This short film has been selected by Alethea Jones, Winner of Movie Extra Tropfest 2012.
Here’s what Alethea says about ‘This American Life’:

“First and foremost this story really grabs me and causes me to think. Secondly the execution and creativity of HOW it is told inspires me.It’s a nifty piece of animation which initially comes off incredibly simple in it’s execution but the numerous times I’ve watched it, I’ve been blown away by the craftsmanship.
It’s extremely complex in it’s execution and I think that’s when a good short really sings: Simple on the surface in execution AND story but powerful, relevant and intelligent underneath.

It’s a beautiful piece of story telling.”

Have a watch and let us know what you think.

Alethea took out First Prize at Movie Extra Tropfest 2012 with her film ‘Lemonade Stand’. Check it out here.

Here’s something pretty spectacular for you to check out.

‘Nuit Blanche’ produced by Spy Films, is one of Duane Fogwell’s favourite short films.
Here’s why: “Although, technically, this film has a lot going on, at it’s core it’s a classic simple story – boy dreams of girl.

That’s what I like about this film, simple story telling encased in outstanding VFX.

The FX propel the story without disrupting or clouding it. The FX don’t distract the audience, they in fact do the opposite – they assist us in entering story. Through the use of music, FX and editing we are reminded of what it is like to see a girl and dream. Awesome stuff.”

It really is great stuff. Make sure you check out the ‘Making Of’ video – available here.

Duane is a three-time Tropfest Finalist with ‘Fore‘ (2007), ‘NYE‘ (2009) and ‘Fish Lips‘ (2010).

‘Fish Lips’ has been selected as a Finalist for the ‘best of’ competition Tropfest Las Vegas.
Get all the details here. 

Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival, today announced the 16 films that will vie for the top prize in its inaugural “All-Star Competition,” to be hosted by Rob Corddry (The Daily Show, Hot Tub Time Machine, Childrens Hospital), during a weekend of free, mostly outdoor events being held at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas June 1-3 in celebration of Tropfest’s 20th Official Birthday. The 16 finalists have been culled from the best Tropfest entries of the past two decades. A celebrity and industry panel will select an overall winner live before thousands of festival-goers at the ’main event’ on Sunday, June 3 (A full list of finalists follows).

The films, each less than seven minutes, have been hand-picked by Tropfest founder and acclaimed director John Polson (Hide & Seek, Tenderness) and represent a wide cross section of work whose principals have gone on to great success in front of and behind the camera. Over the past two decades, dozens of successful directors, writers, actors and others have had their start at Tropfest. Festival alumni include: Sam Worthington (Avatar, Last Night); Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby, Warrior, Animal Kingdom); Alister Grierson (director of the James Cameron-produced Sanctum); and Jason Gann and Tony Rogers, whose Tropfest short, Wilfred, was the genesis of the popular U.S. TV series of the same name starring Elijah Wood.

“I’m very excited about this,” said Corddry. “Tropfest is a perfect match for me. I don’t have the attention span for a full-length film festival.”

For its United States debut in Las Vegas and New York, Tropfest has amassed U.S. Ambassadors including Nicole Kidman, Geoffrey Rush, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anthony Lapaglia, Liev Schreiber and Charles Randolph. The event has traditionally received extraordinary support globally from some of the biggest stars in the international film community, including the most recent iteration of Tropfest Australia where the panel of judges and guests included Kidman, Rush, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Baz Luhrmann and Tobey Maguire.

“For the past 20 years, Tropfest has uncovered some exceptional talent in all aspects of filmmaking, and it was no easy feat to narrow down the All-Star nominees to just sixteen,” said Polson. “I’ve been amazed and delighted watching Tropfest’s audience grow over these two decades and I’m extremely proud to present them to a U.S. audience.”

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, the city’s newest luxury resort, will host the first event in the festival’s U.S. debut, Tropfest Las Vegas, starting with a Welcome Party on Friday, June 1, Tropfest’s 20th Birthday Party on Saturday, June 2 and the All-Star Competition on Sunday, June 3.

The weekend’s activities will feature curated short film content, the All-Star Competition and live musical performances from some of the industry’s most exciting new acts. Delta Spirit, who are set to play Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza in coming months, will perform live on Saturday, June 2 at Tropfest’s 20th Birthday Party and singer-songwriter-artist, LP, will close out the All-Star Competition on Sunday, June 3 at the Boulevard Pool. In keeping with Tropfest’s culture globally, the vast majority of access to all events will be FREE.

Official Broadcast Partner, STARZ CINEMA, is promoting Tropfest in the lead up via its nationally distributed premium movie channel by exhibiting many of the ‘classic’ short films from Tropfest’s extensive library. STARZ CINEMA production crews will also cover Tropfest Las Vegas for programming content that will be broadcast later this year.

As a way to celebrate the Tropfest Las Vegas weekend, The Cosmopolitan is also seeking submissions for short films around the theme “Road to Vegas.” Entries must be 2 minutes or less and must be received by Friday, May 11. The top selections will be screened during the weekend and the winner will receive a three-night stay at The Cosmopolitan, VIP entrance to Tropfest Las Vegas and a chance to have their film shown to industry professionals and critics. To enter, please visit:

http://www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/roadtovegas.aspx

Corddry, also star of (fittingly!) What Happens in Vegas, next appears in the film Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, along with Steve Carrell and Kiera Knightly, which opens in theaters nationally June 22, 2012.

Tropfest Las Vegas Schedule of Events at The Cosmopolitan:

Tropfest Las Vegas Welcome Party – Friday, June 1 – 8:00 PM
Performance by Allen Stone at Book & Stage – 9:30 PM

Tropfest 20th Birthday Party at the Boulevard Pool – Saturday, June 2 – 8:00 PM
Performance by Delta Spirit – 11:00 PM

Tropfest All-Star Competition at the Boulevard Pool – Sunday, June 3 – 8:00 PM
Performance by Musical Artist LP – 11:00 PM

General admittance to all Tropfest Las Vegas events is FREE, however, reservations are recommended for the All-Star Competition, accessible at http://tropfestlasvegas.eventbrite.com/. (Maximum 4 spaces per booking.)

Exclusive packages and VIP tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com or by calling 702-698-7778. VIP tickets for Saturday and Sunday cost $200 and allow access to premium viewing areas and reserved areas for VIP ticket holders, celebrity judges and filmmakers.

For more information about Tropfest Las Vegas, please visit: www.tropfest.com/lasvegas
# # #

Tropfest All-Star Competition Finalists are:

Animal Beatbox directed by: Damon Gameau
Synopsis: What is the true call of the wild?

Bomb directed by: Alister Grierson
Synopsis: When a man thinks his day can’t get any worse, he discovers he is driving a bomb.

Boo directed by: Rupert Reid
Synopsis: A dark and funny look at life, death and the secret to a long marriage.

Buried directed by: Tim Bullock
Synopsis: Sometimes, disposing of a body can be a real pain in the ass.

Carmichael & Shane directed by: Alex Weinress & Rob Carlton
Synopsis: A single father has a unique approach to raising his two year old twin boys- pick a favorite.

Fish Lips directed by: Duane Fogwell
Synopsis: A story about love, about family, about fish fingers and a game called Yachtzee!

Lamb directed by: Emma Freeman
Synopsis: A father and his blind son struggle to survive on a drought stricken land.

Lemonade Stand directed by: Alethea Jones
Synopsis: Benny and Grandad are best friends and never leave each other’s side. They also run the most successful light refreshment stand in town. Yet all could change when an old neighbor decides to get in the way.

Lucky directed by: Nash Edgerton
Synopsis: Lucky finds himself in a bind.

Mankind Is No Island directed by: Jason van Genderen
Synopsis: ‘Mankind Is No island’ is a film shot entirely on a cell phone, using found signage on the streets of New York and Sydney to tell a touching story from the very heart of two cities.

Scab directed by: Koichi Iguchi
Synopsis: Learning is tough, especially when your tutor has something on his lip.

The Mistake directed by: Bryan Moses
Synopsis: The morning after a big night, a girl does everything she can to quietly escape the regrettable one-night stand asleep next to her.

The Story of Bubble Boy directed by: Sean Ascroft
Synopsis: In a stab-happy world, a sad outcast wrestles with his demons. The story of bubbleboy is a film about being trapped by the past and redeemed by the future.

The Switch directed by: Jonathan Emmerling
Synopsis: A romantically challenged man receives an unexpected offer

Uncle Jonny directed by: Mark Constable
Synopsis: Uncle Jonny is the best mate of a 7-year old who is daydreaming during class.

Wilfred directed by: Tony Rogers
Synopsis: A man and a dog vie for a woman’s attention. Can they come to a compromise? Not likely.

For more information visit: www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
Follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/cosmopolitan_lv
Find us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/thecosmopolitan

Here’s what Jason has to say about the film:
“This video perfectly embraces the simplicity of a pure idea, using the built environment, natural light and a bucket load of paint (& imagination) to create an entirely different world. This is an example of art that lives entirely (and solely) in the film space that it’s created in. A rare glimpse into creative genius, street-style!”

Check it out.

No stranger to film festivals, or to Tropfest, Jason is somewhat of a creative genius himself.
Most recently, Jason picked up First Prize in our Mobile category at Movie Extra Tropfest 2012 with his film “The 53rd Hour”, which captures the heartbreaking, missing moments of a single father.
Filmed entirely on his iPhone and costing next to nothing, Jason proves that you don’t need a big budget to tell a great story. Watch the film here.

Tune in to ABC1 at 8pm tonight to catch it.

Watch a preview here.

This little clip summarises some of our favourite moments – check it out.

The world’s largest short film festival hits New York this June!

Why not celebrate by making a film for the competition?

Imagine your film premiering in front of thousands of people, under the stars at Bryant Park.
The finalist films will be judged by a panel of industry heavyweights, with the winner taking home $20,000 cash!

You’ve got just under 2 months to enter so get cracking.
We want to see your story told through film, and we want to see it screen in New York City!

Entries close May 10.

Entries must:

- Be produced specifically for Tropfest New York

- Be no longer than 7 minutes, including titles and credits

- Include the Tropfest Signature Item (TSI) – ‘BAGEL’

- Be a world premiere (including online)

Get all the details here.

Saturday 3 March & Sunday 4 March 2012
Tickets $20
Bookings at www.madfishwines.com.au
Or phone (08) 9756 5200

All details here.

Also, be sure to check out the encore screening on Movie Extra on Saturday, 25 February at 1.30pm.

Tropfest, the undisputed world’s largest short film festival, and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas today announced they will collaborate to bring a resurgent and vital film culture to Las Vegas with the launch of Tropfest Las Vegas.

The weekend-long event, which celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the acclaimed film festival, will also feature indie spirited emerging musical performances, film-themed anniversary events and will culminate with a Tropfest “All-Star” competition featuring the best Tropfest films from the past 20 years.

Choosing from 12 finalist films, an industry and celebrity judging panel will select the overall winner from Tropfest’s storied history live in front of thousands of festival-goers.

“I can’t think of a better partner to kick off Tropfest’s entry into the United States than The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Together we will plant the indie film flag in Las Vegas and establish the city as a hotspot of film culture,” commented John Polson, Tropfest Founder and Director.

“Tropfest filmmakers have created some ground-breaking short films over the years, and I’m thrilled the U.S. audience can experience them first hand with our All-Star competition,” he concluded.

Among the musical presentations for the weekend-long event is up-and-coming Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter-artist LP performing Sunday, June 3 at the Boulevard Pool.

The entire weekend’s festivities – including red carpet events, musical performances, and All-star competition – will be filmed by Tropfest’s national broadcast partner, Starz Cinema, and screened across the U.S. after the event.

Tropfest has traditionally received extraordinary support from some of the biggest stars in the international film community. That legacy continued this past weekend at Tropfest in Sydney, where the panel of judges and guests included Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Geoffrey Rush, Baz Luhrmann and Tobey Maguire.

Over the past two decades, dozens of successful directors, writers, actors and others got their start at Tropfest. Festival alumni include: Sam Worthington (Avatar, Last Night); Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby, Warrior, Animal Kingdom); Alister Grierson (director of the James Cameron-produced Sanctum); and Jason Gann and Tony Rogers, whose Tropfest short, Wilfred, was the genesis of the popular U.S. TV series of the same name starring Elijah Wood.

Tropfest Las Vegas Schedule of Events at the Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan:

Tropfest Las Vegas Kick-Off Party – Friday, June 1 – 8:00 PM
Tropfest 20th Anniversary Party – Saturday, June 2 – 8:00 PM
Tropfest All-Star Competition – Sunday, June 3 – 8:00 PM
Performance by Musical Artist LP – 11:00 PM

All Tropfest Las Vegas events will be non-ticketed and open to the public. Exclusive packages and VIP tickets go on sale February 24 and can be purchased online at www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com or by calling 702-698-7778. VIP tickets for the three-day event cost $200 and allow access to premium viewing areas and reserved areas for VIP ticket holders, celebrity judges and filmmakers.

For more information about Tropfest Las Vegas, please visit: www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com