Overview
It all began in the early 1990s, when
JOHN POLSON approached Serge at the Tropicana Caffe to screen his short film for cast, crew and friends. The film, entitled Surry Hills: 902 Spring Roll, drew an amazing 200 people. Inspired by the turn out, John decided that a short film festival was the next step. In 1993 the Tropicana Short Film Festival [as it was called] was born.
2007 saw the fifteenth screening of the world's largest short film festival. Over 600 entries were received and the screening now spans the nation. An audience in excess of 150,000 sat down to view the 16 Sony Tropfest finalists.
Whether you viewed the nine short films in 1993, or joined us for the first time in 2007, the central aim of Sony Tropfest remains the same. That is, to stimulate the production of short films and then provide an audience for the work of Australia's emerging filmmakers.
It is important to note that the Tropfest phenomenon wasn't instantaneous. Though the popularity of the festival has grown exponentially each year and seemed to attract the cream of Australian and international film personalities, the ever expanding festival was masterminded from a small, swelter house office in the heart of the Kings Cross creative community. With its founder at the helm, the help of friends and committed staff (often volunteering their time), the small operation worked to keep up with the momentum of the festival. The obvious need for a creative outlet for filmmakers and a widely appreciative audience has meant that the festival has continually expanded and Sony Tropfest remains committed to providing a free event. Each year has brought its triumphs. Literally hundreds of filmmakers are inspired to go out and create cinematic art with reference to the year's Tropfest Signature Item (
TSI).
Tropfest has been privileged to see some of Australia's most esteemed filmmakers go through its ranks. Check out our
PAST WINNERS and
TROPALUMNI pages for the most recent updates.
As an extension of Tropfest's efforts to stimulate production, Tropfest has diversified into different projects through TROPINC to aid filmmakers in their quest to get out there and make films.
One of the trademarks of the festival has also been the involvement of film personalities from around the world. Over the years, luminaries from the local and international film industry have offered their support. Judges involved include Nicole Kidman, John Woo, Samuel L Jackson, Baz Luhrmann, Keanu Reeves, Sam Neill, Ewan McGregor, Kerry-Anne Moss, Jane Campion and Gabriel Byrne. Check out our
JUDGES page for more info.