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IMPORTANT NOTICE!
Due to the impacts of Cyclone Alfred and the uncertainty of its path, the Bangalow Film Festival has made the difficult decision to cancel their festival. This means The Art of Documentary has been cancelled until further notice, including one-on-ones, the panel discussion and following networking drinks.
The Bangalow Film Festival team is tentatively looking to postpone the event to early May, but this is not yet confirmed. More information and updates will made available in due course.
Current ticket-holders have been contacted via email with available options and next steps.
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Join us for an engaging conversation with seasoned documentary professionals as they explore the creative and technical processes behind crafting compelling real-world narratives.
Presented in partnership with the Bangalow Film Festival and part of this year's festival line up, Screenworks' The Art of Documentary panel will be moderated by Cody Greenwood and features Eliza Cox, Veronica Fury, Molly Reynolds and Paul Wiegard. They'll delve into the art of capturing truth through the lens, balancing storytelling with authenticity, and overcoming the unique challenges of documentary filmmaking. Our expert panellists will share their insights on how to transform evocative stories into powerful, thought-provoking films that resonate with audiences. Whether you're an aspiring filmmaker or simply a lover of documentaries, this discussion will offer valuable perspectives on the evolving art form and the impact it has on both society and cinema.
The panel discussion will be followed by networking drinks and finger food, with the first fifty attendees to register receiving a complimentary drink. Please factor in daylight savings.
Screenworks members with a ticket to the panel discussion and networking drinks are eligible to apply for fifteen-minute one-on-ones with the guest speakers before the panel discussion kicks off. Click here to apply for a one on one.
For more information about this year's Bangalow Film Festival, click here.
Speakers
Eliza Cox
Director
Eliza completed her Masters of Film & Television (Documentary) at The Victorian College of the
Arts in 2016. During her two years there, Eliza travelled to Los Angeles with her short documentary,
"Compers", which screened at Palm Springs International Film Festival, after success at the St Kilda
and Heart of Gold Film Festivals. In her final year, she received the graduate award for female directors, The Sarah Watt Award, for her film "Daughters of Doom".
Since graduating, Eliza followed the participants of "Daughters of Doom" to
create her first feature film, "Queens of Concrete", which which premiered to sold out audiences at
the Melbourne International Film Festival. It has since been nominated for Best Feature at SXSW
Sydney and screened at CinefestOz. The film ranked number four out of eighty Australian films to premiere in 2024 by Cinema Australia. Eliza’s passion for the project lies in her own coming-of-age
experience growing up on the NSW Central Coast.
Veronica
Fury
Principal at WildBear Entertainment
Veronica is an award-winning producer, executive producer and the Principal of WildBear Entertainment, produces over two-hundred hours of factual screen content every year and has offices in Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney and Dunedin (Aotearoa).
Veronica has over eighty-five commissioned television and feature documentaries to her name and produced over two-hundred-and-fifty hours of screen content including, "Gem Hunters Down Under", "Wildlife ER", "And We Danced" and "Wild Winter". She produced the AACTA-nominated "Brock: Over the Top" and "Ford v Holden", as well as the award-winning biopic "Hating Peter Tatchell" and "A League of Her Own".
Veronica is a Screen Producers Australia Councillor. She also sits on the Board of Curriculum at Bond University and the Industry Advisory Board for Essential Screen Skills.
Molly
Reynolds
Director
Molly specialises in documentary and digital media production. She has written, directed and/or produced seven feature documentaries. Her work includes "A Portrait of Love", "My Name is Gulpilil", "Running with Crutches", "The Waiting Room", "Another Country", "Still Our Country", "What Makes Me", "12 Canoes", "Peter Churcher". and "The Balanda and the Bark Canoes". Her work has played and exhibited at the world's leading film and arts festivals, including the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, and the Telluride, Hot Docs, True/False, and Cannes Film Festivals, as well as Dark Mofo and the Samstag Museum of Art.
Paul Wiegard
CEO of Madman Entertainment
Paul co-founded Madman Entertainment in 1996, a leading independent distribution and rights management company for feature film with offices in Melbourne, Auckland and Berlin.
Films distributed by Madman include over one-hundred Academy Award® nominees and winners, along with local documentaries including “Gurrumul”, “2040”, “The Australian Dream”, “That Sugar Film”, “Girls Can’t Surf”, “Mountain”, “Mystify: Michael Hutchence” and “Road to Patagonia”.
Paul has executive produced over forty feature and documentary films and established the streaming platform DocPlay, a curated documentary service in Australia and New Zealand. He is a graduate of AFTRS with a Masters of Screen Art and Business.
Currently, Paul holds a number of Board positions, including Co-Chair of the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC), Board Member of Screenrights, and Board Member of the Australian Centre of The Moving Image (ACMI).
Sponsors and Partners
Partner
Screen NSW
Screen NSW is established to assist, promote and strengthen the screen industry in NSW so as to promote Australia’s cultural identity, encourage employment in all aspects of screen production, encourage investment in the industry, enhance the industry’s export potential, encourage innovation and enhance quality in the industry.
Through its funding programs and skilled staff Screen NSW:
- supports the screen production sector to make quality projects that create jobs and grow stable businesses in the State;
- provides advice and information to improve capability in the sector and enable industry practitioners to participate in the global industry;
- funds and promotes new forms of screen content and use of technology;
- collaborates with industry to create opportunities; and
- facilitates all aspects of filming in NSW to make it the most attractive State for screen production.
