AIDC 2026 brings over 100 speakers to Melbourne this March.
Documentary lovers, mark your calendars. AIDC 2026 has just dropped its full program featuring Academy Award nominees and groundbreaking filmmakers.
Running under the theme Hold True, this year’s Australian International Documentary Conference brings together the best minds in nonfiction storytelling. The lineup includes double Oscar nominee Geeta Gandbhir, director of Netflix’s The Perfect Neighbor, alongside Emmy-winning filmmakers and industry heavyweights from around the globe.
Gandbhir leads an impressive roster of international talent. Adam Bhala Lough, co-director of HBO’s Telemarketers, will discuss his wild new project Deepfaking Sam Altman, which literally created an AI version of the OpenAI founder when he refused to be interviewed. Emmy winner Rita Baghdadi brings her expertise from character-driven documentaries like Sirens, while National Geographic’s Tom McDonald offers insider perspectives on working with one of the world’s biggest nonfiction brands.
AIDC 2026
- Conference: 2-5 March, ACMI, Melbourne
- International Marketplace: 11-12 March, online
- Register to attend here
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
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Local talent gets serious spotlight too. Samoan/New Zealand filmmaker Ursula Grace Williams joins the program fresh from directing Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua – Two Worlds. Journalist Patrick Abboud, factual format innovator Kirk Docker (You Can’t Ask That, I Was Actually There), and historian Dr Esmé Louise James round out the additions.
First Nations filmmaker Trisha Morton-Thomas brings her acclaimed work on Journey Home, David Gulpilil, while ocean documentary specialist Sarah Beard discusses National Geographic’s Secrets of the Octopus. Radio personality and satirist John Safran also makes an appearance.
Decision makers from major platforms will participate both in-person and virtually. ABC, Al Jazeera, Netflix, National Geographic, Hulu, Channel 4, SBS, and more are sending representatives. Sales agents and distributors including Dogwoof, Journeyman Pictures, and Madman Entertainment round out the marketplace.
Beyond networking, AIDC 2026 unlocks over $305,000 in development funding, awards, and professional opportunities for documentary creators. This investment flows through partnerships with Shark Island Foundation, The Post Lounge Group, DocPlay, Indigenous Business Australia, AFTRS, and Film Finances.
The conference explores five subthemes through spotlight sessions and panels: Truth States examines truth to power and story sovereignty, Forward Focus tackles innovation and alternative pathways, Change Agents addresses field building and sustainability, Field of Vision dives into storytelling craft, and Sector States covers industry insights and policy reform.
Spotlight sessions cover everything from Gandbhir’s investigation into race politics in The Perfect Neighbor to First Nations filmmakers unpacking innovative documentary approaches. Aloke Devichand from Louis Theroux’s Mindhouse will share commissioning insights, while Baghdadi takes participants through her career creating bold independent documentaries.
With over 50 sessions, screenings, and events plus 80+ industry decision makers, AIDC 2026 positions itself as essential for anyone working in documentary and factual content. The program runs in-person at ACMI before shifting to an online international marketplace in mid-March.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with AIDC.
