It looked to have been killed off by the pandemic until V’landys learnt from a young filmmaking talent there was no real way into the industry after university. He decided to create a new short film festival as a crowd-pulling event for Sydney that would provide opportunities for young filmmakers.
Before it disappeared, Tropfest attracted tens of thousands of short film fans to the Domain, Centennial Park and Parramatta Park. Credit: Tropfest
But after getting Murdoch and Brown involved, they realised it was better to help Tropfest return for the first time since 2019. Polson, whose two teenage daughters had been lobbying for it to come back so Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Gracie Abrams could attend, was keen.
“[It’s] not about trying to go back in a time machine,” he said when it was relaunched in September. “It’s about trying to keep what was amazing about it, then reinventing it.”
Robbie, who has Wuthering Heights opening in cinemas just before Tropfest, will join the ranks of previous big-name judges such as George Miller, Susan Sarandon, Mel Gibson, Cate Blanchett, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicole Kidman, Catherine Martin and Russell Crowe.
After two days of workshops for budding filmmakers, Tropfest will be livestreamed around the world by YouTube. Sponsors include the Commonwealth Bank, Qantas, Nine Entertainment (publisher of this masthead), the NSW Government, Destination NSW and Greater Sydney Parklands.
Entries open next Monday , with prizes including $50,000 for the winner, $30,000 for second and $20,000 for third.
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