Taking place February 21 to 24, the Australian International Documentary Conference will welcome a newly formed group – the Bell Fund Mission – to its 2005 event. The first interactive media delegation to attend AIDC, the Canadian collective is comprised of 10 new media producers, Claude Galipeau (executive director of cbc new media) and funding agency representatives.

The Bell Fund supports new media projects associated with TV productions. Andra Scheffer, executive director of the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, says it became obvious that there were many opportunities for Canadians and Australians to work together, so the Bell Fund Board approved partial funding for the mission to Australia and organized it with encouragement from several Australian groups and the Canadian Consulate General in Sydney.

One aim is to promote the licensing of more Canadian interactive content by Australian broadcasters and to establish copro partnerships between the two countries. On February 24, Canadian interactive producers pre-matched with Australian counterparts will participate in a ‘Pitch ‘N Punt’ competition in which they will pitch for a copro and AU$15,000.