Tropfest Comes to Taranaki

Posted Wednesday 14 Dec 2011

Finalists in Tropfest Australia, the world's largest short film festival, are coming to New Zealand at an outdoor short film night at New Plymouth's Bowl of Brooklands on February 19, 2012. Coinciding with the screening of the 16 finalists' films in Sydney, the free outdoor event will be run by the Taranaki Arts Festival Trust and will be a showcase of the best short films from the more than 700 entries expected for the 2012 Australian competition. Tropfest was started in Sydney 20 years ago by acclaimed film maker John Polson as a screening in a caf� 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. The competition is open to anyone and attracts talented and emerging film makers as well as experienced production teams. The high calibre of the 16 finalist films will make for a highly entertaining screening says TAFT's chief executive, Ms. Suzanne Porter. "Australia and New Zealand share a love of film making - and the calibre of the shorts in the Tropfest final is world class so we're really thrilled to be able to offer the only screening of these fantastic shorts in New Zealand," explains Ms. Porter. "Tropfest continues to grow in popularity due to the exposure it offers film makers - and the variety and entertainment value the films bring to an audience." The screening at New Plymouth's outdoor venue, the Bowl of Brooklands, will coincide with the massive outdoor screening of the finalist shorts planned for Sydney's Domain in the Royal Botanic Gardens.