The Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) will celebrate its 40th anniversary in Sydney, with the announcement today that the event will return to NSW next year for the first time in more than two decades.

Screen NSW will serve as principal partner for AIDC 2027, which will run from Monday, March 8 to Thursday, March 11, across the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the State Library and the Botanic Gardens.

The program will include the usual mix of industry sessions, networking events, and screenings, as well as a marketplace for documentary and factual content featuring a central pitching forum, curated pitch meetings and roundtables.

There will also be industry and professional development programs, including emerging, diverse and First Nations creatives, alongside the annual AIDC Awards.

The conference was last held in Sydney in 1993 under the theme Reflecting the Future. NSW hosted the event a decade later when the eighth iteration was held in Byron Bay under the theme Outside the Frame.

AIDC now joins Sydney Film Festival, Tropfest, VIVID Sydney and Sydney Festival as cultural events that are supported as part of the three-year NSW Screen & Digital Games Strategy.

Screen NSW executive director Kylie Munnich said the state’s cultural institutions would provide the perfect backdrop for the conference.

“Documentary and factual storytelling is vital and timely, sparking conversations and offering new and different worldviews for audiences,” she said.

“It’s important the sector is well supported and connected so they can continue to deliver and explore these compelling stories.

“AIDC is an essential opportunity for practitioners, buyers, commissioners and partners to come together and set priorities for the sector, collaborate and future-proof the industry as it evolves. The conference is also a chance to celebrate and recognise the incredible work of our talented local documentary and factual filmmakers. As the conference prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary, a remarkable milestone to hit, I look forward to welcoming all delegates and attendees to Sydney for AIDC 2027.”

AIDC CEO / Creative Director Natasha Gadd was pleased to usher in the conference’s next chapter in the heart of Sydney.

“At this time of significant change for our sector, funding from Screen NSW will support AIDC to continue to enhance the broader documentary and factual ecosystem and to create vital opportunities for truth-telling, diverse perspectives and bold storytelling,” she said.

“Held on Gadigal Country across the Art Gallery of New South Wales, State Library of NSW and Botanic Gardens of Sydney, AIDC 2027 will create a refreshed setting and a unique conference precinct to champion and inspire new ideas, stories, collaborations and project outcomes.

“We extend our thanks to our new Principal Partner Screen NSW as well as Presenting Partner Screen Australia, Major Partners ABC and SBS and all of our industry partners, to ring in this exciting new era for AIDC and our tenacious, creative and innovative documentary and factual sector.”

NSW-based practitioners have also welcomed the move, with Northern Pictures head of factual Karina Holden excited to welcome practitioners across the country to her home city.

“Having been part of AIDC for more than 20 years, I’ve seen the magic that happens when our industry steps away from the edit suites and comes together to spark ideas, forge collaborations and remember why we do this in the first place,” she said.

“Bringing AIDC to Sydney feels like an exciting new chapter, and I can’t wait to welcome storytellers from across the country to a city where so many of us work and create, but rarely get the chance to come together as one community.”

Fellow Sydneysider and documentary storyteller Marc Fennell described AIDC as “one of those rare events that genuinely matters to our industry”.

“For people like me who work across documentaries, factual series and audio, it’s a chance to get out of our bubbles, get inspired, meet collaborators and, crucially, find new ways to actually get projects off the ground,” he said.

“And in what is, frankly, a bloody tough market, those connections between filmmakers, commissioners, buyers and funding partners are more vital than ever.

“I’ve been attending AIDC in Melbourne for the last five years, and I always leave with new ideas, new relationships and new conversations about projects. I’ve loved the Melbourne pilgrimage, but I’m incredibly excited to see AIDC come to Sydney and connect our huge community of documentary and factual makers with the international industry – which will no doubt ensure more Australian stories find audiences around the world.”

Early bird registration for AIDC 2027 is now open. The first line-up of guest speakers and industry representatives will be announced in October, with the full event program to follow in late January 2027.