
Melbourne Documentary Film Festival
During a tough, transformational year, the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, in just a few weeks, innovated and constructed both the biggest online documentary film festival in the Southern Hemisphere, as well as the first Social Media Documentary Film Festival to showcase their interactive documentaries.
The Awards were held virtually online on 20th December 2020, which can be viewed here:
The judges this year were:
Alex Siddons, Jordan Alberston, Dov Kornits, Helen Gaynor and Matteo Borascol
These are the nominees and eventual winners of the fest.
Best Australian Director:
Nominee 1 – By the River – Dan Braga
Nominee 2 – Manus – Angus Macdonald
Nominee 3 – Yellow – Chris Franklin
Nominee 4 – Vigilance – Tess Mcarthur-Dowty
Winner = By the River – Dan Braga
Best Australian Short Documentary / Video Essay
Nominee 1 – Silver Lining -Ran Li
Nominee 2 – Hayat – Rendah Haj
Nominee 3 – Firesticks – Clare Richardson and Henning Goll
Nominee 4 – Bright Lights – The Perils of the Pokies – Charby Ibrahim
Winner = Silver Lining – Ran Li
Best Melbourne Short Documentary:
Nominee 1 – Spirit – Jan Dyson
Nominee 2 – Hayat – Rendah Haj
Nominee 3 – King of Frankston – Kristina Kraskov
Nominee 4 – Chen – Orit Novak
Winner = Hayat – Rendah Haj
Best International Short Documentary / Video Essay
Nominee 1 – Echoes of the Volcano – Charlie Fairbanks
Nominee 2 – The Mortician of Manila – Leah Borromeo
Nominee 3 – Thou Shall Not Tailgate – Greg Hamilton
Nominee 4 – Stranger / Things – Philip Brubaker
Winner = Echoes of the Volcano – Charlie Fairbanks
Best Documentary Webseries
Nominee 1 – Comment j’ai Hacke’ Mes Intestins – Marie Blanc
Nominee 2 – High Rising – Vidad Nayan
Nominee 3 – Boy in the Blue Cap – Kristen Shorten
Nominee 4 – Youth on Strike – Rob Innes
Winner = Youth on Strike – Rob Innes
BEST VR/ Interactive Documentary
Nominee 1 – Night Becomes Day – Daniel Bury
Nominee 2 – Lost Cities – Marita Davidson
Nominee 3 – Sunrise with Sea Monster – Myles Painter
Nominee 4 – Field Trip – Stotz Eva
Winner = Field Trip – Stotz Eva
Best International – Director
Nominee 1 – The Mortician of Manila – Leah Borromeo
Nominee 2 – Echoes of the Volcano – Charlie Fairbanks
Nominee 3 – Girl in the Hallway – Valerie Barnhart
Nominee 4 – Swatted – Ismaël Joffroy Chandoutis
Winner = The Mortician of Manila – Leah Borromeo
Supreme Short Nomination
Nominee 1 – By the River – Dan Braga
Nominee 2 – Spirit – Jan Dyson
Nominee 3 – Echoes of the Volcano – Charlie Fairbanks
Nominee 4 – The Mortician of Manila – Leah Borromeo
Winner = The Mortician of Manila – Leah Borromeo
Best International Documentary
Nominee 1 – Forman vs Forman – Helena Trestíková
Nominee 2 – The Pick Up Game – Barnaby and Matthew O’Connor
Nominee 3 – Meat the Future – Liz Marshall
Nominee 4 – The Walrus and the Whistleblower – Nathalie Bibeau
Winner = Forman vs Forman – Helena Trestíková
Best Director – International
Nominee 1 – Barnaby and Matthew O’Connor – The Pick Up Game
Nominee 2 – Nathalie Bibeau – The Walrus and the Whistleblower
Nominee 3 – Helena Trestíková – Forman vs Forman
Nominee 4 – Liz Marshall – Meat the Future
Winner = The Pick Up Game – Barnaby and Matthew O’Connor
Best Australian Documentary
Nominee 1 – Ocean to Sky – Michael Dillon
Nominee 2 – The Boy Who Said No! – Judith Ehrlich
Nominee 3 – Can Art Stop A Bullet – Mark Street
Nominee 4 – Strangers to the World – Grant Fraser
Winner = Ocean to Sky – Michael Dillon
Best Director – Australia
Nominee 1 – Judith Ehrlich – The Boy Who Said No
Nominee 2 – Michael Dillon – Ocean to Sky
Nominee 3 – Mark Street – Can Art Stop a Bullet
Nominee 4 – Grant Fraser – Strangers to the World
Winner = Ocean to Sky – Michael Dillon
Best Melbourne Documentary
Nominee 1 – D’Art – Karl Moller
Nominee 2 – Man on the Bus – Eve Ash
Nominee 3 – Can Art Stop a Bullet – Mark Street
Nominee 4 – More than a Mile – Alex Michael
Winner = Can Art Stop a Bullet – Mark Street
Audience Choice
Nominee # 1 Boys Who Said No – Judith Elrich
Nominee # 2 World’s Best Film – Jonathan Belinfante
Nominee # 3 Leaving Allen Street – Katrina Channells
Nominee # 4 Decent – Nays Baghai
Winner = Leaving Allen Street – Katrina Channells
Supreme Awards
Nominee 1 – The Pick Up Game – Barnaby and Matthew O’Connor
Nominee 2 – The Walrus and the Whistleblower – Nathalie Bibeau
Nominee 3 – Ocean to Sky – Michael Dillon
Nominee 4 – The Boy Who Said No! – Judith Ehrlich
Winner = The Boy Who Said No! – Judith Ehrlich