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: https://vimeo.com/492231454

These are the nominees and eventual winners of the fest.

Best Australian Director: Nominee 1 – By the River – Dan Braga Nominee 2 – Manus Director Angus Macdonald Nominee 3 – Chris Franklin – Yellow 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 by Rob Innes

Winner = Youth on Strike by 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 Whistle-Blower Nominee 3 – Helena Trestíková – Forman Vs Forman Nominee 4 – Liz Marshall – Meat the Future

Winner = Barnaby and Matthew O’Connor – The Pick Up Game

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 = Michael Dillon – Ocean to Sky

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 The World’s Best Film – Joshua 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

Pool C Best Documentary Photographer Witnesses by Mikael Jansson Best Australian Documentary Photograph A Silent City by Jamie van Leeuwen Best International Documentary Photograph We All Have Wings by At THE UNKNOWN Supreme Jury Prize Documentary Photograph: Remember Odessa by Wilhelm Domke-Schulz