick (Australia) Programmer
Melbourne International Film Festival

Kate Fitzpatrick is a Programmer at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Prash Naik (Australia) Co-Founder/General Counsel
Creators Counsel/Doc Society

Prash Naik is co-founder of Creators Counsel, a boutique media law practice based in Sydney and London.

Simon Nasht (Australia ) Managing Director
Smith&Nasht

Simon is the co-founder and managing director of production company Smith&Nash.

Matthew Deaner (Australia) CEO
Screen Producers Australia

Matthew Deaner is the Chief Executive Officer of Screen Producers Australia.

Tosca Looby (Australia) Creative Director
Northern Pictures

Tosca is a creative director, writer and producer of factual programming.

Jo-anne McGowan (AUS) Co-founder / Producer
Stranger Than Fiction Films

Jo-anne McGowan is an Emmy® nominated producer.

Maya Newell (Australia) Co-Founder
Unquiet Collective

Maya is a documentary film director and impact producer from the Unquiet Collective based on Gadigal Wangal Country.