Tropfest 2019: Submissions open next week
SUBMISSIONS will open for the world’s biggest short film festival next week, and two North Rocks siblings will be one of the many filmmakers taking part.
Parramatta
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LIGHTS, cameras, action, candles: submissions will open for the world’s biggest short film festival next week.
Submissions for Tropfest open on October 17 and North Rocks siblings Alexander and Anita Lee are two of the many filmmakers hoping to secure a place in the competition.
The Lees, who own production company Brosis Films, decided to enter after attending Tropfest at Parramatta Park for the first time last year.
“After coming last year there was just a variety of really good stories, there was a lot of cultural stories, the comedies, animation — it was just inspiring,” Mr Lee said.
The siblings have always had a love of film and found success with their first short in 2012 called Only One.
“It did really well on the film festival circuit, it got into Palm Springs, Miami, St Louis, Rhode Island,” Ms Lee said.
“And it was just the most magical experience and I think from that point on we were like, ‘Yeah we’ve got to keep doing this together’.”
Ms Lee said Tropfest was a “huge platform” and a “great way to reach a broad audience”.
“For us it’s great that there’s something local and it’s going to attract a different kind of crowd,” she said.
Tropfest founder and chair John Polson said jurors will be looking for “above all, a great story to tell” in submissions.
“Since its humble beginnings at the Tropicana Café in Darlinghurst in 1993, Tropfest has always been about celebrating great storytelling from filmmakers, amateur or pro, that might not otherwise be told,” he said.
“This year, we’re continuing to encourage submissions that showcase Australia’s wonderful diversity.”
TROPFEST WINNER 2018
The Tropfest main event will be held at Parramatta Park on February 9, the third year it has been held in the west.
“Moving out west has allowed us to showcase these brilliant short films to plenty of new audiences who might never come across us before, with tens of thousands of people attending the event in 2018,” Polson said.
“With Western Sydney being the cultural heart of the city, it’s also helped attract a broader cross-section of narratives from diverse backgrounds.”
Previous jurors include renowned actors such as Susan Sarandon, Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and Naomi Watts, and Polson said audiences could expect “an acclaimed film luminary with a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw from” in 2019.
Submissions must be no longer than seven minutes and must contain this year’s Tropfest Signature Items; candle for Tropfest and pizza for Trop Jr.