Mstyslav Chernov (Ukraine) Filmmaker
Independent

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Mstyslav Chernov is a Pulitzer-Prize winning Ukrainian photojournalist, filmmaker, war correspondent and novelist.

Nainita Desai (United Kingdom) Composer
Soundology

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Award-winning composer Nainita Desai is a trailblazer in the world of film & TV who has brought her unique voice to the scores of hundreds of screen works.

Rachel Perkins (Australia) Filmmaker
Independent

One of Australia’s most accomplished and versatile directors, Rachel Perkins' career spans feature films, documentary and television.

R.J. Cutler (USA) President
This Machine Filmworks

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R.J. Cutler is an award-winning filmmaker who has made some of the most significant documentaries and television series of the past three decades.

Trevor Smith (USA) Executive Vice President
This Machine Filmworks

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Trevor Smith is Executive Vice President at This Machine and R.J. Cutler’s longtime producing partner.

Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia) Filmmaker
Independent

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Kaouther Ben Hania is the director of the Academy Award-nominated and Cannes Best Documentary Winner - Four Daughters.

Shaminder Nahal (UK) Head of Specialist Factual
Channel 4

Shaminder Nahal is Head of Specialist Factual at Channel 4.

Luke Lorentzen (Mexico / USA) Co-founder
Hedgehog Films

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Luke Lorentzen is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and a graduate of Stanford University's department of Art and Art History.

Ashleigh McArthur (Australia) Filmmaker
Independent

Ashleigh McArthur is a documentary filmmaker who lives and works in Sydney and San Francisco.

Sophie Compton (UK) Filmmaker
Independent

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Sophie Compton is a documentary director and producer who tells women's stories of injustice and healing.

D. Smith (USA) Filmmaker
Independent

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D. Smith is a two-time Grammy-nominated producer, singer, and songwriter and is now making her film debut as a director of the documentary Kokomo City.

Sam Dubberley (UK/Germany) Managing Director, Digital Investigations Lab
Human Rights Watch

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Sam Dubberley is the managing director of the Digital Investigations Lab at Human Rights Watch.

Malikkah Rollins (USA) Co-founder
DocuMentality

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Malikkah is a co-founder of DocuMentality, an initiative designed to elevate the conversation around mental health in the global documentary industry.

Joanna Natasegara (UK) Director/Producer
Violet Films

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Joanna Natasegara is the Academy Award®-winning filmmaker behind Violet Films, a renowned London-based production company.

Keisha Knight (USA) Director, IDA Funds
International Documentary Association

Keisha Knight is the Director of IDA Funds.

José Kaeté (Brazil) Co-Founder
Regatao Institute

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José Kaeté is a 30-year-old Indigenous activist of the Tupinambá people from the Brazilian Amazon.

Opal H. Bennett (USA) Senior Producer POV & Executive Producer POV Shorts
POV

Opal H. Bennett is an Emmy-winning Senior Producer at POV and Executive Producer at POV Shorts.

Derik Lynch (Australia) Performer/Filmmaker
Independent

Derik Lynch is an acclaimed Yankunytjatjara dancer, actor, singer and filmmaker. 

Matthew Thorne (Australia) Filmmaker/Photographer
Independent

Matthew Thorne is an award-winning artist, filmmaker and photographer. 

Toby Walsh (Australia) Chief Scientist
UNSW.ai

Toby Walsh is Chief Scientist at UNSW.ai, UNSW's new AI Institute.

Genevieve Grieves (Australia) Co-creator/Creative Director
GARUWA

Genevieve Grieves is a proud Worimi woman and respected artist, educator, field builder, film director and oral historian.

Laniyuk (Australia) Writer/Performer
Independent

Laniyuk is a Larrakia, Kungarakan, Gurindji and French political creative.

Ash Hoyle (USA) Programmer
Sundance Film Festival

The Sundance Film Festival is the ultimate gathering of original storytellers and audiences seeking new voices and fresh perspectives.

Imogen Sutton (Austria) Festival Manager
Autlook Film Sales GmbH

Imogen is Festival Manager for Autlook Film Sales

Michelle Ransom-Hughes (Australia) Audio Feature Maker
Independent

Michelle is an audio feature maker and multi-disciplinary artist based in Meanjin/Brisbane.

Keely Sonntag (Australia) Head of Unscripted TV
ITV Studios Australia

Keely Sonntag has cultivated a formidable reputation producing reality, entertainment and live TV, bringing some of the most iconic titles to life on Australian screens.

Cassie Trotter Spencer (Australia) Senior Director, Editorial Content
Getty Images

Christian Cools (France) Commissioning Editor
ARTE G.E.I.E.

As a Commissioning Editor at ARTE since 1998, Christian manages the slot 'ARTE Discovery', dedicated to discovery and natural history documentaries.  He works with natural history and wildlife.

Yukari Misaizu (Japan) Senior Producer
NHK Enterprises

With over 20 years of experience as a director and producer at NHK, Yukari produces NHK Special and other various NHK documentary programs.

Emile Guertin (Malaysia) Senior Producer
Al Jazeera English

Based in Al Jazeera’s Malaysia bureau, Emile commissions and oversees 25 min docs in the Asia-Pacific region for the ‘Witness’ documentary strand.

Floran Sax (France) Producer
ZED

Floran is a Producer at ZED, an independent French production and distribution company based in Paris, with more than 20 years experience producing documentaries.

Laurence Billiet (Australia) Director/Producer
General Strike

Laurence Billiet (she/her) is a French-Australian filmmaker and co-founder of the Melbourne-based creative studio General Strike.

Christine Le Goff (France) Producer
ZED

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Award-winning producer Christine Le Goff has produced over 70 films, including 1998 Sundance premiere Classified X with Melvin Van Peebles.

Julie Hanna (Australia) Commissioning Editor
ABC

ABC Factual consistently commissions, innovative, high-quality, award-winning content dedicated to telling diverse Australian voices, places and stories.

Kalita Corrigan (Australia) Commissioning Editor, Factual
ABC

Kalita is a commissioning editor for ABC screen - documentary and factual - and is passionate about history, true crime, culture and the arts.

Rachel Robinson (Australia) Executive Producer
ABC

Rachel is an Executive Producer in the ABC’s Factual development team.

Bernadine Lim (Australia) Senior Commissioning Editor, Factual
SBS

Bernadine has over 20 years’ experience developing, directing and producing across various documentary formats in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. 

Marissa McDowell (Australia) Head of Commissions
NITV

Marissa is currently employed by SBS as the Head of Commissions for NITV.

Josie Mason Campbell (Australia) Head of Programming
Eureka, A Fremantle Company

Josie is currently the Head of Programming at Eureka-a Fremantle Company and is tasked with growing their factual and documentary slate.

Lexi Landsman (Australia) Head of Development | Unscripted
Fremantle Australia

Lexi is an author and creative unscripted producer, who has worked in development, production and post across a range of award-winning factual and reality shows in Australia and abroad for over 15 years.

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Canada) Filmmaker
Red Marrow Media

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Alethea Arnaquq-Baril is an award-winning Inuit filmmaker from the Canadian arctic

Bob Moore (Canada) Co-President/Creative Producer
Eyesteelfilm

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Bob Moore is Co-President and Creative Producer at EyeSteelFilm in Montreal where he has produced over 40 feature documentaries since 2008.

Karla Hart (Australia) Filmmaker
Karla Hart Productions

Karla is an award-winning filmmaker, actress and radio personality.

Mia Falstein-Rush (Australia) Program Manager
Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF)

Mia Falstein-Rush is a film programmer, talks curator, and event producer.

Mitzi Goldman (Australia) Founder and CEO
Documentary Australia

Mitzi is a Co-Founder and CEO of Documentary Australia, a not-for-profit organisation enabling social impact documentaries to be funded and screened to inspire social change.

Reuben Hamlyn (UK) Filmmaker
Independent

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Reuben is a New York-based writer/director and editor from London.

Deirdre Brennan (Australia) Chief Executive Officer
Screen Australia

Deirdre Brennan is the CEO of Screen Australia.

Tracey Corbin-Matchett, OAM (Australia) Chief Executive Officer
Bus Stop Films

Tracey is a proud hard of hearing woman with a passion for film, advocacy and inclusion.

Dianna La Grassa (Australia) COO & Producer
Bus Stop Films

Dianna is Bus Stop Film's COO and resident Producer.

Molly O'Connor (Australia) Producer
Film Camp

Molly O'Connor is a creative producer with an interest in compassionate and innovative filmmaking.

Catherine Bradbury (Australia) Head of Global Productions
Eureka a Fremantle Company

Catherine Bradbury is Head of Global Productions at Eureka a Fremantle Company

Jim Wright (Australia) Owner, Head of Film & TV
Truce Films

Jim Wright is an owner and Head of Film & TV at Truce Films

Ben Joseph Andrews (Australia) Artist/Producer

Ben Joseph Andrews is a director working in immersive mixed/extended realities (XR), with a focus on multi-modal installations and performance

Nick Batzias (Australia) Founder/Managing Partner
GoodThing Productions

Award winning producer Nick Batzias has almost twenty years experience in the film industry having worked across acquisition, distribution and production.

Rhian Skirving (Australia) Writer, Director, Producer
Good Thing Productions

Rhian is an experienced writer, producer and director with a diverse body of work and a love of observational documentaries.  

Poppy Stockell (Australia) Writer, Director, Producer
Independent

Poppy Stockell's debut feature John Farnham - Finding the Voice is the highest grossing Australian documentary of all time.

Sarah Noonan (Australia) General Manager / Producer
Stranger than Fiction

Sarah Noonan is General Manager and a producer at Stranger Than Fiction.

Kirk Docker (Australia) Filmmaker/Interviewer
Docker Media

Kirk Docker is one of Australia’s finest interviewers and storytellers. He is the co-creator and director of the ABC program You Can’t Ask That.

Paul Goldman (Australia) Filmmaker
Independent

Paul Goldman is the director of EGO: The Michael Gudinski Story, which released theatrically in 2023.

Sally Aitken (Australia) Director / Producer & Principal
SAM Content

Sally Aitken is a twice-Emmy® nominated director, writer, producer and showrunner of multiple international feature documentaries and series.

Aline Jacques (Australia) Producer & Principal
SAM Content

Aline Jacques is a creative and strategic media executive and the co-founder of SAM Content.

Stephanie King (Australia) Impact Director
Documentary Australia

Stephanie is a documentary filmmaker, impact producer and Impact Director at Documentary Australia

Sarah Steel (Australia) Head of Marketing and Industry Support
Screenrights

Sarah Steel is Screenrights' Head of Marketing and Industry Support, where she looks after the organisation's comms and sponsorships as well as its annual Cultural Fund grant round.

Patrick Abboud (Australia) Writer/Director/Presenter & Founder
Only Human Productions

Patrick (Pat) Abboud is a Walkley winning broadcast journalist, filmmaker, writer, director, presenter.

Anu Hasbold (Australia) Development Producer
Sweetshop & Green

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Anu is currently Development at Sweetshop & Green.

Emma Roberts (Australia) Artist / Producer

ONLINE GUEST

Emma Roberts' work includes some of the largest location-based VR installations in Australia.

Alice McShane (Australia) Conference Programmer
AIDC

Alice McShane is the conference programmer for AIDC 2024.

Catherine Dwyer (Australia) Filmmaker
Independent

Catherine Dwyer is the writer and director of the acclaimed documentary, Brazen Hussies

Monica O'Brien (Australia) Producer/Writer/Director
Ambience Entertainment

Monica is an experienced creator and showrunner across many genres, including factual entertainment, drama and children’s entertainment.

Jacob Hickey (Australia) Head of Factual
Blackfella Films

Jacob is an award-winning writer and producer, and is the Head of Factual at Blackfella Films.

Sue Maslin (Australia) Producer and Company Director
Film Art Media

Sue Maslin AO is one of Australia's most successful screen producers.

Lauren Valmadre (Australia) Industry Manager
AIDC

Lauren is the Industry Manager at AIDC.

Marc Fennell (Australia) Journalist and Documentary Maker
Independent

Marc Fennell is a Walkley-winning journalist and documentary maker.

Nick Robinson (Australia) Producer, Director and Cinematographer
Wild Pacific Media

Alex Kelly (Australia) Impact Producer & Co-Founder
The Unquiet Collective

Alex Kelly (she/her) is a filmmaker and impact producer based on Dja Dja Wurrung Country

Jeni McMahon (Australia) Production and Development Investment Lead - Documentary
Screen Australia

As the lead investment manager in the documentary unit at Screen Australia, Jeni has a deep understanding of how the industry works from both a creative and financial perspective.

Daniella Ortega (Australia) Investment & Development Manager
Screen Australia

Daniella Ortega has recently joined the documentary team at Screen Australia as a Development and Investment Manager.

Sally Chesher (Australia) Investment & Development Manager - Documentary
Screen Australia

Sally has a long track record of story development and producing across many genres and platforms.

Chris Kamen (Australia) Producer / Lawyer / Business Affairs
Media Stockade / CJZ / Independent

Chris Kamen is a producer and lawyer, and has a broad skillset spanning film and TV production, distribution, marketing, impact, business affairs and legals. 

Dom Bartolo (Australia) Designer, Director & Co-Founder
21-19

Dom is an international designer, director and co-founder of 21-19, a design and communications agency, based in Melbourne, Australia.

Samantha Dinning (Australia) Head of Content Investment
VicScreen

Sam is Head of Content Investment at VicScreen

Douglas Watkin (Australia) Film Director
Independent

Laurrie Mansfield (Australia) First Nations Producer
AIDC

Laurrie Mansfield is a developer, facilitator and producer for the screen arts

Grainne Brunsdon (Australia) Director of Content
Screen Australia

Grainne Brunsdon is Screen Australia’s Director of Content.

Jub Clerc (Australia) Authorial (Screen Director) Board Director
Screenrights

Jub is a Nyul Nyul/Yawuru filmmaker from the Kimberley in WA, whose feature debut Sweet As won numerous awards on the international festival circuit.

Richard Huddleston (Australia) Head of Documentary
Screen Australia

Richard has over 25 years of experience in the television industry, with creative and strategic leadership positions across a wide range of genres.

Emma Bortignon (Australia) Sound Designer
Independent

Based in Melbourne, Australia, Emma Bortignon is a respected freelance sound designer and supervising sound editor known for her accomplished work.

Rebecca Barry (Australia) Co-founder/Director/Producer
Media Stockade

Rebecca Barry is a storyteller, filmmaker and adventurer at heart.

John Harvey (Australia) Writer, Producer, Director
Brown Cabs

John is an acclaimed writer, director and producer across film and theatre and the creative director of Brown Cabs. 

Matthew Deaner (Australia) CEO
Screen Producers Australia

Matthew Deaner is the Chief Executive Officer of Screen Producers Australia.

Maya Newell (Australia) Documentary Filmmaker/ Impact Producer
The Unquiet Collective

Maya is a documentary film director and impact producer from the Unquiet Collective based on Gadigal Wangal Country.

Katy Roberts (AUS) Director of Operations & Content Strategy
Sweetshop & Green

Katy Roberts is a producer and production executive specialised in creative development and programming for global audiences.

Natasha Gallace (Australia) Senior Director, Corporate Counsel (Asia Pacific)
Getty Images

Natasha is Senior Director, Corporate Counsel (Asia Pacific) at Getty Images.

Amanda Haskard (Australia) Curator
ACMI

Amanda Haskard is a Tatungalung & Brabralung curator living in Naarm (Melbourne).

Emile Hertling Péronard (Greenland/Denmark) Producer
Ánorâk Film

ONLINE GUEST

Emile Hertling Péronard (he/him) is an Oscar-nominated Greenlandic film producer operating out of both Nuuk and Copenhagen.

Naomi Hall (Australia) Founder
Research Engine

Naomi Hall is one of Australia’s most experienced visual content researchers and producers.

Daniel King (Australia) Filmmaker
First Person Films

Award-winning Ngarigo/Yuin /Worimi filmmaker, Daniel King has been making content for broadcast and his community for over 15 years.

Jay Ooi (Australia) Creator/Producer
Shoes Off

Jay is the creator and producer of Shoes Off, a podcast about Asian Australian identity.

Thinesh Thillainadarajah (Australia) Co-Creator/Co-Producer
You Have Been Told a Lie

Thinesh is an Eelam Tamil Queer lawyer and creative, and co-producer of the podcast You Have Been Told a Lie

Nirma Madhoo (Australia) XR Creator
Anatomy XR

Nirma Madhoo (she/her) is an XR creator and current PhD candidate at RMIT University.

Jessica Byrne (Australia) Development and Investment Manager, First Nations
Screen Australia

Born in Dubbo, NSW, Dr Jessica Byrne is a proud Wiradjuri/Kamilaroi woman, screen practitioner and researcher.

Jai Wright (Australia) Filmmaker
Independent

Jai Wright (Jinibara, Mununjali, Wanggerriburra) is an actor, director, impact producer and writer based in Naarm.

Rona Glynn-McDonald (Australia) CEO
Common Ground

Rona is the founding CEO of Common Ground and Director of First Nations Futures.