22 years ago, Tropfest (named after the Sydney, Australia café it originated in, ‘The Tropicana’) began showcasing the best short films it could find to share with its community of cinephiles and film industry insiders. Now it’s the largest short film festival in the world, receiving thousands of submissions each year for its iterations in Australia, Tropfest Arabia (in Abu Dhabi), Tropfest USA (in Las Vegas and New York) and since last year, Tropfest New Zealand. Now Tropfest South East Asia is making its debut here on our shores.
Throughout this week, Tropfest South East Asia will be making itself at home at The Esplanade, Penang, with workshops and film screenings, culminating in the final festival night on Saturday the 25th. Tropfest SEA will bring down a host of luminaries to share their experiences and vision, as well as to serve as judges for the final short list of films. The Shortcut symposium will be held on the 24th in the Macalister Ballroom in the E&O Hotel, with confirmed speakers including Oscar-winning animator and director Adam Elliot (for Harvie Krumpet), Legally Blonde, 21 and Monsters-in-Law director Robert Luketic, Gurmit Singh, otherwise known here as the inimitable Phua Chu Kang, local film icon Afdlin Shauki and former Tropfest winner Jason van Genderen. Elliot and Luketic will be part of the six-person judging panel for the final night.
Of the 12 finalists, one will walk away with the grand prize of USD10,000 and a once-in-a-lifetime industry immersion trip to Los Angeles, to meet with leading filmmakers and studios and gain invaluable insight into the processes of the film industry.
To register for all Tropfest South East Asia events, visit http://tropfest.com/sea/events. For more information on Tropfest South East Asia and its activities, check out www.tropfest.com/sea or www.facebook.com/tropfestsea.
In the meantime, check out Bamboozled, the winning entry for last year’s Tropfest in Australia, directed by Matt Hardie:
