It started in the corner of an Italian cafe in Sydney. Filmmaker John Polson had compiled a short mockumentary called "Surry Hills 902 Spring Roll", but didn't have a cinema to screen it in.
So he approached the owner of the Tropicana Caffe, where 200 people crowded around a single TV set to watch it.
Encouraged by the turnout he announced they would meet there again in a few months to screen more shorts by local filmmakers. About 1000 people turned up to watch them, and the crowds have been growing ever since.
This Sunday Tropfest could crack the 100,000 mark at Sydney's Centennial Parklands - its new base venue after it outgrew the Tropicana, Rushcutters Bay Park, and more recently The Domain, which last year saw 92,000 revellers.
Star alumni
Over time the festival developed a reputation for nurturing young talent, with winners and finalists taking that crucial step from amateur and professional.
"There were a lot of people watching, including a guy called Pierre Rissient, who'd come out to Australia and select films for Cannes," explains director Gregor Jordan, whose film "Swinger" was crowned Tropfest winner in 1995.
"I was lucky enough that Pierre saw the film and was interested in putting it into the Cannes film festival."
It went on to win the Best Short Film Jury Prize, and Jordan would end up directing such acclaimed Aussie titles as "Two Hands" and "Ned Kelly".
"I went from being known by no-one to suddenly being known by all the funding bodies, a lot of successful and influential producers. It was a massive deal."
Nash Edgerton (brother of Joel) took Tropfest's top honour in 1997.
"Deadline" was an early title for what's now one of Australia's biggest moviemaking collectives, Blue Tongue Films.
"That was the moment when I realised I wanted to be a filmmaker seriously," Nash said about the night he won.
"I'd made the film as a challenge to myself, but wasn't thinking I'd be a director. Having the film screen and the reaction it got on the night was a huge buzz."
SBS started screening Tropfest nationally last year, and will continue to do so on SBS 2 over the next five years.
But links between the two go all the way back to 1995, when Paul Fenech became a regular Tropfest contributor.
"Pizza Man" and "Space Pizza" were the catalyst for what eventually became SBS's highest rating local show; the aptly named, "Pizza".
Staying 'significant'
In 1997, director George Miller said Tropfest would "only stop being significant if it becomes too pretentious or too important."
It remains a free event, but some may argue its evolution means its original grassroots approach has been eroded.
"People may have an opinion on that," Tropfest Managing Director Michael Laverty said. "But I certainly think we try to aim to keep it as relevant, as grassroots, as fun and meaningful to the filmmakers.
"Without them we haven't got a festival, we got nothing. And audiences will come because the films are so great."
Sponsorship, Laverty said, remains one of the biggest challenges in putting the show together.
"A free event is not a great business model," he said. "I'd say there's a real balance.
"I think our audiences are very graceful in the sense that they understand it's a free event, and when we have clients on board, they engage the audience in fun ways. It's part of the gig."
For extended interviews with some of the Tropfest alumni, follow the link here.
Watch all the of the 16 finalist films here.
