Tropfest has announced the 16 talented filmmakers whose films will screen across the nation when Tropfest kicks off on Sunday December 8, 2013.
From comedies, thrillers and dramas to documentaries, mockumentaries and everything in between, the Finalist films will offer the Tropfest audience a diverse selection of shorts – all inspired by this year’s signature Item (TSI) of ‘Change’.
It is still exciting to know that short film is alive and kicking in Australia and around the world !
Congratulations to everyone who worked on an entry for Tropfest Australia 22
2013 is shaping up to be a big year for Tropfest. With the festival moving to Centennial Park and to a new sunny December date,
The Tropfest Signature Item (TSI) is, appropriately, ‘Change’ which led to some interesting interpretations
RUNNING TIMES
| 11am |
Gates Open
Trop Jr Program Commences |
| 3pm |
Tropfest December 2013 Program Commences |
| 7:30pm |
Official Tropfest Program begins |
| 9:20pm |
Finalist Films 9-16 |
| 10:15pm |
Award Ceremony & 2014 TSI Announcement |
| 10:30pm |
Live music performance |
.
Tropfest 201 / 13
Tropfest Australia 21 2013 winner
Jess has to come up with $800 or lose her house. A flat tyre leaves Joan stranded in the middle of nowhere. Matt needs a job. All these stories are brought together as what goes around comes around and they impact each other in a way they couldn’t imagine.
Directed by Nicholas Clifford
Produced by Michael Ciccone
Tropfest Australia 2013 Winner
TSI “Balloon”
Tropfest Australia 22 Finalists
BAMBOOZLED
DIRECTOR: Matt Hardie
PRODUCER: Matt Hardie
STATE: NSW
Join the conversation #bamboozled
SYNOPSIS: No matter what changes, love is forever.
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Originally from WA, Matt moved to Sydney in 2006 to attend the acting course at NIDA. Since graduating, Matt has appeared as an actor in a number of roles in theatre, film and television. Last year Matt wrote and directed Let it Rain, which won the Nikon DSLR category at Tropfest February 2013. The success of the film has inspired Matt to pursue his writing and directing as well as his acting.
DARKNESS COMES
DIRECTOR: John Marsh
PRODUCER: John Marsh & Dane Hallett
STATE: NSW
Join the conversation #darknesscomes
SYNOPSIS: A desperate man, a derelict farmhouse, an ever-present menace: What happens when darkness comes?
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Having grown up in a fantasy world fuelled by the great outdoors, comic books, cartoons and film, it was clear very early on that John Marsh was destined to be a ‘creative’. John’s directorial debut Happenstance was an award-winning finalist at Tropfest in 2010, which has since travelled the word and played at many prestigious film festivals. John recently co-founded the production company Idea Garage with long-time collaborator and friend Dane Hallett and Darkness Comes is the first collaboration from their stables.
COPING
DIRECTOR: Kaiya Jones
PRODUCER: Julian Costanzo
STATE: VIC
Join the conversation #coping
SYNOPSIS: Sometimes it takes a tragedy to change a person.
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Born in Scotland, Kaiya moved to Australia at the age of 8 and at the age of 10, decided herself that she wanted to become and actor. Having worked on TV series The Saddle Club and Neighbours, she was constantly surrounded by enthusiastic filmmakers. She made multiple short films for fun but with help from Julian Costanzo and other incredibly talented individuals, completed what is now a Tropfest Australia finalist film.
MAKEOVER
DIRECTOR: Don Percy
PRODUCER: Don Percy
STATE: VIC
Join the conversation #makeover
SYNOPSIS: Spring is in the air… and it’s time for a change!
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Don Percy
began
shooting
films
at
age
10.
Soon after graduating from the Swinburne Film and Television School, came his award-winning short The Skateboard Saga.
In
1999
Don
directed
the
documentary
Funny
by
George:
The
George
Wallace
Story
for
ABC TV.
Shortly
after,
Don
formed
Adonis Films, and
continues
to
direct
TVCs,
corporates,
music
videos
and
shorts as well as completing
the
short
feature
Inanimate Objects. With
a
desire
to
move
into
a
more
dramatic
realm,
Don
currently
has
several
film
and
television
projects
in
development.
REVIVE
DIRECTOR: Ruben Pracas
PRODUCER: Chae Ryan
STATE: WA
Join the conversation #revive
SYNOPSIS: A young businessman decides to take it upon himself to be the change he wishes to see in the world – one crazy costume at a time.
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Inspired by the success of his short film The Offertory and his work as producer on the ATOM award winning BLINDSPoT, Ruben began applying for small funding initiatives for films and television. With two of his projects receiving funding, he quickly wanted to gain more on-set experience. After volunteering on ‘bigger shoots’, including a few TVCs and feature films, he acquired the knowledge, skills and confidence to make Revive happen.
CHARADES
DIRECTOR: Julian Lucas
PRODUCER: Jack White
STATE: VIC
Join the conversation #charades
SYNOPSIS: Practice doesn’t always make perfect
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Julian is a freelance filmmaker from Melbourne. Although he has written and directed a few short films in the past, his passion lies with music videos and comedies. The filmmaking lifestyle suits him perfectly. People have told him that working from home is something that 60 year olds do, but he’s pretty content paving his own way in life.
THE SQUIRREL KING
DIRECTOR: Dimitri Ellerington
PRODUCER: Dimitri Ellerington
STATE: NSW
Join the conversation #thesquirrelking
SYNOPSIS: Meet Ricky Powell; The Lazy Hustler, The Bummy Sophisticate…The Squirrel King
DIRECTOR’S BIO: After slumming his way through art college, Dimitri was lucky enough to find himself as the production runner on the first “Babe” feature. For him, it was a profound experience and inspired him to pursue a career in film and television. After graduating from the VCA Film School, he’s been working as an Assistant Director, while developing short, doco & feature projects. In 2005, Big Men; Bigger Dreams, his first documentary, was nominated for both an AFI and Dendy Award, and his short film Dream What You Want was a finalist in Tropfest Australia 2009.
HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE
DIRECTOR: Tom Abood
PRODUCER: Tom Abood
STATE: NSW
Join the conversation #honisoit
SYNOPSIS: War is always told differently from a soldier’s perspective.
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Tom Abood first started making films at thirteen and knew from that age that this is what he wanted to do. At 18, Tom joined the Australian Army as part of the gap year program and was inspired by the stories he heard from veteran diggers. In 2012, Tom graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Media from Macquarie University. He now currently works in postproduction at WTFN Entertainment.
L.O.V.E. INSURANCE FOR THE HEART
DIRECTOR: Rachel Lane
PRODUCER: Rachel Lane
STATE: NSW
Join the conversation #loveinsurance
SYNOPSIS: Before you commit to that next relationship make sure you get an L.O.V.E Inspection first.
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Growing up in Forbes NSW didn’t exactly provide a thriving metropolis of budding filmmakers for Rachel. After completing her BA in Film Production, she found the less glamourous role of unit assistant, but quickly realised she needed to produce her own films projects. She has been doing so ever since, as well as working on various TV shows, and shooting commercial photography projects.
SORRY BABY
DIRECTOR: Spencer Harvey & Lloyd Harvey
PRODUCER: Spencer Harvey & Lloyd Harvey
STATE: NSW
Join the conversation #SorryBaby
SYNOPSIS: Sometimes, sorry doesn’t cut it.
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Spencer and Lloyd Harvey are a sister/brother writer and director duo born in Sydney. The pair have taken from pen to screen a myriad of short films that have achieved multiple awards and international and national festival screenings. They have been offered official selections from the likes of coveted Oscar Qualifying Film Festivals: Palm Springs International ShortsFest, Austin Film Festival, FLICKERS Rhode Island Film Festival and L.A. Shorts Fest. They are currently writing their feature debut.
STEW
DIRECTOR: Steven Woodburn
PRODUCER: Sam Smith
STATE: NSW
Join the conversation #stew
SYNOPSIS: Just two cappuccino’s, and … STEW
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Steven grew up in the Central West of NSW, but on finishing High School quickly packed his bags and headed for the bright lights of Sydney. After studying drama Steven eventually moved into directing and started up Day One Films. He has since written and directed four short films, which have been shown at festivals throughout Australia. STEW is Steven’s second attempt at Tropfest with his first ‘Spider’ earning him a ‘Bright Spark Award’ at Tropfest 2008.
STILL LIFE
DIRECTOR: Martin Sharpe
PRODUCER: Martin Sharpe
STATE: VIC
Join the conversation #stilllife
SYNOPSIS: Life’s never still for long
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Passionate about films since being awestruck by Jurassic Park at 11, Martin began to write and direct. His first short film The Crimson Room starring Ashleigh Zukerman went on to screen at over 30 international festivals and win the Golden Palm award at the Mexico International Film Festival. Martin is currently studying Visual Effects & 3D animation at AIE, where he met the Still Life team, and is in the process of preparing his next short film.
ARIEL
DIRECTOR: Claude Gonzalez
PRODUCER: Claude Gonzalez
STATE: NSW
Join the conversation #ariel
SYNOPSIS: A man can make a small change in an unfair world
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Claude Gonzalez is director and producer who has worked in film and TV for a number of years. He has made commercials, trailers, documentaries and television programs for SBS and the ABC
OFF THE METER
DIRECTOR: Carl J. Sorheim
PRODUCER: Julian V. Costanzo
STATE: VIC
Join the conversation #offthemeter
SYNOPSIS: Cab driver Daniel Folkmover has a heart of gold, dad jokes aplenty and a slightly shady operation on the side…
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Director, writer and actor, Carl J. Sorheim has had a keen interest in film, performance and writing as far back as he can recall. Moving from Norway to Australia to study theatre in 2003, he quickly fell in love with the beauty and diversity of Australia. With a soft spot for underdog stories, Sorheim worked tirelessly to find an outlet for his somewhat dark and sometimes comical view of the world. In 2010, Carl, with a bunch of great actors and storytellers, formed the production company Cameralla, to tell funny, strange and – hopefully – slightly different stories.
TRUTH IS…
DIRECTOR: Ben Davies
PRODUCER: Conor Reid
STATE: NSW
Join the conversation #truthis
SYNOPSIS: The true story behind Australia’s brutal bikie war.
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Ben Davies is a TV producer who makes factual TV programs and documentaries. He is both the creator and series producer of the international hit TV series Bondi Rescue. He has won 6 Logies and had an AFI nomination.
SINE
DIRECTOR: Adrian Cabrié
PRODUCER: Alex Meerbach
STATE: VIC
Join the conversation #sine
SYNOPSIS: Out of jail, with nothing to lose, Adam’s robbery attempt takes a turn for the worse when he bumps in to an ex-girlfriend.
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Adrian has written, directed & edited over 30 short films, with his works shown at a number of festivals over the years. After forming Truncated Pictures in 2004 with his brother Michel, they began work on a full-length feature film, ‘Verite’ (‘In Moments of Darkness’). Adrian’s second feature film is currently in pre-production, where he will oversee various elements of the filmmaking process
About Tropfest
Tropfest is Australia’s most prestigious short film festival and one of its most iconic cultural events.
It is also the largest short film festival in the world.
At home, Tropfest is recognised for its enormous contribution to the development of the Australian film industry by providing unique platforms for talented filmmakers through its events and initiatives, and new and expanded audiences for their work.
John Polson started the ‘Tropicana Short Film Festival’ (as it was originally known) in 1993, as an informal short film screening for cast, crew and friends at the Tropicana Cafe in Sydney’s Darlinghurst.
More than 200 people showed up for that first screening. Inspired by the turn out, John decided that a full-fledged short film festival was the next step.
Twenty-one years on, Tropfest Australia attracts a live national audience of around 150,000 people on a single night.
The event is hosted at Sydney’s Centennial Park, with live satellite links to outdoor locations in major cities including Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Darwin and Surfers Paradise
The short film competition is unique in that every film must be made specifically for Tropfest, will premiere at Tropfest Australia and include the Tropfest Signature Item (TSI), which changes each year.
16 Finalists are selected from an average 650 entries. Tropfest has expanded internationally to now include new competitions and festivals in North America, (New York), the Middle East, New Zealand and South East Asia.
After successfully broadcasting the event on SBS ONE in February 2013, Tropfest will be shown live on SBS 2 for the next five years.
SBS will exclusively broadcast the festival night as well as 13 weeks of additional Tropfest content in the lead up to the live event.
Tropfest is free to attend. The festival itself is an outdoor celebration complete with live music and entertainment, public catering and bars, red carpet arrivals and the highly anticipated film screenings followed by an awards ceremony.
The support and involvement of film personalities from around the world has become one of the trademarks of the festival. Selection of the winning Tropfest film takes place live on the night of the festival by a panel of high profile industry and celebrity judges. Past judges have included Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Naomi Watts, Toni Collette, Rose Byrne, Geoffrey Rush, Russell Crowe, John Woo, Samuel L Jackson, Baz Luhrmann, Keanu Reeves, Sam Neill, Ewan McGregor, Jane Campion, Sam Worthington, Salma Hayek, George Miller and Gabriel Byrne to name a few.
The festival attracts a wide degree of media coverage but it is the casual, grass roots nature of the event, rather than its high profile, which ensures the continued support of its patrons and guests.
The competition is taken very seriously and is considered the winner’s ticket to a successful career in film or television. Notable alumni include filmmakers such as Alister Grierson, Rowan Woods, Clayton Jacobson, Joel Edgerton, Nash Edgerton, Peter Carstairs, Rob Carlton, Sam Worthington, Robert Connolly, Leon Ford, Justin Drape, Tim Bullock and Elissa Down.
Tropfest has expanded internationally to now include new competitions and festivals in New Zealand, North America, South East Asia and the Middle East
Entry guidelines for Tropfest Australia were –
Tropfest Signature Item (TSI) is: CHANGE.
All filmmakers must adhere to the following guidelines:
• Your film must be made specifically for Tropfest Australia
• Tropfest Australia must be your film’s first public screening
• Your film must be no longer than 7 minutes (including titles and credits)
• Your film must contain the 2013 Tropfest Australia Signature Item (TSI) ‘CHANGE’
• Your film must be in 16:9 ratio
• Your film must be submitted to Tropfest Australia via our online entry system
Entries opened on 15 August, 2013. / Entries closed on 10 October, 2013
