In March, the Australian documentary and factual community descends upon Melbourne for the 2019 Australian International Documentary Conference.
So, what better time than now for the AIDC team to put together its top 5 DocPlay picks, with a focus on powerful storytelling, which will conveniently prepare DocPlay subscribers for some erudite conversation starters to have up their sleeve at the conference?
In their eclecticism, this selection of films demonstrates the infinite avenues of possibility for the documentary form, while also sharing one powerful element: a strong, captivating story of endurance, strength, self-determination and humanity.
Over the Limit
AIDC Conference Director’s pick of the festival circuit, Over the Limit provides the perfect example of a documentary whose universal themes allow it to reach far-beyond a niche gymnastics-mad audience. If you can’t get to this film screening on the big-screen as part of AIDC and ACMI’s Non-fiction Documentary Showcase, make sure not to miss it on DocPlay.
First Australians
As AIDC welcomes its largest delegation of Indigenous Creators from all over the nation in years, what better time to catch up on this landmark documentary series, while brushing up on the Australian history you didn’t learn at school?
Paper Trails
Documentary and journalism share the stage at AIDC, so it feels fitting to include Sari Braithwaite’s moving tribute to the pioneering Australian journalist Anne Deveson in the list. Catch this, and then come see Sari’s latest archival feat [CENSORED] at AIDC.
The Wolfpack
A New York story so insane you couldn’t make it up, Wolf Pack is a brilliant example of documentary pushing generic boundaries to the limits. Plus, with Submarine attending AIDC this year, you’ll want to have watched this so you’ve got something to discuss if your meeting goes pear-shaped (just kidding!).
Citizenfour
As government hackers target Australia’s political parties, we may all be starting to take Edward Snowden’s concerns around digital privacy a little bit more seriously. So AIDC thinks it’s time for a revisit of Laura Poitras’ Oscar-winning classic, which just happens to be executive produced by AIDC 2019 guest speaker and doyenne of the documentary world, Diane Weyermann.
