Shining the spotlight on Australia’s thriving documentary industry, the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) has announced that 10 of Australia’s best feature length documentaries from the past year will screen during AACTA’s stand alone Docs Fest.
AACTA’s Docs Fest program marks the first time that a wider shortlist of feature documentaries competing for the AACTA Award for Best Feature Length Documentary will be officially screened in cinema to voting members. Australian Film Institute (AFI) AACTA Chief Executive Officer Damian Trewhella said he is thrilled to be profiling a larger number of Australian documentaries. “Australian documentary filmmakers continue to produce an ever-increasing number of highly engaging, world-class documentaries, as we have seen with a 136 per cent increase in feature documentary entries between 2015 and 2018,” said Damian. “AACTA Docs Fest will help facilitate a broader exploration of the very best of these films, drawing attention not just to the great filmmakers behind them, but also the incredible stories and people they are exploring.”
The 10 films making up the Best Feature Documentary Shortlist are Backtrack Boys, Dying to Live, Ghosthunter, Guilty, Gurrumul, Have you seen the Listers?, Island of Hungry Ghosts, Jill Bilcock: Dancing the Invisible, Mountain, and Working Class Boy.
The Best Feature Documentary Shortlist was determined by the AACTA Documentary Branch, which is made up of past AFI and AACTA documentary award winners and nominees as well as other highly esteemed members of the Australian documentary industry. All AACTA members will vote to determine the Best Feature Length Documentary nominees during Round One voting in October, with winners being determined during Round Two voting in November.
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