AIDC – Australian International Documentary Conference

CALL FOR ENTRIES

The Canadian Consulate General in Sydney, the Indigenous Screen Office and Telefilm Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage, are pleased to be collaborating with the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) to bring a nationwide delegation of Canadian producers to Australia’s premier event for documentary and factual content across film, television, streaming and digital media.

DETAILS

The delegation is designed to facilitate cross-cultural collaboration between Canadian and Australian producers working across the documentary and factual landscape, with a goal towards creating new international collaborations and facilitating new co-production and/or co-financing opportunities between the two countries.

Telefilm is inviting Canadian practitioners to apply to be part of the delegation for the opportunity to access the range of opportunities and activities AIDC will provide for selected Canadian delegates.

All delegation members from across Canada will be offered a complimentary All Access registration to AIDC which includes:

• In-person entry to the conference in Melbourne from Sunday 2 – Wednesday 5 March 2025.
• Eligibility to participate in in-person and online marketplace meetings and activities.
• In-person entry to all open sessions, masterclasses, and pitches, including The FACTory International Pitching Showcase.
• In-person entry to all open networking events and parties.
• Invitations to the ‘Meet the Canadian Delegation’ networking event and ‘International Guest Welcome’.
• On-demand catch-up of AIDC 2025 sessions via the AIDC Conference App.
• First Nations delegates will be invited to join AIDC’s Indigenous Creators Program, a dedicated strand of additional sessions designed by and for First Nations practitioners.

CAN x AUS CO-PRODUCTION MARKET

AIDC will provide a tailored program for selected producers participating in the Canadian delegation. This includes:

• A curated Co-production Market enabling one-on-one meetings for Canadian producers to meet with Australian producers to pitch or be pitched suitable project/s for international co-production or co-financing.
• A two-hour co-production workshop for participating Canadian & Australian producers to be held online in February 2025 featuring an overview of official and unofficial co-production opportunities and incentives offered by each country/ state or province.

AIDC MARKETPLACE ACTIVITIES

Selected Canadian producers will also have the opportunity to submit project/s for consideration in other AIDC marketplace activities including:

• The FACTory International Pitching Showcase for documentary and factual feature or series projects in development that have global appeal and are market-ready. Applications for The FACTory close 11:59 PM on Sunday 17 November AEDT with participants confirmed by late-December 2024. AIDC will provide fee waivers for Canadian delegation participants. Please see the FACTory submission guidelines to prepare your project submissions ahead of time so you don’t miss out on this opportunity.
• Cut to the Chase – a curated marketplace for producers to pitch to participating Decision Makers during AIDC in Melbourne and/or as part of the online international marketplace. Cut to the Chase closes on Friday 31 January 2025 at 11:59 PM AEDT (You must be registered before this date to apply.)

INDIGENOUS CREATORS PROGRAM

All Indigenous practitioners participating in the Canadian delegation are invited to join AIDC’s Indigenous Creators Program. The program is a dedicated strand of sessions designed by and for First Nations practitioners to come together, share ideas and elevate the craft and business of First Nations stories. This includes four sessions that run throughout the main conference. In 2024, AIDC welcomed 74 Aboriginal and Torres Strait practitioners and participating global First Nations practitioners.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The applicant must :

• Be a Canadian-controlled corporation as defined by the Investment Canada Act, with its head office in Canada and be represented during the initiative by a producer that is a Canadian citizen within the definition of the Citizenship Act or a permanent resident within the definition of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
• Have produced at least one feature film released theatrically, on a platform, or in a festival.
• Have at least one doc and factual project in development or early production that could be suitable for official or unofficial co-productions and/or co-financing collaboration with Australian producers.
• Have previous experience as lead producer on an official completed international co-production is an asset.
• Be available to participate in the activities held in Melbourne from March 2 to 5, 2025. Arrival to Melbourne is recommended for Saturday 1 March and staying until Friday March 7 (if participating in the online international market).
• Have the required travel visa to Australia.

HOW TO APPLY

The Expression of Interest should be sent to Promo_Internationale@telefilm.ca and include:

• A corporate bio and/or a producer’s bio.
• An outline for the proposed project(s), including relevance to the Australian market, potential for the project as a co-production, current development and financing status and any packaging attachments.
• A cover email outlining interest in and objectives for participating in the mission.
• Evidence of experience in official or unofficial co-productions and/or co-financing.

AIDC is an innovative and industry-leading event welcoming creators and industry representatives from across the globe to drive collaboration, production and industry development and to inspire innovation and ignite social change.

The landmark 30th edition of AIDC 2025 Conference is taking place from Sunday March 2 to Wednesday March 5, 2025, in Melbourne, Australia with the online international marketplace taking place from Thursday 6 – Friday 7 March 2025.

Applicants are encouraged to complete the Canadian Heritage Creative Export Strategy self-identification questionnaire. The questionnaire is voluntary but only companies or organizations that submit the self-identification questionnaire, duly completed by all concerned individuals (e.g., owners and/or each board member of an organization), may be given priority consideration in the selection process.

Decisions on the selected producers will be announced in early November 2024.

Successful producers selected for the delegation will be able to apply to Telefilm Canada’s International Promotion Program to help cover the cost of travel and accommodation.

The Indigenous Screen Office will assist with the selection of the Indigenous applicants. Selected producers may be eligible for the ISO Travel Fund and should apply by November 29, 2024.

For more information, please contact Marie-Claude Giroux

Promotion and Communications
Telefilm Canada, Montréal
DL-Festivals@telefilm.ca
1 800 567-0890