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