Screen Australia and the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) are pleased to announce Fresh Cuts, a new initiative for documentary creators to pitch projects in development that appeal to young adult audiences at AIDC, and have the chance to secure development funding from Screen Australia.
Through the initiative up to six applicants and/or teams will gain the opportunity to participate in a live pitch to market at AIDC, will receive pitch training and mentorship and will be eligible to apply for up to $30,000 in documentary development funding from Screen Australia for their project. The teams will also receive complimentary day passes to attend AIDC in Melbourne on Sunday 5 March, 2023 to participate in the live pitch and attend all other Sunday sessions. Screen Australia will cover the costs of travel and accommodation for interstate and regional finalists.
Fresh Cuts is now calling for documentary projects in development that present distinctive and bold stories reflecting a diversity of interests, concerns, dreams and desires that will appeal to and engage young adult audiences (15-35). Projects must be under 30 minutes in duration, can be any form or format - from micro docs, to shorts, singles and /or web series for a range of platforms.
Screen Australia's Head of Documentary Alex West said, "We're thrilled to partner with AIDC to provide documentary makers this bespoke career development opportunity to improve their pitching skills through industry mentorship and a live pitch to market at AIDC. We want to see distinctive documentary content aimed at 15-35 year-olds across a wide range of platforms. This is an audience who we want to provide more factual content to, and we're calling on the documentary community to get involved, uncover great stories, and apply to be a part of this fantastic opportunity."
AIDC's CEO/Creative Director Natasha Gadd said, "The Fresh Cuts Documentary Pitch is a vital new initiative designed to support the creation of bold stories that reflect the diverse interests and lived experiences of young people. Importantly, it will provide documentary creators with the opportunity to pitch to industry representatives who can support their projects on the platforms where younger audiences are tuning in. AIDC is honoured to partner with Screen Australia on the inaugural Fresh Cuts Documentary Pitch at AIDC 2023 - with pitch training, up to $30,000 on offer from Screen Australia in development funds and a world-class line up of buyers seeking content, we can't wait to see what engaging and unique stories will be unveiled."
To apply, applicants or one key creative in the team must be able to demonstrate they have created at least one documentary or factual title as screen content which is readily available to Australian audiences via widely used platforms such as broadcasters, and/or social media. They must also demonstrate a focus on factual subject matter that seeks to connect to younger adult audiences and present a clear pathway to find the target audience. Applicants must be available to attend (virtually or in person) a minimum of two AIDC pitch training and mentorship sessions to be scheduled between Monday 23 January and Monday 20 February 2023, as well as the final live pitching event to be held at ACMI in Melbourne on Sunday 5 March 2023.
Applications from underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply. This can include First Nations practitioners; people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; Deaf and/or hard of hearing; people with disabilities; gender diverse identities; LGBTQIA+; people located in regional and remote areas.
For the full eligibility requirements and how to apply see the Screen Australia Guidelines here.
