2023 Festival Pool A
Short Awards Best International Short Documentary, Video Essay or Webseries Finalist: Requiem for a Whale Finalist: Miami Vice Incident Finalist: Testimony Finalist: Balloon Boy
Winner: Testimony
Best Australian Short Documentary, Video Essay or Webseries Finalist: Survivors of Wadjemup Finalist: Wire in Blood Finalist: Ink Train Finalist: Australian Mongrel
Winner: Australian Mongrel
Best Melbourne Short Documentary, Video Essay or Webseries Finalist: Diamanti Finalist: Every Line Finalist: Kampong Spirit Finalist: This Man's Worth
Winner: Kampong Spirit
Best VR / Interactive Documentary Finalist: Cassava: The Root to Revival by David Gough Finalist: Murchison Falls: A Wildlife Adventure by Peter Van Apeldoorn Finalist: Do You See by Amal Zen Finalist: Batuan: Interactive by Robert Lemelson
Winner: Murchison Falls: A Wildlife Adventure by Peter Van Apeldoorn
Best Short Director – International Finalist: Miami Vice Incident Finalist: Balloon Boy Finalist: Testimony Finalist: Requiem for a Whale
Winner: Balloon Boy
Best Short Director - Australia
Finalist: Nell O'Shea for Nine Years
Finalist: Shadow in the Reeds by Tim Brown and Michael Bruce
Finalist: Jackson Hayat for Crumble
Finalist: Michael Naim for Retro Gamers
Winner: Nell O'Shea for Nine Years
Pool B Feature Awards
Best International Documentary Finalist: A Rising Fury Finalist: School Under Siege Finalist: Love Charlie Finalist: Show Business is My Life
Winner: A Rising Fury
Best Australian Documentary Finalist: Juanita Nielsen Now Finalist: The Horizon Behind Us Finalist: Freedom is Beautiful Finalist: Luku Ngarra: The Law of the Land
Winner: Freedom is Beautiful
Best Melbourne Documentary Finalist: Kombi Man Finalist: Dig Deeper Finalist: Belly of the Beast: A Torquay Story Finalist: Water for Birds
Winner: Water for Birds
Best Music Documentary Finalist: Annie Lennox Finalist: Energy: A Damo Suzuki Documentary Finalist: Cover Your Ears Finalist: Finding Her Beat
Winner: Finding Her Beat
Best Environmental Documentary Nominee:Downwind Nominee: An Invisble Extinction Nominee: Eat Bitter Nominee: Planet Soil
Winner: Downwind
Best Emerging Director - Australia Finalist: Jeff Bird for Kombi Man Finalist: Matty Hannon for The Road to Patagonia Finalist: Kym Stanton for The Trust Fall - Julian Assange Finalist: John Teague for Belly of the Beast: A Torquay Story
Winner: Kym Stanton for The Trust Fall - Julian Assange
Best Director - Australia Finalist: Angus McDonald By Freedom is Beautiful Finalist: Roberto Pettini & David Smalley for The Horizon Behind Me Finalist: Zanny Begg by Juanita Nielsen NOW Finalist: Sinem Saban by Luku Ngarra: The Law of the Land
Winner: Zanny Begg - Juanita Nielsen NOW
Best Director – International Finalist:Lesya Kalynska & Ruslan Batyskyi for a Rising Fury Finalist: Ian Ayres for Dream Girl: The making of Marilyn Monroe Finalist: Rebecca Halpin for Love Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Charlie Trotter Finalist: Mark Shapiro and Douglas Miller for Downwind
Winner: Lesya Kalynska & Ruslan Batyskyi for a Rising Fury
Pool C Documentary Photography Awards
Best International Documentary Photograph Winner: Walkatjurra - By Francisca Silva Bravo
Best Australian Documentary Photograph Winner: Luku Ngärra: The Law of the Land - Sinem Saban
Best Documentary Photographer Winner: The Horizon Behind Me By Roberto Pettini
Final Winners Audience Choice Finalist: Kombi Man Finalist: Water for Birds Finalist: The Road to Patagonia Finalist: Freedom is Beautiful
Winner: The Road to Patagonia
Supreme Jury Prize Documentary Photograph Winner: The Horizon Behind Me By Roberto Pettini
Supreme Jury Prize Short Documentary Finalist: Australian Mongrel Finalist: Kampong Spirit Finalist: Diamanti Finalist: Testimony
Winner: Australian Mongrel
Supreme Jury Prize Feature Documentary Finalist: Downwind Finalist: A Rising Fury Finalist: Freedom is Beautiful Finalist: Juanita Nielsen NOW
Winner: A Rising Fury
Supreme Award WINNER: Jason Loftus - Eternal Spring Runner Up: Enough! Lebanon's Darkest Hour - Daizy Gedeon Runner Up: No Bad Guys - George Gittoes Runner Up: Hostile - Sonita Gale
Best Emerging Director - Australia WINNER: Adrian Francis (Paper City) Runner Up: Cristina Dio (Dieseln'Dub) Runner Up: Alfred Pek (Freedom Street) Runner Up: Mihaal Danziger (A Certain Mother)
Best Director - Australia WINNER: George Gittoes (No Bad Guys) Runner Up: Adrian Francis (Paper City) Runner Up: Daizy Gedeon (Enough! Lebanon's Darkest Hour) Runner Up: Steven Pasvolsky (The Power of Activism)
Best International Documentary WINNER: Automat Runner Up: Waterman Runner Up: Ferguson Rising Runner Up: Our Words Collide
Best Music Documentary WINNER: Learning to Live Together Runner Up: DiselnDub Runner Up: Patou Runner Up: Left Over Feelings
Best Environmental Documentary WINNER: Dying for Gold Runner Up: Green is the New Black Runner Up: Finite: The Climate of Change Runner Up: Living in the Time of Dying
Best Director Winner: Libby Spears (Art of Rebellion) Runner Up:Jason Loftus (Eternal Spring) Runner Up Catherien Meyburgh (Dying for Gold) Runner Up: Sonita Gale (Hostile)
Audience Choice Winner: Australia My Home: An Albanian Migration Runner Up: Dosed 2 Runner Up: Eternal Spring Runner Up: Cuba My Soul
Pool B Supreme Jury Prize Short Documentary Winner: Complete Runner Up: Vanitas Runner Up: Wastewater: A Tale of Two Cities Runner Up: Connecting the Dots
Best International Short Documentary, Video Essay or Webseries Winner: Wastewater: A Tale of Two Cities Runner Up: Connecting the Dots Runner Up: Me Mahmoud and the Mint Plant Runner Up: Ghosts of Moria
Best Australian Short Documentary, Video Essay or Webseries Winner: Complete Runner Up: Mellow Runner Up: My Mother the Action Star Runner Up: The David Scott Story
Best Melbourne Short Documentary, Video Essay or Webseries Winner: Vanitas Runner Up: MV Portland Runner Up: The Magical Crow Runner Up: Gone With the Wing
Best Short Director - Australia Winner: Steven Andrew McIntyre and Glen D'Cruz (Vanitas) Runner Up: John Tsiavis (Mellow) Runner Up: Maria Tran (My Mother the Action Star) Runner Up: Jary Nemo (The David Scott Story)
Best Short Director – International Winner: Sarah Franke (Wastewater: A Tale of Two Cities) Runner Up: Dou Roland (Connecting the Dots) Runner Up: Cat Mills (Me Mahmoud and the Mint Plant) Runner Up: Florian Eladbi & Michael Graversen (Ghosts of Moria)
Best VR Winner: Cosmic Atomic Runner Up: Count Down to D-Day Runner Up: Polar Bear Runner Up: A New Dawn
Pool C Supreme Jury Prize Documentary Photograph Rita Leistner - Forest for the Trees
Best International Documentary Photograph Rita Leistner - Forest for the Trees
Best Australian Documentary Photograph Michael Shaw - Living in the Time of Dying
Best Documentary Photographer Patrick J Thomas and Dacob - Art Lovers Unite
Winners 2021 Pool A
FEATURE AWARDS SUPREME FEATURE AWARD Winner: We Are Conjola
Finalists: The Healing, Anchor Point, Women of Steel
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE AWARD Winner: Castro’s Spies
Finalists: Punks, Anchor Point, The Last Horns of Africa
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD Winner: Inferno Without Borders
BEST AUSTRALIAN FEATURE AWARD Winner: Woman of Steel
Finalists: Cry of the Forests, Rosemarys Way, Inferno Without Borders
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY Winner: The Rumba Kings
Finalists: Meeting the Beatles in India, Bleeding Audio, Don’t Let the Devil Take Another Day
BEST STRANGER THAN FICTION / TRUE CRIME Winner: Deadman’s Switch
Finalists: Claydream, Enemies of the State, Holy Frit
BEST DIRECTOR – AUSTRALIA Winner: Batoor: A Refugee Journey - Barat Ali Batoor
Nominee - Ash Brennan for We Are Conjola Nominee - Women of Steel Nominee - The Healing - Nick Barkla Nominee -
BEST DIRECTOR – INTERNATIONAL Winner: Yael Bridge - The Big Scary S Word
Nominee: Holly Tuckett - Anchor Point Nominee: Nominee: Jim Bernfield - Me to Play Nominee: Ollie Aslin & Gary Lennon - Castro's Spies
BEST MELBOURNE DOCUMENTARY Winner: Wild Things
Finalists: The Healing, Finding Creativity, Mental as Anything,
Pool B
SHORT DOCUMENTARY SUPREME JURY PRIZE: Winner: The Hunger Ward
Finalists: The Beach, FBI's Secret War, An Improbable Collection
BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT DOCO or WEBSERIES: Winner: Hunger Ward
Finalists Deepfake Therapy, Bundini, Memory Lanes
BEST AUSTRALIAN SHORT DOCO or WEBSERIES: Winner: The Beach
Finalists Ngumpin Kartiya, Living on the Line, Beyond the Burning
BEST INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR: Winner: FBI's Secret War
Finalists: Mesdames of Mayhem, From a Dark Place, 2020:A Covid Space Odyssey
AUSTRALIAN DIRECTOR: Winner: An Improbable Collection
Finalists: The Space Between, Icebergers, Lost Contact
BEST VR: Winner: Inside Covid-19
Finalists: Azibuye, MLK Convergence, Gimme One,
Pool C
Supreme Jury Prize Documentary Photograph Winner: Once Upon a Time in Venezuela Photography by Sepp Brudermann
Best International Documentary Photograph Winner On the Train by Kang Le
Best Australian Documentary Photograph Winner: Australia Burns – Silence of the Land by Shane McLauchlan
Best Documentary Photographer Winner: Once Upon a Time in Venezuela Photography by Sepp Brudermann
Award Winners 2020
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
The 2019 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival Leaderboard
Pool A
Supreme Short Documentary Winner: Happy Android Finalists: I Signed the Petition That Night After the Fire The Holiday Inn-Side I Want You to Know
Best International Short Documentary Winner: Uncaged a Stand In Story Finalists: Thursday Fields That Night I Signed the Petition After the Fire Tapume
Best Australian Short Documentary Winner: I Want You to Know Finalists: Voodoo Medics She Starts 2 The Beeman Stuart X Haunted Witness
Best Melbourne Documentary: Winner: Be You T Fool Finalists: Restoration Island The Holiday Inn-Side After the Tsunami We Are All in the Together Prom Night
Best Short Director Winner Jaina Kalifa for Happy Android Finalists: Haunted Witness The Holiday Inn-Side I Signed the Petition I Want You to Know
Doc Challenge Winner: The Hand Out Finalists: Rise Adoption Pending Pain is Mine
Pool B
Supreme Award Feature: Winner: 17 Blocks Finalists: Dark Money Art of Incarceration Pariah Dog New Homeland Skid Row Marathon
Best International Documentary Winner: JR Bob Dobbs Church of the Sub Genius Finalists: Dogs Best Friend American Mirror Unraveling Athena Dosed Ballad of a Righteous Merchant
Best Australian Documentary Winner: Art of Incarceration Finalists: Van Duren Tommy Emmauel Saving Waru Looby The Candidate
Best Director – International / Australian Winner: Davy Rothbart for 17 Blocks Finalists: Saving Warru New Homeland Skid Row Marathon Pariah Dog Art of Incarceration
Best Music Documentary Winner: Tommy Emmanuel: The Endless Road Finalists: Boom Godfather s of Hardcore Waiting: The Van Duren Story Kiss Vs MCZ
Best Melbourne Documentary Winner: Art of Incarceration Finalists: Forged From Fire Red Sunday Strange Tenants Kartika 9 Home Front
Audience Choice: Dosed
Pool C
Supreme Jury Prize Documentary Photograph Mike Wilkin – The Blacksmith’s Tree Best International Documentary Photograph Valentina Ippolito – Red Wind Best Australian Documentary Photograph Robin Yong – Secrets of the Flower and Willow World Best Documentary Photographer Travis Fox - Salt of the Earth
The 2018 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival Leaderboard
Pool A
Short Awards War Mothers – Матері Війні by Stefan Bugryn
Best International Short Documentary or Webseries – Ex Nihilo by Timo Wright
Best Australian Short Documentary or Webseries Wolfe – Short Documentary by Claire Randall
Best Short Director (International / Australia) – Stefan Bugryn for War Mothers
Pool B
Feature Awards
Supreme Jury Prize Feature Documentary – Kings of Baxter by Jack Yabsley
Best International Documentary – Out of My Head by Jacki Ochs and Susanna Styron
Best Australian Documentary – Kangaroo by Mick Mcintyre
Best Director (International / Australia) – Jack Yabsley
Best Melbourne Documentary – Fish Out Of Water by Israel Cannan
Pool C
Documentary Photography Awards
Supreme Jury Prize Documentary Photograph – Wimmera Art Silos
Best International Documentary Photograph – Teochew Opera - The Art of Lao Sai Tao Yuan by Robin Yong
Best Australian Documentary Photograph – Emma Hudson for Portraiture
Best Documentary Photographer – Mike Davis for Wimmera Art Silos
The 2017 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival Leaderboard
Supreme Jury Prize Winner – God Knows Where I Am
Hero of Cinema Award – Bob Hawk
Audience Choice Award – Jewel Catch One by CF Fitz
Best International Documentary – Tie - Placebo Alt Russia & Five Days on Lesvos
Best Australian Documentary – Meal Tickets
Best Melbourne Documentary (short and feature) – Tunnel Vision
Best Indigenous Documentary – One Heart One Spirit
Best Music / Art Documentary – Tie - Northern Disco Lights + Play Your Gender
Best Environmental Documentary – Tie - Complicit + The Gateway Bug
Best Emerging Director Feature Ivan Hexler – Tunnel Vision & Matt De Koning for Meal Tickets
Best Emerging Director Feature – JJ Garvine Tai Parquet Heather White
Best Editing – Act of Kindness
Wildcard / Avante Garde Award – Lunar Orbit
Best Expanded Interdisciplinary Project – The Road Movie
Best Short Documentary Australian – Breaking Ice James Nightingale
Best International Short Documentary – Road to Webequie and For Flint
Best International Emerging Short Documentary Emerging – Tie - Mariah Wilson – Eeya and Claudio Cruz – Edu and Cat Mills Fixed
Documentary Photography
Supreme Award – Portraits
Landscape – Teheran the Invisible City
Portraiture – Flowers of Ethiopia
Street Photography – Taking a Stand in Baton Rouge
The 2016 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival Leaderboard
Supreme Jury Award – A Billion Lives by Aaron Biebert
Best Director – Aaron Biebert
Best Indigenous Featue or Short – The Drovers Boy by Margaret McHugh
Best Music Documentary – Todd Who? by Gavin Bond
Best Australian Documentary – The Coffee Man Film by Jeff Hann
Best International Documentary – Goodnight Brooklyn - The Story of Death by Audio by Matt Conboy
Best Victorian Featue or Short – Inside Fighter byNick Barkla
Best International Short Documentary – Waterlilies by Tanya Doyle
Best Australian Short Documentary – You Better Take Cover by Harry Hayes
Best Editing – Beep: A History of Video Game Sound
Best Cinematography – Sustainable
Best Comedy / Mockumentary – VIVA LA VINCENTby Ashleigh Nicolau
Best Art Documentary – Andre Villers a Lifetime in Images by Marketa Tomanova
Best Avante Garde / Innovation Award – Bullied To Death un film di Giovanni Coda by Giovanni Coda - Jo -
Best Health and Enviornmental Documentary – Sustainable by Matt Wechler and Plastic in my water by Allard Faas
Audience Choice – Spoke by Em Baker
Wildcard Award – Coalville Gold by Ross Bolidai andWeg van de Kerk - Churchroad by Robin Vogel