Growing film industry support for Tropfest New Zealand

MEDIA RELEASE 19 December, 2011

Growing film industry support for Tropfest New Zealand


Film director Vincent Ward and producer Catherine Fitzgerald are among industry professionals coming out in support of screening Tropfest Australia short film finalists in an outdoor screening event at the TSB Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth scheduled for Sunday, February 19, 2012.

Both Vincent Ward and Catherine Fitzgerald have made numerous short films and consider shorts the ideal opportunity to learning the craft of film making and showcase talent.

“Feature film production is a difficult industry to succeed in, yet short films are an achievable and fun way for anyone to get involved in film making,” says Vincent.

“I come from the ‘falling on your face school of filmmaking’, and I think that rolling up your sleeves and actually doing film work means you find your own style. Short film explorations allow you to do this credibly with modest resources.”

Meanwhile, Catherine Fitzgerald sees short films as a wonderful story telling form in their own right.

“Short films offer directors an opportunity to find their own voice,” explains Catherine. “And in the process of making short films, they can also develop the relationships to go on to make features.”

Short film buffs will be able to watch the 16 finalists in Tropfest Australia in an outdoor screening event at the TSB Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth scheduled for Sunday, February 19, 2012. The screening will coincide with the finalist screening in Sydney and the announcement of the Australian winner.

The free outdoor event will be run by the Taranaki Arts Festival Trust (TAFT) and will be a showcase of the best short films from the more than 700 entries expected for the 2012 Australian competition, says TAFT’s Chief Executive, Suzanne Porter.

“Tropfest Australia is the world’s largest short film festival with the finalists showing an incredible creativity in film making,” says Ms. Porter.

“The TSB Bowl of Brooklands is an ideal venue for film lovers to set up a picnic hamper and enjoy an evening of very entertaining – and diverse films.”

The New Plymouth screening event will coincide with the screening of the 16 finalists’ films in Australia which reaches a live audience of more than 150,000 at outdoor screenings in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Hobart, Surfers Paradise, Brisbane, and Adelaide. The event is also broadcast live on television across Australia.

Tropfest was started in Sydney 20 years ago by acclaimed film maker John Polson as a screening in a café for 200 people. It is now Australia’s most prestigious short film competition with the finals screened to a live audience of more than 150,000 at outdoor screenings in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Hobart, Surfers Paradise, Brisbane, Adelaide – and now New Plymouth. The event is also broadcast live on television across Australia.

Tropfest is also now the largest international short film event with a new competition set for New York in 2012; an Arabian competition open to film makers across the Middle East and North Africa; and imminent plans to launch in a number of other territories including London and China.

The competition is open to anyone and attracts talented and emerging film makers as well as experienced production teams. Each film can be no more than seven minutes, must be made specifically for Tropfest, and contain the Tropfest Signature Item which this year is ‘a light bulb’.

As the first of what is planned to be an annual Tropfest screening at the TSB Bowl of Brooklands, the focus of the New Plymouth event will be to create an entertaining night of films, music and celebrity guests.

Ends

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