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Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) and the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) are excited to announce the winners of the inaugural Indigenous Creators Pitch announced last night in Melbourne at the AIDC Awards ceremony.
An initiative of AIDC’s Indigenous Creators Program, the Indigenous Creators Pitch provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander filmmakers with the opportunity to pitch a project in development to a closed room of local and international buyers looking to support Indigenous-led nonfiction stories.
Selected by an independent panel of industry experts, the winning project was set to receive a $5,000 cash prize presented by AIDC to help bring their story to screen. An anonymous donor doubled the prize amount on the day of the AIDC Awards, making a prize pool of $10,000 available. The prize was shared between three projects:
CRYSTAL LOVE – $5,000
Pitch Team: Libby Collins and Genevieve Grieves
Logline: Crystal Love is a powerhouse, thriving in the face of everything life has thrown at her.
HUNTING TIDDA STYLE – $2,500
Pitch Team: Kate ten Buuren, Kimberley Benjamin and Jodie Bell
Logline: Emily Wurramara travels across so-called Australia to meet some of the country’s deadliest Blak women hunters, to learn their ways of hunting, fishing and cooking up a feed!
ABOLISHED – $2,500
Pitch Team: Daniel King and Jen Mellander
Logline: This documentary investigates the abolishment of all the Indigenous representative bodies since 1967, uncovering what this pattern reveals about the Australian government’s relationship with Indigenous people.
A fourth project in the Indigenous Creators Pitch – Marliya, pitched by Shontell Ketchell, Stephen Page and Ewan Cutler, about a First Nations youth choir – received $20,000 in development funding as part of AIDC’s Shark Island Foundation Feature Docs Pitch.
The Indigenous Creators Program and Pitch are part of IBA's ongoing commitment to empowering First Nations voices.
IBA’s Producer Offset Loan, a financial solution designed to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander filmmakers, provides Indigenous-owned production companies with the necessary funds to finance eligible Australian documentary, film, or television projects. It complements investments from Screen Australia, state government film-funding agencies, or broadcasters.
AIDC 2025’s Indigenous Creators Program and Indigenous Creators Pitch are both supported by IBA, marking the organisation’s debut involvement in AIDC.
IBA Deputy CEO Sean Armistead said IBA was proud to support the initiative, saying it provides a vital platform for amplifying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in the documentary sector.
“This initiative is about creating real opportunities for First Nations documentary makers to bring their unique and powerful stories to market.
“The breadth and depth of talent among the selected projects is inspiring, and we’re proud to support these creators in their journey to connect with decision-makers and bring their stories to audiences worldwide.”
AIDC CEO/Creative Director Natasha Gadd noted that the Indigenous Creators Pitch had been long-planned but needed the right partner to bring it to fruition.
“This Indigenous Creators Pitch has been years in the making but it's only with the support of Indigenous Business Australia for this year’s indigenous Creators Program, that we have finally been able to create a dedicated pitch for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytellers.
“The Indigenous Creators Program is designed by and for First Nations practitioners and, now in its seventh year, we are thrilled to be able to include a marketplace pitch for filmmakers to pitch new projects to buyers seeking Indigenous-authored stories.
“The unique vision, styles and stories of all the projects have impressed AIDC and our decision makers beyond measure. We thank Indigenous Business Australia and congratulate all the teams. We hope to be able to do this again for years to come."
For more information about the Indigenous Creators Program and the winner of the Indigenous Creators Pitch, visit aidc.com.au. To find out more about IBA’s Producer Offset Loan Solution, visit iba.gov.au.
Media contact: Tara Toohill 02 9207 6362 or tara.toohill@iba.gov.au
