Tropfest has been running for twenty-three years and it is very dear to the hearts of millions of people around the world, especially Australians. We did, after all, invent it.
It’s the infamous short film festival that grew from nearly-nothing into one of Australia’s coolest niche events, with thousands upon thousands gathering in Centennial Park each year and even more watching online and on SBS. It’s YouTube channel is one of the most successful in the country and it frequently attracts some of the best talent in the world (pictured below).
Tropfest is cool.
It’s also the breakout point for a lot of Australia’s hot new talent. The winners get wonderful prizes included experience and internship with the big-wigs (plus cash) and a ridiculous amount of exposure. Everyone on a film set has either entered Tropfest, is shooting something for Tropfest, or has previously been in Tropfest.
So it comes with great sadness that Novastream passes on the news that the shady sounding “management company” that raises revenue for the massive free event cannot muster the support despite Nova 96.9, SBS2, Nikon, QANTAS and the NSW State Government all confirmed as major sponsors.
Here’s the statement:
“Despite a challenging sponsorship climate, Tropfest has done reasonably well in attracting support this year; however, to my great surprise, the management company has informed us that it is unable to proceed.”
That sucks, not only for the millions of fans and filmmakers, but for the people who make this massive event happen.
All we can hope is that Tropfest returns next year in some capacity – even if it’s not the massive spectacle it has become!
