The Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) has appointed screen industry leader and filmmaker Natasha Gadd the organisation’s new CEO/creative director.
Gadd continues her contribution to AIDC drawing on two decades of expertise across the nonfiction sector, including prominent roles in film production, programming and distribution. She was most recently AIDC’s partnerships and industry development manager, where she oversaw the industry development program that unlocked over 1.4 million in project and professional development funding for AIDC delegates across a 3-year period.
In a joint statement AIDC board co-chairs, Kate Pappas and Paul Wiegard, said: “Natasha has a clear vision for AIDC – she has the requisite leadership skills, exceptional industry experience across the sector and a deep understanding of the organisation. Most importantly, Natasha is passionate about the nonfiction sector and AIDC’s role as a leader within it. This is an exciting time for documentary and factual storytelling.”
Natasha Gadd said: “I’m thrilled to be helming AIDC. I look forward to working with our team, board and industry partners to lead the organisation as we emerge from a challenging time for the nonfiction community to create new initiatives that will strengthen our sector, our storytellers and our stories.
“I’d particularly like to acknowledge the incredible achievements of outgoing CEO/conference director, Alice Burgin, who has grown AIDC into a robust, innovative and industry-leading documentary event.”
Over the past 20 years, Gadd has attended AIDC as a knowledge seeker, filmmaker and festival programmer and knows first-hand the crucial role the AIDC marketplace, program and networking events play in supporting the nonfiction community. With AIDC embarking on its 35th year, the new CEO/creative director will draw on this long and rich legacy to lead an organisation that remains future-focused.
Natasha Gadd’s passion for documentary and factual storytelling spans two decades. In 2005, she co-founded Daybreak Films, a Melbourne based production company committed to creating independent and engaging screen content. Her debut feature documentary, Words From the City was nominated for five AFI Awards and her follow up feature, Murundak: Songs of Freedom, received the Grand Prix – FIFO, Best Documentary – Valladolid International Film Festival, and the United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Award. She has also made a number of short documentaries for SBS, ABC and Foxtel, including Anatomy: Muscle, for which she received an Australian Directors Guild Best Director award.