Australian documentary, ‘Waste Nation’ , from producer-director Dan Goldberg, is one of 10 projects selected for The FACTory.
The Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) has announced the 10 docos selected for its pitching forum, The FACTory.
Presented by Film Victoria and Screen Australia, the forum will allow the selected filmmakers to pitch their projects directly to international buyers, commissioners, and distributors. The forum takes place in front of a live audience.
Over 25 commissioning bodies are set to attend the event, including Tribeca Film Institute, National Geographic, Foxtel, BBC Storyville, Al Jazeera English, Canal +, NHK Japan, American Documentary | POV, Discovery and Universal Pictures.
The best pitch on the day will receive a marketing and distribution deal from The Solid State and Fan-Force – including $5,000 towards a theatrical trailer, poster and website, and $3,700 of distribution and social media marketing support services.
Selected from over 60 entries from around the world, the 10 successful projects are:
- Waste Nation (Australia) – Ronni Kahn used to be a collaborator in Australia’s annual $10 billion food waste bill. Now she’s taking on government and big business to expose the fact that four million tonnes of food is discarded annually while two million Australians suffer from food insecurity. Producer/Director: Dan Goldberg. Mint Pictures.
- Lady of the Harbour (China) – Nearly two decades ago, Suzanne smuggled Chinese immigrants to Greece via the same route as refugees fleeing today. In an attempt to redeem her past, she now leads a group of Greek Chinese to help new refugees arriving by sea. Director: Sean Wang; Producer: Jia Zhao. Muyi Film.
- Islam and the Future of Tolerance (USA / Australia) – Sam Harris, an atheist, neuroscientist; and Maajid Nawaz, a reformed Islamist who was promoting a global Caliphate. Their story, conversation and their solutions to the most pressing global issue. Director: Jay Shapiro; Producers: Desh Amila and Suzi Jamil. CNI Think Productions PTY LTD.
- The Invisibles (Australia) – a documentary series that follows four women as they embark on a life-changing journey to the heart of Australia, joining hundreds of others like them in an attempt to break the world record of women camping in the same place. Producer/Director: Emma Masters. Weave Films and Blackwatch Productions.
- Stories from the Field/The Last Guardian (Bhutan) – Tashi (13) has only one desire – to become a boy. Either as a footballer, or as the next guardian of her family’s monastery in the last Bhuddist kingdom of Bhutan. Producer/Director: Arun Bhattarai; Director: Dorottya Zurbó. Éclipse Film Ltd. and Sound Pictures.
- Uluru and the Magician (Australia) – Dave Welzman, a child-phobic Sydney magician bored of doing kids’ parties for a living, decides to reboot his career with a grand illusion. He plans to make Uluru, Australia’s biggest monolith, disappear – but in the process of obtaining permission from the traditional owners, ends up finding himself. Producer/Director: Anna Broinowski.
- Ghost of Neruda (Chile/Australia) – A thrilling investigation into the alleged murder of the outspoken Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda, who was pronounced dead at the Santa Maria Clinic in Santiago, Chile, only 12 days after the 1973 coup d’état swept his nation. Producer/Director: Tatiana Velasco; Producer: Dena Curtis; Consulting EP: Veronica Fury. Rebel Waltz Films.
- Who Killed Hilda? (New Zealand/United Kingdom) – A political thriller about the mysterious murder of British peace activist Hilda Murrell and the 30-year quest for justice by her nephew, an ex-Royal Navy Commander now living in self-imposed exile in NZ, and his wife, one of New Zealand’s leading anti-nuclear campaigners. Producer: Arani Cuthbert; Director: Justin Pemberton. Diva Productions Ltd (NZ) and Spring Films (UK).
- Double Happiness (Australia) – What is the New China Dream when it comes to love? Double Happiness explores contemporary China through the window of the $80 billion pre-wedding photography industry. Director: Olivia Martin-McGuire; Producer: Rebecca Barry and Madeleine Hetherton. Media Stockade.
- The Love Experiment (Australia) – Humans crave connection. Yet 50 per cent of our daily interaction is with a screen. In a global first, this series will attempt to reconnect the world via an uplifting social experiment – with a basis in hard science. Director/Co-Producer: Sinéad McDevitt; Producers: Rebecca Barry and Madeleine Hetherton. Media Stockade.
The FACTory pitching forum will be held at Deakin Edge, Federation Square on March 7. AIDC runs March 5-8.