Four days of screenings, sessions and storytelling collide as AIDC 2026 takes over Melbourne this March.
Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) returns to ACMI in Melbourne for its 2026 edition, running 2-5 March with an online marketplace following on 11-12 March. Over 50 sessions, screenings and events make up the program, featuring more than 100 speakers and 80-plus industry decision makers from around the globe.
The rallying cry Hold True anchors this year’s conference, celebrating the solidarity and resilience of the documentary and factual community while calling for vital legislative and funding support.
Five subthemes weave through the program: Truth States (truth to power, story sovereignty and the future of truth), Forward Focus (innovation, experimentation and alternative pathways), Change Agents (field building, sustainability and impact), Field of Vision (storytelling, craft and creative explorations), and Sector States (industry insights, policy and reform).
AIDC 2026
- Conference: 2-5 March, ACMI, Melbourne/Naarm
- International Marketplace: 11-12 March, online only
- Public screenings program announced: 6 February 2026
- Full program here
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
Double Oscar nominee headlines spotlight sessions
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Double Academy Award nominee Geeta Gandbhir leads the spotlight sessions, delving into her documentary storytelling practice with The Perfect Neighbor (2026 Best Documentary Oscar nominee) and The Devil is Busy (2026 Best Documentary Short Oscar nominee).
Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Rita Baghdadi explores her career as a multi-hyphenate director, producer and cinematographer behind bold, character-driven docs including Sundance hit Sirens and yet-to-be-released Stallions, plus work for Netflix and National Geographic.
Inventive filmmaker Adam Bhala Lough, co-director of HBO’s Telemarketers, presents his wildly provocative SXSW Audience Award-nominated documentary Deepfaking Sam Altman. The irreverent hybrid doc flipped the script on its intended participant by creating an AI-generated version of the OpenAI founder when the real Altman refused to be interviewed. Kevin Hart produced.
Decision makers from Netflix, National Geographic and beyond
Major platforms and broadcasters are rolling in for AIDC 2026, both in-person and virtually: ABC, Al Jazeera, American Documentary | POV, ARTE France, Asahi Television Broadcasting, bilibili, Channel 4, EBS Korea/EIDF, Hulu, National Geographic, Netflix, NHK, NITV, Paramount, SBS, TRT World, TVNZ and Whakaata Māori.
Sales agents, distributors and production companies scouting include Asian Shadows, Autlook Filmsales, Boardwalk Pictures, CAT&Docs, Dogwoof, Impronta Films, Journeyman Pictures, Love Nature / Blue Ant Media, Madman Entertainment, MetFilm Sales, Mindhouse Productions, Sideways Film, Together Films and TVF International.
Industry heavyweights share insights
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Aloke Devichand, head of documentaries at Mindhouse (Louis Theroux’s UK-based production company) and former commissioner for Netflix and Al Jazeera, shares his approach to commissioning and producing distinctive global stories. National Geographic’s EVP of Content Tom McDonald takes attendees through the Nat Geo ecosystem and projects that have absolutely smashed it, from Ocean with David Attenborough to Katrina: Race Against Time and A Real Bug’s Life.
First Nations filmmakers unpack the creative and cultural drivers behind their innovative approaches. Ursula Grace Williams discusses music documentary Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua – Two Worlds, Jason Ryle presents animated feature Endless Cookie, and Kieran Mpetyane Satour shares cinematic project Facing the Numbers, based on audio testimonials.
Joining the lineup: multi-talented journalist and documentary maker Patrick Abboud; factual format innovator Kirk Docker, co-creator of You Can’t Ask That and I Was Actually There; historian and journalist Dr Esmé Louise James, creator of wildly popular Kinky History and co-producer of SexTistics with companion guest Dr Naomi Koh Belic; ocean documentary specialist Sarah Beard, producer of National Geographic’s Paul Rudd-narrated Secrets of the Octopus; radio personality, satirist, documentary maker and author John Safran; and acclaimed First Nations filmmaker Trisha Morton-Thomas, director of Journey Home, David Gulpilil.
Deep dives into craft, climate and the creator economy
Field of Vision sessions explore documenting Indigenous icons through Journey Home, David Gulpilil and Emily: I Am Kam, transforming ordinary subjects into extraordinary stories with The Golden Spurtle, Spreadsheet Champions and Flathead, plus pathways to getting short docs made and seen. Truth States examines confronting bias in documentary storytelling, telling stories of our times in audio, and putting AI on the stand.
Forward Focus tackles understanding the creator economy with Changer Studios and Cinch Media, exploring the future of co-productions in broadcast with American Documentary | POV, Mindhouse and Northern Pictures, genre mash-ups with SBS commissioning editors plus filmmakers John Safran and Michael Cordell, and nailing social media-first storytelling with Dr Naomi Koh Belic, Dr Esmé Louise James and Lee Naimo.
Change Agents features innovating climate storytelling with filmmakers behind Yurlu | Country, Floodland and Power to Country, the undeniable power of impact producing with Alex Kelly, Sarah Beard, Maya Newell and Genevieve Grieves, navigating the funding landscape with Documentary Australia, Minderoo Pictures, Shark Island Foundation, Adelaide Film Festival and Points North Institute, plus meeting international decision makers.
Sector States delivers state of play analysis with Stephanie King and industry experts, film festivals and distribution strategies with Dogwoof, Madman Entertainment, Raina Films and TIFF, burning questions answered by the ABC commissioning team, and fair play for AI with Screenrights Chief Executive James Dickinson.
Development cash and opportunities
AIDC 2026 unlocks over $305,000 in project development funding, awards, prizes and professional development opportunities directly supporting documentary and factual practitioners. Investment flows through pitch partners Shark Island Foundation, The Post Lounge Group, DocPlay and Indigenous Business Australia; awards partners AFTRS and Film Finances; FACTory pitch prize partners; and Leading Lights program partners AFTRS alongside 20 Leading Lights industry donors.
Public screening program Documented returns through ACMI, featuring documentary works associated with AIDC 2026 guests.
Documented brings world-class docs to the public
The annual Documented screening program returns 2–5 March at ACMI Cinemas, delivering a tightly curated selection of international documentaries to Melbourne audiences.
This year’s program ties into the AIDC 2026 theme Hold True with four standout sessions: the Australian premiere of Deepfaking Sam Altman (directed by AIDC spotlight speaker Adam Bhala Lough), Oscar®-shortlisted 2000 Metres to Andriivka from 20 Days in Mariupol filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov, 2026 Oscar®-nominee Cutting Through Rocks, and a free screening of shorts from PBS platform POV.
AIDC CEO/Creative Director Natasha Gadd says the program features acclaimed films like 2000 Meters to Andriivka and Cutting Through Rocks that haven’t yet had Australian theatrical runs, not to mention “the timely and deeply irreverent Deepfaking Sam Altman, and compelling shorts from the always incredible POV.”
Tickets available via ACMI’s website or ticket desk. The POV shorts session is free but still requires a ticket for entry.
Closing night celebrates Australian nonfiction excellence
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The sixth annual AIDC Awards wraps up the conference on 5 March, handing out cash prizes across three categories celebrating the best of Australian nonfiction. Film Finances backs the Best Feature Documentary prize with $5,000, while AFTRS throws $2,000 behind Best Short-Form Documentary. The Southern Light Award returns for its third year with $5,000 going to an Australian industry professional who’s made an outstanding contribution to nonfiction screen, digital or audio media.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with AIDC.
