Documentary Australia Foundation wins 2013 AIDC Stanley Hawes Award

The Documentary Australia Foundation (DAF), which aims to inspire and nurture partnerships between philanthropic individuals, private foundations, charities and documentary flmmakers, has been awarded the 2013 Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) Stanley Hawes Award.

In announcing DAF as this year's winner, Helen Leake, Co-Chair of the AIDC Board said "Since its inception DAF has demonstrated a persistence and determination that has led to great awareness about the power of documentary, as well as real dollars flowing in to the sector. DAF has redefined the position of documentary and documentary filmmakers in our society. The AIDC Board would like to recognise DAF with the Stanley Hawes Award and to celebrate the team behind the organisation for turning an idea into an institution."

Since DAF launched in October 2008, it has been instrumental in providing new funding opportunities for more than 500 film projects. To date 148 documentaries have received funding from over 550 separate funders.

Ian Darling, founder and Patron and an AFI Award-winning filmmaker, accepted the award on DAF's behalf and gave the Stanley Hawes Address. Ian's speech reiterated the importance of social impact documentary filmmaking and proposed several blue-sky suggestions to government funding bodies, public broadcasters and industry awards nights, to provide independent documentary filmmakers with more support and recognition.

You can download an edited version of Ian's speech here.