THE FESTIVAL TEAM
Claire Jager
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
Claire brings a wealth of experience to the Festival. She is a director and producer, with award-winning films to her credit and has worked with the ABC as an Executive Producer; with SBS as a Commissioning Editor (Documentary); with the Australian Film Commission as a development executive, and Screen Australia as Investment Manager for Documentary.
Alongside her role as curator of the annual screening programs and related screen-based media events, Claire also focuses on future directions with the CDoc team and the Board.
Alex Riches
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR (She/They)
Alex is an independent filmmaker passionate about elevating LGBTQIA+ voices through film. Since earning a Bachelor of Screen Media from Victoria University in 2021, they have written and directed short films, music videos, and promotional content for not-for-profits. They worked as an Impact Producer for Who I Am’s national tour and co-created the verbatim theatre piece Thrive: Queer Voices Out Loud. Alex is also the Membership Coordinator for WIFT Victoria and has volunteered with ACMI, MQFF, and the Australian Red Cross.
Beth Knights
EVENT & MEDIA MANAGER (She/Her)
Beth is a freelance screenwriter and writer with experience in scripted television, digital media, and print. She enjoys partnering with small businesses to develop marketing strategies and create compelling content for web and print. With a creative approach and strong storytelling skills, Beth helps brands find their voice.
Blake Curtis
PARTNERSHIPS & SPONSORSHIP MANAGER
Blake brings a wealth of experience in building strategic relationships and securing meaningful partnerships for arts and cultural events. His passion for filmmaking and community engagement aligns perfectly with CDOC's mission to showcase powerful stories that inspire, challenge, and connect audiences. At CDoc Blake oversees all sponsorship acquisition, partnership development, and stakeholder relationships, working closely with Festival Director Claire Jager to create mutually beneficial opportunities for businesses and organisations who share our commitment to exceptional storytelling.
Carla Alderuccio
FESTIVAL PUBLICIST
Carla is an experienced public relations and communications professional. She is currently the Publicity Lead for The Australian Open at Tennis Australia. Carla was previously an Account Director at That Communications Company, a Melbourne-based PR agency. She has worked with clients from a wide range of industries including technology, education, professional services, not-for-profit, women’s advocacy, health, lifestyle and sport. She has also worked as a tutor at RMIT University teaching public relations and writing to students undertaking the Bachelor of Communications
Anna Williams
VOLUNTEERS COORDINATOR
Anna is a former teacher and current administrator in education. She has worked across most sectors of education - primary, secondary and tertiary and also in the sporting world. Anna has a great love of cinema so working in this role for the Castlemaine Documentary Festival is the perfect fit.
Our Board
Hollie Fifer
CHAIR
Hollie is a documentary filmmaker whose work has screened in festivals and broadcast globally. Her debut feature, THE OPPOSITION (Media Stockade), premiered at Hot Docs and IDFA in 2016, won the Grand Prize at FIFO, screened at the UN Human Rights Council, and won Best Documentary Feature at the Oz Flix Independent Film Awards. It has played in over 35 countries. Her latest short, UNBALANCED, premiered on The Age/Sydney Morning Herald’s Vox Dox series. Hollie serves on the boards of AIDC and GIPA, and has tutored at NIDA and AFTRS. Her leadership includes roles at the Wheeler Centre, Monash Art, Design and Architecture, RISING, and ACMI.
Deane Williams
DEPUTY CHAIR
Deane Williams is Associate Professor in Film and Screen Studies, Monash University. Deane is a film historian specialising in documentary film history and Australian documentary authoring or editing 12 monographs and of numerous articles. From 2007-2017 he was foundation editor of Studies in Documentary Film a scholarly journal dedicated to the history and criticism of documentary. He has regularly served in leadership and community engagement positions.
Blake Curtis
SECRETARY
Blake brings a wealth of experience in building strategic relationships and securing meaningful partnerships for arts and cultural events. His passion for filmmaking and community engagement aligns perfectly with CDOC's mission to showcase powerful stories that inspire, challenge, and connect audiences. At CDoc Blake oversees all sponsorship acquisition, partnership development, and stakeholder relationships, working closely with Festival Director Claire Jager to create mutually beneficial opportunities for businesses and organisations who share our commitment to exceptional storytelling.
Stuart Vaskess
TREASURER
Stuart is a seasoned arts professional with over 30 years of experience in event management and arts administration. An expert in financial management, he has held key roles, including treasurer and secretary for several incorporated associations. His diverse portfolio spans festival logistics, site design, and creative production, with contributions to events like Desert Harmony Festival and Snuff Puppets Inc. Combining technical arts skills with financial acumen, Stuart supports cultural organisations through meticulous governance and creative vision.
Kelly Ann Blake
BOARD DIRECTOR
Kelly Ann Blake is a Proud Wadawurrung woman with Djaara kinship connections, living on Djaara Country. Passionate about the arts, the natural world, and Truth Telling, she is also an active academic researcher. She works in the biocultural and biodiversity space as the Returning Spirit Back to Country/Biodiversity Project Officer with the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, focusing on reawakening sleeping Cultural knowledges, particularly through her work with Darrwal/Kaal Kaal Murrup (Dingo Spirit).
Kelly Ann is thrilled to be a director and member of the Castlemaine Documentary Festival and looks forward to the powerful stories being showcased.
Michelle Tyson Clark
BOARD DIRECTOR
Michelle Tyson Clark is Head of Governance and Strategy at the Adelaide Festival and Governance Lead at the Wheeler Centre. With over two decades’ broad industry experience in governance, strategy, and arts administration, she has worked across festivals, performing arts, film, and broadcasting. Her past roles include General Manager at the Wheeler Centre, Strategic Adviser to the Dean at Monash Art, Design and Architecture, and Chief of Staff at RISING. She has also held positions at Melbourne Festival, Screen Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and ACMI. Michelle currently serves on boards including the Castlemaine Documentary Festival and fortyfivedownstairs. Based in Naarm, she works across Naarm and Tarntanya.
Tony Jackson
BOARD DIRECTOR
Tony has spent more than thirty years making television and documentaries, earning his first stripes at the BBC before becoming Head of Television at Lonely Planet and then Executive Producer/Writer/Director at Chemical Media. Tony has worked with international broadcasters and screen funding bodies in North America, Europe, the Middle East, China and Australia. He’s been twice nominated for a Walkley Award for Excellence in Journalism and is the winner of a Screen Producers Australia Award.
Marylou Verberne
BOARD DIRECTOR
Marylou Verberne is an emerging artist from Castlemaine, in the Central Goldfields of Victoria. While from a young age she imagined a future in the arts, Marylou got sidelined by an international career in law and social impact. Initially working as a lawyer in top-tier firms in Australia and Hong Kong, she went on to work in the offices of State and Federal members of parliament, established an education not-for-profit, got involved in documentary filmmaking and set up a social impact consulting firm. For Marylou, the “gift” of COVID was to make a long-overdue decision to commit to a full-time art practice as a photographer. She is involved in a number of local artist groups and is on the board of the Mountain Festival in Macedon.
Suzanne Donisthorpe
BOARD DIRECTOR
Suzanne has been an arts broadcaster for over 30 years, working on the various incarnations of the books and arts programs at ABC Radio National. She also worked for a number of years with the sculptor Frank Veldze on a range of creative projects. Her novel Getting Up was published by Pan MacMillan in 2013. Since leaving the ABC in 2015, Suzanne has been closely involved with the local Castlemaine Public radio station MAINfm. She presented the award winning ArtSwank program and worked as the Program Manager and Board member. She currently presents two arts and current affairs shows: Hear Say and The Shout Out.