Atomic Paradise Wins the Sunny Side of the Doc Prize at AIDC 2025

AIDC’s international pitching showcase for new documentary and factual projects celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, bringing together 15 projects with strong market potential across three key strands: Central Showcase, New Talent Showcase, and Rough Cut Showcase. On this occasion, our team had the honor of presenting the Sunny Side of the Doc Special Prize to one of the selected projects.

The Australian documentary Atomic Paradise, produced by SAM Content, was awarded this distinction. The prize includes two free accreditations and a waiver on the project submission fee for the next edition of Sunny Side of the Doc, taking place from June 23 to 26, 2025, in La Rochelle.

© SAM Content (Australia)

Directed by John Harvey and produced by Sally Aitken, with executive production by Aline Jacques, Atomic Paradise offers a powerful and visually stunning reexamination of the atomic bomb testing program in the Pacific region. Through a First Nations lens, the documentary sheds new light on this crucial chapter of history, offering a perspective that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. 

 

Projects in competition

 

Central Showcase Projects

  • Atomic Paradise – SAM Content (Australia)
  • Heart – Millstream Productions (Australia)
  • Hip Hop Land – Nikan Productions (Canada)
  • The Palm Print – Artemis Media (Australia)
  • The Shape of Blue – Intuitive Pictures (Canada, Japan) (Best Arts & Culture Pitch at Sunny Side of the Doc 2024)
  • Testimony – Closer Productions (Australia)
  • Troublemaker – Media Stockade, Run Wild Productions (Australia)

 

New Talent Showcase Projects

  • Crossing the Tideline – Regen Studios & Stitch Films (Australia)
  • In Focus – Chaos & Co. Productions (Australia)
  • The Myth of Monsters – M’GO FILMS (Singapore, Malaysia) (Best Impact Campaigns Pitch at Sunny Side of the Doc 2024)
  • Restless Farewell – Independent (China)
  • Umbrellas of the Acrobats – Elsewhat & Potato Eaters Collective (USA, India)

 

Rough Cut Showcase Projects

  • Abstract – Denizen Studios (USA, Mexico)
  • Jenin & The Nakba Between Us – Lost Time Media, The Imaginarium Films (Canada, Jordan)
  • Sweat it Out! – Sweat It Out Productions (Australia)