The Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) has unveiled the nominees for the 5th annual AIDC Awards and the winner of the 2nd AIDC Southern Light Award.
Celebrating excellence in Australian documentary and factual storytelling, the awards span six categories, while the $5,000 Southern Light Award honours Celia Tait (pictured), co-founder and managing director of Artemis Media, known for Maggie Beer’s Big Mission, Australia’s Health Revolution with Dr Michael Mosley, Who Do You Think You Are?, and Ningaloo Nyinggulu.
Tait will also speak at the AIDC Awards presentation on Wednesday, 5 March, at ACMI in Melbourne (Naarm), as part of the Australian International Documentary Conference 2025, held 2-5 March.
From AIDC:
The Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) has revealed the exceptional nominees for the 5th annual AIDC Awards, and the winner of the 2nd AIDC Southern Light Award for outstanding contribution to nonfiction screen, digital and/or audio media.
The AIDC Awards recognise outstanding works of new Australian documentary and factual content across six categories: Best Feature Documentary, with a $5,000 cash prize presented by Film Finances; Best Documentary / Factual Series; Best Documentary / Factual Single; Best Audio Documentary; Best Short-Form Documentary, with a $3,000 cash prize presented by AFTRS; and Best Interactive/Immersive Documentary.
Complementing the category awards, the winner of the 2025 AIDC Southern Light Award $5,000 cash prize, presented by AIDC, is co-founder and managing director of prolific West Australian production company Artemis Media, Celia Tait. As winner, Celia will be invited to speak at the 2025 AIDC Awards presentation, held Wednesday 5 March at ACMI in Melbourne / Naarm.
Celia has worked as a writer, producer, director and executive producer and has won many national and international awards for her work. Over the last 25 years Artemis has produced high impact factual TV for domestic and international networks and is renowned for stories that inspire, delight and inform.
Celia and her team have pushed the boundaries of factual content, form and inclusivity with creative concepts that bring in big audiences and which help to create social change, with titles such as The Dream House, Don’t Stop the Music, Maggie Beer’s Big Mission, Australia’s Health Revolution with Dr Michael Mosley, the first seven seasons of Who Do You Think You Are?, Saving Andrew Mallard, New Leash on Life, Storm in a Teacup , Every Family has a Secret, Australia’s Sleep Revolution with Dr Michael Mosley, and Ningaloo Nyinggulu.
“I am thrilled to be receiving this award. It really is an honor”
said Celia Tait.
“Thank you to all those talented screen practitioners who have worked closely with me over the years at Artemis, to create our distinctive brand of inclusive high impact, stand out factual TV.”
“And for their on-going support, and tenacity during the many challenging periods that we all face. It is such an exciting and fast changing industry to work in and I remain passionately committed to it.”
“This award is a wonderful endorsement of our collective work – and this recognition will energise me for the next chapter.”
AIDC CEO / Creative Director, Natasha Gadd said:
“AIDC is honoured to pay tribute to the extraordinary talent of nonfiction creators and projects for our fifth edition of the AIDC Awards”
“The calibre of submission across all categories was incredibly impressive and made for the most difficult deliberations we have ever had!”
“Congratulations to all the nominees and thank you to our AIDC 2025 pre-selection committees and juries for their time, expertise and thoughtful consideration.”
“And also a round of applause for Celia Tait on being awarded the 2025 Southern Light Award. Well earned and greatly deserved.”
2025 AWARD NOMINEES
BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
Left Write Hook
2024 | Sweetshop & Green | Director: Shannon Owen | Producers: Gal Greenspan, Alice Burgin, Rachel Forbes
Porcelain War
2024 | Songbird Studios in association with Imaginary Lane | Directors: Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev | Producers: Camilla Mazzaferro, Aniela Sidorska, Paula Dupré Pesmen and Olivia Ahnemann
Flathead
2024 | Portmanteau Pictures | Director: Jaydon Martin | Producer: Patrick McCabe
Welcome To Babel
2024 | Nirvana Films, Mayfan, Lichtblick Film | Director: James Bradley | Producer: Graeme Isaac | Editor: Karen Johnson
Dan Read, CEOof Film Finances, said “We believe in the power of documentary filmmaking to inform, inspire, and challenge. We are honoured to once again support the Best Feature Documentary at the 2025 AIDC Awards and celebrate the incredible stories being told.”
BEST DOCUMENTARY / FACTUAL SERIES
Megafauna: What Killed Australia’s Giants?
2024 | Catalyst, ABC |Director/writer/producer: Jeff Siberry | executive producer: Penny Palmer | series producer: Elle Gibbons
Stuff The British Stole Series 2
2024 | Wildbear Entertainment, Wooden Horse, Cream | Creator/writer/director/executive producer: Marc Fennell | producer: Alan Erson | executive producers: Richard Finlayson, Kate Harrison Karman
The Jury: Death on the Staircase
2024 | Northern Pictures | Director: Tosca Looby | Producer: Karina Holden
Ray Martin, The Last Goodbye
2024 | BBC Studios Productions Australia | Executive Producers: Sky Kinninmont, Deborah Spinocchia | Series Director: Benjamin Jones
BEST DOCUMENTARY / FACTUAL SINGLE
Tough Not Toxic
2024 | ABC Compass | Director: Matt Davis | Editor: Peter O’Donoghue | Executive Producer: Amanda Collinge
Not In My Name
2024 | ABC Compass | Producer/Director: Brietta Hague | Editor: Peter O’Donoghue | Executive Producer: Amanda Collinge
Gayrabia
2024 | ABC Compass | Director/Producer/Presenter: Patrick Abboud | Editor: Danielle Akayan | Director of Photography: Daniel Hartley-Allen | Executive Producer: Amanda Collinge
BEST SHORT-FORM DOCUMENTARY
MAHIKA KAI
2024 | GARUWA, Monster Children, Lake Wānaka | Director/producer: Kieran Mpetyane Satour (Gurundji/Malngin, Pertame Arrernte, Worimi & Baloch (Afghan)) | producers: Jamie Brewer, Gizelle Regan, and Ramona Telecican
Alofa
2024 | Broken Hill Films | Writer/Director/Producer: Rachel Lane | Director of Photography: Mathew Knight | Editor: Kenny Ang
Trailblazers
2024 | Savage Films, Milestone Films, LM Films | Writer/Director/Producers: Maggie Miles, Maggie Eudes | Producer: Lucy Maclaren
While We Still Have Time
2024 | Independent | Director: Ava Grimshaw-Hall | Producers: Jasper Caverly, Peta Lee Hitchens.
Robbie Miles, the Australian Film Television and Radio School’s Head of Industry and Alumni, said, “AFTRS is delighted to support the Best Short-Form Documentary Prize at AIDC. Short Form documentary is a powerful and accessible platform to share compelling stories with diverse audiences and develop the careers of future practitioners.”
BEST AUDIO DOCUMENTARY
This Is Not A Game
2024 | BBC Studios, Audible | Creator: Marc Fennell.
The Palestine Laboratory Podcast
2024 | Drop Site | Key Creatives: Antony Loewenstein, Elle Marsh, Bethany Atkinson-Quinton
The Unspoken Story of Isabel Pepper
2024 | ABC Radio National Key Creatives: Fiona Pepper, Angela Grant, Michele Rayner.
BEST INTERACTIVE / IMMERSIVE DOCUMENTARY
Las Awichas
2024 | UNF, Kings College London | Film Futurist/Creative Technologist: Violeta Ayala | Interaction Design: Daniel Fallshaw | 3D Artist: Brian Condori Marza
Julaymba
2024 | Phoria | Director: Joseph Purdam | Executive Producer: Trent Clews-de Castella | Producer/Writer: Kirsty Burchill
Revival Roadshow 2025 | Independent | Directors/Producers: Luke Conroy, Anne Fehres
