AIDC and Screen Queensland have announced the full session program and speaker line-up for the first ever Regionality Sunshine Coast documentary and factual industry event, which takes place in Maroochydore on Friday 26 July 2024.
Supported by the Sunshine Coast Council and in collaboration with Sunshine Coast Screen Collective, the one-day program will provide insights into: crafting award-winning character docs; the elusive art of pitching; factual formats and new discoveries; First Nations storytelling; and engaging audiences with impact.
The event also includes opportunities for sector networking and curated one-on-one meetings with participating industry representatives, and is designed to meet the needs of Queensland-based documentary and factual practitioners.
Leading the program is a panel titled The State of Play, with Emmy and Sundance Award-winning US documentarians Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine, the creative duo behind Boys State (Apple TV+), The Mission (Nat Geo), Mayor Pete (Amazon Prime Video), The Overnighters (Netflix) and the 2024 Sundance smash Girls State (Apple TV+).
Known for their character-driven, provocative, and timely documentaries, Moss and McBaine will present to audiences via an online call to share insights into their creative practice, playing with form, and how to balance independent artistic endeavours with commercial realities.
Read: AIDC 2024 documentary award winners – and a tribute to ScreenHub’s David Tiley
Other speakers and guests include Queensland’s Bettina Dalton (Every Little Thing, Valerie Taylor: Playing With Sharks), Randall Wood (Flyways), Dena Curtis (First Weapons) and Dr. Chadden Hunter (The Platypus Guardian).
The program will also feature appearances by Nick Piper (Dawn of the Dolphins), Award-winning Indigenous creative John Harvey (Still We Rise), producer and industry expert Marissa McDowell, Dan Munday (Survivor), David Cook (Skate or Cry), Kim Ingles (The Oyster Gardener), Maya Newell (The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone, In My Blood it Runs), and Naomi Elkin, (Executive Producer – Factual, Paramount ANZ).
For filmmakers pitching a project, seeking direct knowledge or wishing to make new connections, Regionality’s Doc Chat 1:1 Meetings program will provide delegates with the opportunity to apply for face-time with decision makers and industry guests of the event. And to cap off the day, Networking Drinks will see all attendees invited to catch-up with industry peers, make new connections, and celebrate South East Queensland’s talented documentary and factual creators.
Bolstering the Regionality decision maker line-up, Naomi Elkin, Executive Producer – Factual at Paramount ANZ will join already confirmed guests Richard Huddleston (Head of Documentary, Screen Australia), Jo Chichester (Commissioning Editor, Factual, ABC), Bethan Arwel-Lewis (Commissioning Editor, Factual, SBS), Hollie Fifer (Director of Special Projects, Doc Society), Danielle Ah Boo (Head of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit, Screen Queensland), and Ian Lynch (Acting Head of Content – Industry and Initiatives, Screen Queensland).
‘We are delighted to bring this invaluable event back for another year, this time to the Sunshine Coast,’ said Screen Queensland CEO Jacqui Feeney. ‘It is a wonderful opportunity for the documentary industry to gather, learn and upskill to ensure Australia continues to make impactful real stories where truth is powerful or even stranger than fiction. It’s also a chance to showcase Queensland’s accomplished and flourishing documentary and factual creators, alongside national and international industry leaders.’
What: Regionality Sunshine Coast documentary conference
When: Friday 26 July, 2024
From: 9.00am to 6.30pm
Where: Maroochy RSL – 105 Memorial Avenue Maroochydore
For more information, head to the AIDC website.
