Emmy award winning producers, Marc Smerling and Zac Pointer are set to headline the Australian International documentary conference in February.
Smerling, cinematographer and producer, and Pontier, editor, co-writer and co-producer, of the HBO documentary series The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst will be keynote speakers at AIDC 2016 from February 28 to March 2.
Smerling’s production credits include All Good Things, Catfish, a 2011 documentary feature about the perils of social networking, and Capturing the Friedmans, (2003) winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and nominee for an Academy Award for Best Documentary.
The AIDC has also opened earlybird registration for the event.
Pontier co produced Catfish, and edited Sundance award winner Martha Marcy May Marlene and SXSW award winner NY Export: Opus Jazz, He was awarded the 2015 Primetime Emmy for Editing and Outstanding Documentary Series for The Jinx.
Both Smerling and Pontier will be participating in an in-depth In Conversation session about the making of The Jinx, and Smerling will present an exclusive Masterclass.
AIDC chief executive and co-director, Britt Arthur, said the theme for 2016 revolved around true stories.
"We celebrate the people who live them, the people who film them, and the people who bring these stories to the world,” she said.
“We are thrilled to be inviting some of the best truth tellers in the world to join us.
"Marc and Zac spent four years in the edit to bring us the incredible story of Robert Durst.”
AIDC will also continue to facilitate business development and project commissions for the factual content industry.
International representatives from BBC, Discovery Networks International, Pivot / Participant Media, Off the Fence, Modern Times Group, TVNZ and Maori TV are confirmed to participate in conference highlight The FACTory, a full-day pitching event providing a unique opportunity for filmmakers to pitch to key decision makers – including digital media publishers, distributors, free-to-air and subscription television broadcasters and online streaming services.
There will also be expert sessions devoted to business connections, craft, professional development and technology.
An entire day will be devoted to Impact Producing, the art of amplifying social change through media, and a public documentary screening program will run over the four days of AIDC, presented in conjunction with the Australian Centre For the Moving Image.
Film Victoria chief executive, Jeni Tosi, said the conference would bring a renewed focus to the forum for the non-fiction screen sector by fostering new opportuntiies pathways and partnerships for producers of quality documentary and factual content.
2016 represents a new chapter for AIDC, as the conference moves to ACMI Melbourne, and unveils a new brand for the organisation and event.
A limited number of All Access Earlybird Passes for the conference are available now from www.aidc.com.au. Prospective delegates are encouraged to register early to secure a place at this must-attend event.
Project pitch submissions for The FACTory are also open at www.aidc.com.au, with nonfiction filmmakers at any career stage encouraged to apply. Deadline for submissions: 12 January 2016.