The 16 filmmakers vying for top honours at next month’s Tropfest Short Film Festival were announced today. The finalists will have their entries judged before a panel of industry identities, including Tropfest Founder and Director, John Polson, with the top prize winner taking home a new Toyota Corolla Levin ZR, a Nikon D800 DSLR plus $2,000 worth of accessories, a $10,000 cash prize, a trip to Los Angeles for meetings with film executives, in addition to the global and local attention that comes from standing centre stage on the big night.
Amongst the finalists this year are films about a bikie war (Truth Is…), an amateur charades team (Charades; pictured), a love ‘inspection’ business (L.O.V.E Insurance for the Heart), and a New York street photographer and so-called ‘Funky Uncle’ (The Squirrel King). John Polson was quoted as saying, “We are thrilled by the strength, creativity and originality of the films submitted. The ideas, influences and filmmaking approaches are never the same – and that’s been no different this time around.”
Over 650 filmmakers entered the 22nd instalment of the world’s largest short film festival. As is tradition, each film had to incorporate Tropfest’s Signature Item (TSI) and this time it was ‘Change’, signifying the festival’s move from its traditional home at Sydney’s The Domain to the larger surrounds of the Centennial Parklands.
Taking place Sunday December 8, the festival will be screened live on SBS 2 and broadcast simultaneously at locations across Australia including Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Hobart and Surfers Paradise. SBS 2’s Marc Fennell along with Adam Spencer and Yumi Stynes will host the event, which will additionally be streamed live on SBS On Demand at sbs.com.au/tropfest. Be sure to have your say on the night with our live social experience, which will display viewers’ Facebook messages and tweets (hashtag #tropfest) on screen throughout the event.
So, without further ado, here’s the full list of Tropfest finalists:
SORRY BABY
Director/Producer: Spencer Harvey & Lloyd Harvey
State: NSW
Synopsis: Sometimes, sorry doesn’t cut it.
Spencer and Lloyd Harvey are a sister/brother writer and director duo born in Sydney. The pair have taken from pen to screen a myriad of short films that have achieved multiple awards and international and national festival screenings. They have been offered official selections from the likes of coveted Oscar Qualifying Film Festivals: Palm Springs International ShortsFest, Austin Film Festival, FLICKERS Rhode Island Film Festival and L.A. Shorts Fest. They are currently writing their feature debut.
BAMBOOZLED
Director/Producer: Matt Hardie
State: NSW
Synopsis: No matter what changes, love is forever.
Originally from WA, Matt moved to Sydney in 2006 to attend the acting course at NIDA. Since graduating, Matt has appeared as an actor in a number of roles in theatre, film and television. Last year Matt wrote and directed Let it Rain, which won the Nikon DSLR category at Tropfest February 2013. The success of the film has inspired Matt to pursue his writing and directing as well as his acting.
SINE
Director: Adrian Cabrié
Producer: Alex Meerbach
State: VIC
Synopsis: Out of gaol with nothing to lose, Adam’s robbery attempt takes a turn for the worse when he bumps in to an ex-girlfriend.
Adrian has written, directed & edited over 30 short films, with his works shown at a number of festivals over the years. After forming Truncated Pictures in 2004 with his brother Michel, they began work on a full-length feature film, Verite (In Moments of Darkness). Adrian’s second feature film is currently in pre-production, where he will oversee various elements of the filmmaking process.
TRUTH IS...
Director: Ben Davies
Producer: Conor Reid
State: NSW
Synopsis: The true story behind Australia’s brutal bikie war.
Ben Davies is a TV producer who makes factual TV programs and documentaries. He is both the creator and series producer of the international hit TV series Bondi Rescue. He has won 6 Logies and had an AFI nomination. Outside of TV, Ben works on projects concerned with ideas first, and genre second. For Truth Is…, Ben found the mockumentary style the best way to tell the story, utilising his existing documentary skills for his first real crack at drama.
OFF THE METER
Director: Carl J. Sorheim
Producer: Julian Constanzo
State: VIC
Synopsis: Cab driver Daniel Folkmover has a heart of gold, dad jokes aplenty and a slightly shady operation on the side…
Director, writer and actor, Carl J. Sorheim has had a keen interest in film, performance and writing as far back as he can recall. Moving from Norway to Australia to study theatre in 2003, he quickly fell in love with the beauty and diversity of Australia. With a soft spot for underdog stories, Sorheim worked tirelessly to find an outlet for his somewhat dark and sometimes comical view of the world. In 2010, Carl, with a bunch of great actors and storytellers, formed the production company Cameralla, to tell funny, strange and – hopefully – slightly different stories.
ARIEL
Director/Producer: Claude Gonzalez
State: NSW
Synopsis: A man can make a small change in an unfair world.
Claude Gonzalez is director and producer who has worked in film and TV for a number of years. He has made commercials, trailers, documentaries and television programs for SBS and the ABC.
STILL LIFE
Director/Producer: Martin Sharpe
State: VIC
Synopsis: Life’s never still for long
Passionate about films since being awestruck by Jurassic Park at 11, Martin began to write and direct. His first short film The Crimson Room starring Ashleigh Zukerman went on to screen at over 30 international festivals and win the Golden Palm award at the Mexico International Film Festival. Martin is currently studying Visual Effects & 3D animation at AIE, where he met the Still Life team, and is in the process of preparing his next short film.
MAKEOVER
Director/Producer: Don Percy
State: VIC
Synopsis: Spring is in the air… and it’s time for a change!
Don Percy began shooting films at age 10. Soon after graduating from the Swinburne Film and Television School, came his award-winning short The Skateboard Saga. In 1999, Don directed the documentary Funny by George: The George Wallace Story for
ABC TV. Shortly after, Don formed Adonis Films, and continues to direct TVCs, corporates, music videos and shorts as well as completing the short feature Inanimate Objects. With a desire to move into a more dramatic realm, Don currently has several film and television projects in development.
DARKNESS COMES
Director: John Marsh
Producer: Dane Hallett
State: NSW
Synopsis: A desperate man, a derelict farmhouse, an ever-present menace: What happens when darkness comes?
Having grown up in a fantasy world fuelled by the great outdoors, comic books, cartoons and film, it was clear very early on that John Marsh was destined to be a ‘creative’. John’s directorial debut Happenstance was an award-winning finalist at Tropfest in 2010, which has since travelled the word and played at many prestigious film festivals. John recently co-founded the production company Idea Garage with long-time collaborator and friend Dane Hallett and Darkness Comes is the first collaboration from their stables.
STEW
Director: Steven Woodburn
Producer: Sam Smith
State: NSW
Synopsis: Just two cappuccinos, and ... STEW
Steven grew up in the Central West of NSW, but on finishing High School quickly packed his bags and headed for the bright lights of Sydney. After studying drama Steven eventually moved into directing and started up Day One Films. He has since written and directed four short films, which have been shown at festivals throughout Australia. STEW is Steven’s second attempt at Tropfest with his first Spider earning him a ‘Bright Spark Award’ at Tropfest 2008.
HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE
Director/Producer: Tom Abood
State: NSW
Synopsis: War is always told differently from a soldier’s perspective.
Tom Abood first started making films at thirteen and knew from that age that this is what he wanted to do. At 18, Tom joined the Australian Army as part of the gap year program and was inspired by the stories he heard from veteran diggers. In 2012, Tom graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Media from Macquarie University. He now currently works in postproduction at WTFN Entertainment.
THE SQUIRREL KING
Director/Producer: Dimitri Ellerington
State: NSW
Synopsis: Meet Ricky Powell; The Lazy Hustler, The Bummy Sophisticate...The Squirrel King.
After slumming his way through art college, Dimitri was lucky enough to find himself as the production runner on the first Babe feature. For him, it was a profound experience and inspired him to pursue a career in film and television. After graduating from the VCA Film School, he’s been working as an Assistant Director, while developing short, doco & feature projects. In 2005, Big Men; Bigger Dreams, his first documentary, was nominated for both an AFI and Dendy Award, and his short film Dream What You Want was a finalist in Tropfest Australia 2009.
CHARADES
Director: Julian Lucas
Producer: Jack White
State: VIC
Synopsis: Practice doesn’t always make perfect.
Julian is a freelance filmmaker from Melbourne. Although he has written and directed a few short films in the past, his passion lies with music videos and comedies. The filmmaking lifestyle suits him perfectly. People have told him that working from home is something that 60 year olds do, but he’s pretty content paving his own way in life.
REVIVE
Director: Ruben Pracas
Producer: Chae Ryan
State: WA
Synopsis: A young businessman decides to take it upon himself to be the change he wishes to see in the world – one crazy costume at a time.
Inspired by the success of his short film The Offertory and his work as producer on the ATOM award winning BLINDSPoT, Ruben began applying for small funding initiatives for films and television. With two of his projects receiving funding, he quickly wanted to gain more on-set experience. After volunteering on ‘bigger shoots’, including a few TVCs and feature films, he acquired the knowledge, skills and confidence to make Revive happen.
L.O.V.E. INSURANCE FOR THE HEART
Director/Producer: Rachel Lane
State: NSW
Synopsis: Before you commit to that next relationship make sure you get an L.O.V.E Inspection first.
Growing up in Forbes NSW didn’t exactly provide a thriving metropolis of budding filmmakers for Rachel. After completing her BA in Film Production, she found the less glamourous role of unit assistant, but quickly realised she needed to produce her own films projects. She has been doing so ever since, as well as working on various TV shows, and shooting commercial photography projects.
COPING
Director: Kaiya Jones
Producer: Julian Constanzo
State: VIC
Synopsis: Sometimes it takes a tragedy to change a person.
Born in Scotland, Kaiya moved to Australia at the age of 8 and at the age of 10, decided herself that she wanted to become and actor. Having worked on TV series The Saddle Club and Neighbours, she was constantly surrounded by enthusiastic filmmakers. She made multiple short films for fun but with help from Julian Costanzo and other incredibly talented individuals, completed what is now a Tropfest Australia finalist film.
Share
