It was as a result of the first AIDC, held in 1987 at McLaren Vale, in the heart of South Australia's wine growing region, that the ABC introduced its pre-sale commissioning system.
AIDC is a not-for-profit organisation[6] committed to supporting and elevating nonfiction storytelling through creative and business opportunities across film, television, streaming, and digital media.
[19] The annual AIDC Southern Light Award was established in 2024 to celebrate luminaries of the Australian documentary and factual industry.
The annual AIDC Awards were established in 2021 to recognise outstanding completed works of new Australian documentary and factual content across six categories.
It is intended "to give an independent filmmaker enough money and time to reflect and prepare for his or her next work or to undertake relevant study and research".