NET-WORK-PLAY is returning to Melbourne in 2016 after seven years in Adelaide, it was announced today.
During their annual general meeting, The Board of the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) confirmed they would be partnering with Film Victoria and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) to present the annual conference and market as of next year.
It is not the only significant change AIDC has made recently, having this year rebranded as NET-WORK-PLAY as well as announcing the departure of Executive Director Joost den Hartog.
The event has been running since 1987, and has grown from a local biennial conference to one of the major events on the international screen industry calendar.
In a statement released to the media, the AIDC board said it “gratefully acknowledges the considerable support received from the South Australian Government through Arts SA and the South Australian Film Corporation over the past seven years (2009-2015). Having triennial funding and Adelaide as a home base has been vital to the growth and development of the event.”
The decision to relocate was made in order to further advance the success of previous conferences, raise the profile of the documentary/factual sector and strengthen business and marketing opportunities.
In a joint statement, Pedretti and Slaninka said “AIDC’s NET-WORK-PLAY is Australia’s leading documentary and factual conference and market which will bring hundreds of Australian and international distributors, broadcasters and content creators to Melbourne. Partnering with Film Victoria and ACMI will contribute to creating a dynamic NET-WORK- PLAY 2016, a conference not to be missed. We applaud the Victorian government’s vision to complement Melbourne’s already impressive screen event schedule with AIDC’s NET-WORK-PLAY.”
The Victorian Minister of the Creative Industries, Martin Foley said, “The return of AIDC to Melbourne is a significant win for Victoria ‘s creative industries. The conference will provide significant networking opportunities for local industry practitioners and highlight Victoria’s strengths in the documentary production business”.
CEO of Film Victoria Jenni Tosi said “Film Victoria is delighted to welcome the AIDC back to Victoria in 2016. Our support of this conference is vital to the ongoing success of Australia’s documentary industry, and plays an important role in ensuring that Australian audiences will continue to see Australian stories on their screens.”
Incoming ACMI CEO Katrina Sedgwick said
, "ACMI is delighted to be working closely with the Australian International Documentary Conference as it moves NET-WORK-PLAY to Melbourne and to host it within our walls. This partnership not only builds on ACMI's existing industry engagement and boosts our longstanding links with Film Victoria but underlines our commitment to the Australian documentary industry across our diverse programs. We look forward to welcoming hundreds of delegates to ACMI from across Australia and around the world to celebrate and explore the challenges, opportunities and trends for documentary film making next year."
NET-WORK-PLAY includes an annual documentary and factual conference, market and screening program that brings the international marketplace to Australia, facilitating film financing and production outcomes, whilst providing networking and professional development opportunities.
The dates for AIDC’s NET-WORK-PLAY 2016 will be announced over the coming weeks.
NET-WORK-PLAY 2015 concludes on 25 February, 2015.