Tropfest 2013 on tonight: Sydney, Australia; Red carpet and awards update Not many festivals can claim the title of being Australia’s most prestigious short film festival and largest short film festival in the world at the same time. Such is the stage of Tropfest – one of Australia’s most iconic cultural events. From its humble beginnings in 1993 as a screening for 200 people in a Sydney cafe, Tropfest has grown its audience reach to approximately 150,000 people and expanded to global cities including Abu Dhabi, London, Toronto, Berlin, Bangkok and New York. Open to anyone who wishes to enter, the annual short film competition provides unique platforms for emerging filmmakers through its events and initiatives. Past judges include high profile film personalities such as Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Naomi Watts, Russell Crowe and Keanu Reeves, just to name a few. All films are made especially for Tropfest and include the Tropfest Signature Item (TSI), which changes each year. The 2013 TSI is “Balloon”. Free to attend, Tropfest is an outdoor celebration complete with live music and entertainment, public catering and bars, red carpet arrivals and the highly anticipated film screenings followed by an award ceremony. Stay tuned right here at Music News Australia and Media Man for a full report including winners, and be sure to check out some amazing photos of the event at the Eva Rinaldi Photography website. News Update... 11:00am – Gates Open 12:00pm – Trop Jr 2013 starts 3:00pm – Tropfest 2013 starts 3:20pm – Live performance – Round the Corner 4:15pm – Live performance – MEG MAC 5:15pm – Live performance – Clubfeet 5:50pm – APRA Tropscore 6:00pm – Red Carpet Arrivals 7:15pm – Live performance – Kate Miller-Heidke 7:30pm – Official Festival Program Commences 8:00pm – Finalist Films 1. Great Day 2. Let It Rain 3. Time 4. Scene 16 5. Monobrow 6. Inside 7. The Pledge for Mister Bunny 8. Ca$h Cow – a 63% true story 9. Cargo 10. Taser 11. Punctured 12. Better than Sinatra 13. Remote 14. The Hustle 15. A Man Walks Into A Bar… 16. We’ve All Been There 10:00pm – Judging Time Out 10:15pm – Award Ceremony and 2014 TSI Announcement 10:30pm – Live performance by RÜFÜS After the festival come and celebrate at the official Tropfest After Party! Where? Cake Wines Tropfest Pop Up Bar, 77 George St, The Rocks, NSW 2000 About Tropfest... Tropfest is the largest short film festival in the world and the first truly international film festival. It is also the world’s most exciting platform for up and coming film makers to gain international exposure. Scores of films made for and screened at Tropfest have gone on to gain commercial distribution. And literally dozens of Tropfest filmmakers have had local and international careers launched as a result of their work being seen in front of thousands of people – including many of the most respected professionals in the film world. The festival is judged by a panel of distinguished industry professionals. Previous judges have included George Miller, Naomi Watts, Elijah Wood, Toni Collette, Salma Hayek, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Baz Luhrmann, Ewan McGregor, Darren Aronofsky, Will Smith, Bryan Singer and many others! Tropfest was established to encourage production, not just exhibition. Consequently, an annual, randomly-chosen item (known as the Tropfest Signature Item or 'TSI') must be included in each film to show it was made specifically for the festival. We believe that practice makes perfect; only by honing his or her craft will a filmmaker continue to refine their story-telling abilities. Our mission is to continue to develop the most exciting forum in the world for audiences to come together and celebrate premium short films; and to continue to offer filmmakers a bigger and better platform from which to launch their professional careers. Tropfest continues to expand internationally. The inaugural Tropfest Arabia was held in Abu Dhabi in November 2011; Tropfest New York and Tropfest Vegas will both be held in June 2012; and Tropfest New Zealand will be held in January 2013. Discussions are underway to bring Tropfest to more destinations around the world including Beijing, Paris, London and Singapore. Websites Tropfest (Australia) www.tropfest.com/au Tropfest www.tropfest.com Music News Australia www.musicnewsaustralia.com Eva Rinaldi Photography www.evarinaldi.com