BOARD & STAFF

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 who has written and directed short films, music videos, and promotional videos for not-for-profit organisations. Since graduating from Victoria University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Screen Media, they have focused on making content that elevates the voices and celebrates the stories of the LGBTQIA+ communities. They have worked as an Impact Producer for the Who I Am short film national tour last year and was the co-creator for a verbatim theatre piece Thrive: Queer Voices Out Loud in 2023.

They see their work as an extension of their values and has enjoyed volunteering for the Australian Red Cross, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) and the Melbourne Queer Film Festival over the years. Alex is the Membership Coordinator for Women in Film and Television Victoria as well, and finds working with filmmakers at every stage of their careers very rewarding.

Fiona Dann

PARTNERSHIP LIAISON

Fiona brings a depth of experience to the role of Partnership Liaison. Establishing a niche as a casting director promoting diverse stories, Fiona’s wide ranging portfolio includes feature films, short films, TV series, commercials and docudramas, collaborating with emerging filmmakers and seasoned directors to realise their visions. Her commitment to authentic representation of diversity made her a sought-after collaborator, ensuring stories are rich and varied. A valued member of Castlemaine’s vibrant creative community, Fiona’s storytelling chops complement CDoc’s mission perfectly.

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

Diane Cook

WRITER

Diane has been a freelance writer since 2021, after spending eight-and-a-half years with Aesop as Senior Copywriting Manager. Her prior professional roles include Cultural Activities and Creative Development Manager at Film Victoria; lecturer in creative writing, screenwriting and communications at the University of Canberra and RMIT respectively; Co-Director of the St Kilda Film Festival; freelance script editor; and freelance script/screen culture projects assessor for Film Victoria, the Australian Film Commission, Screen NSW and Screen Tasmania.

Our Board

Marylou Verbene

CHAIR
Marylou Verberne 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.

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.

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.

Michelle Tyson Clark

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.

Suzanne Donisthorpe

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.

Tony Jackson

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.

Kylie Pascoe

With a 20-year career in film and television, Kylie broke new ground in subscription television, creating innovative campaigns alongside several Hollywood Studios. In 1996 she moved into film and has been behind the release of over 30 films and series. Kylie spent two years as director of Queensland’s largest film festival (GCFF) establishing three of their flagship events before relocating to Victoria in 2016 to focus on producing. A keen collaborator, Kylie has produced a broadcast documentary, and co-produced eleven feature films and a Netflix series. Her latest feature documentary – The Art of Incarceration – was acquired by Netflix for global release mid 2022.