Yaara Bou Melham’s ‘Creating the Nation’ for ‘Witness’.
At next year’s Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC), up to six early career filmmaking teams will live pitch to win a $100,000 commission a for 25-minute documentary for Al Jazeera English’s flagship documentary strand Witness.
Up to three projects will be commissioned, funded 50/50 by Screen Australia and Al Jazeera. The documentaries will be released across Al Jazeera platforms including television, online and apps.
Applicants will need to be able to present an engaging pitch that demonstrates bold storytelling, includes a strong central character driving the narrative arc, and can make a global impact with a topical global theme as a backdrop.
Screen Australia head of documentary Bernadine Lim said: “We want to inspire and support early career documentary filmmakers to discover and embrace international opportunities in this rapidly changing media landscape. This collaboration with AJE Witness and AIDC offers an incredible opportunity for practitioners to make a documentary for a highly acclaimed platform with access to a global audience. For the three winning projects $100,000 is a significant amount of money, and I can’t wait to see the calibre of projects and ideas that come in.”
AJE Witness executive producer Fiona Lawson-Baker said: “We are delighted to partner with Screen Australia and the AIDC on this exciting documentary initiative. We very much look forward to collaborating with independent Australian filmmakers on observational documentaries that place human experience at the heart of the story, with unique and empowering perspectives that inform and connect with our global audiences.”
AIDC conference director Alice Burgin said: “Al Jazeera’s Witness strand is an unparalleled go-to for powerful documentary storytelling that reaches huge international audiences. This initiative driven by Screen Australia and Al Jazeera demonstrates a strong vision for new Australian stories, and we cannot wait to showcase these at AIDC.”
Applicant teams must consist of at least a director or producer, one of whom has at least one screen credit in their respective role on a project that is no less than 15 minutes in duration and has been broadcast and/or screened at a recognised film festival, or distributed on a significant curated online platform. All key creatives must be Australian citizens or residents.
To apply, teams need to submit synopsis information, a detailed treatment, a director’s statement, an outline of what kind of impact you expect your project to have, and up to three minutes of footage or a proof of concept video that demonstrates character and storyline.
Selected finalists must be available to attend AIDC 2020 on Monday March 2 in Melbourne. Al Jazeera will provide the six finalists with a complimentary day-pass to attend AIDC to pitch. Interstate finalists are also eligible for an additional contribution from Screen Australia to assist in travel costs in getting to Melbourne.
For more information on eligibility and application guidelines click here
Applications close Friday 1 November.
AIDC will take place in Melbourne March 1-4, 2020.