Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival, today announced it is calling for entries for Tropfest New York, which will take place at Manhattan’s Bryant Park on June 23rd.  Emerging American filmmakers – and others – have the opportunity to take part in this global phenomenon and see their short film screened in front of a massive live and online audience, and judged by an industry and celebrity panel for a chance to win $20,000 cash and other prizes.  The announcement was made today by Tropfest Founder and Director, John Polson.
Founded 20 years ago in Sydney, Australia, Tropfest is supported by some of the biggest stars in the international film community and has received thousands of submissions for its film festivals in Australia and the recently launched Tropfest Arabia in Abu Dhabi. Filmmakers of all backgrounds, regardless of their experience level or production budget, are invited to grab a camera, start shooting and tell their story through film. Notably, some of Tropfest’s biggest winners cost as little as a few dollars and were shot on mobile phones.

John Polson commented “We are excited to be fostering filmmaker talent by taking this global phenomenon to emerging filmmakers across America and providing them with the groundbreaking opportunity to showcase their skills in front of such a large audience. Anyone looking for a platform to be creative, regardless of production budget, should enter Tropfest New York”.

Tropfest New York Ambassadors include: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Anthony Lapaglia, Liev Schreiber, Geoffrey Rush and Charles Randolph.

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 Tony Rogers, whose Tropfest short, Wilfred, was the origin of the popular U.S.
TV series of the same name starring Elijah Wood.

There are a few simple guidelines Tropfest entrants must follow: all short films must be produced specifically for the event and have their premiere at Tropfest New York; films cannot exceed seven minutes, including titles and credits; and each film must contain the Tropfest Signature Item (TSI), which changes each year.  For the inaugural Tropfest New York, the chosen TSI is a staple of New York culinary culture, the “Bagel”.  In Tropfest tradition, filmmakers can include the “Bagel” in their films in any manner they choose.

The Tropfest New York main event will be open to the public, free of charge. It will take place on Saturday June 23, 2012 at New York City’s Bryant Park, located in midtown on Sixth Avenue between West 40th and West 42nd Street.  An industry and celebrity panel will judge the selected finalists live, under the stars. During the final awards ceremony, the panel will announce the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners as well as awards for Best Actor and Best Actress and a People’s Choice award. Previous Tropfest judges have included some of the biggest names in the international film community

In addition to the short film competition that serves as the centerpiece for the 3 day-long event, other ticketed festivities will include musical performances and a filmmaker symposium.

Read the full media release …

When will entry forms and more information become available for Tropfest New York 2012?
Our entry form and other information will be available here very soon.

What is the deadline for Tropfest New York 2012? 
Thursday 10 May 2012 at 6pm (Eastern Standard Time).

When is the Festival held? 
Thursday 21 June – Saturday 23 June 2012. (Various events, including filmmaker symposium, throughout the weekend with the Main Event on Saturday 23 June)

Where will the Festival be held? 
Bryant Park, Manhattan, 42nd Street at 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10018

What is the Tropfest Signature Item (TSI) for 2012? 
BAGEL. Filmmakers are invited to represent the TSI in any way they choose. We strongly encourage a creative interpretation of the word!

Why does my film have to feature the TSI & how can I use it? 
Tropfest New York is about encouraging production, not just exhibition. The TSI is meant to show that your film was made specifically for the Festival. But try to make a film that stands on its own feet and include the TSI as part of the background somewhere. This will also enable your film to have a life after the Festival. (Very occasionally, though, we receive a film based entirely around the TSI that is brilliant so don’t let us stop you if yours is one of these!)

What have the past TSIs been in Australia? 
2011 – Key, 2010 – Dice, 2009 – Spring, 2008 – 8, 2007 – Sneeze, 2006 – Bubble, 2005 – Umbrella, 2004 – Hook, 2003 – Rock, 2002 – Match, 2001 – Horn, 2000 – Bug, 1999 – Chopsticks, 1998 – Kiss, 1997 – Pickle, 1996 – Teaspoon, 1995 – Coffee Bean, 1994 – Muffin, 1993 – No TSI.

What is the maximum length for Tropfest New York films? 
7 minutes including titles and credits.

Is there a minimum length? 
No. Many of the best entries are well under the maximum; rarely are the winners a full 7 minutes!

Can I submit more than one film for the competition? 
Yes – there is no restriction on the number of entries.

Does Tropfest New York accept international entries? 
Yes.

Does Tropfest New York accept animations? 
Yes.

Does Tropfest New York accept documentaries? 
Yes. There are no genre restrictions – any kind of film can be entered into Tropfest New York.

Are there other important restrictions?
Tropfest New York must be your film’s first public screening. This means that the film must not have been screened at any other film festival, or made available on free-to-air or pay TV, in cinemas, on the Internet or any other public arena. This restriction does not include cast and crew screenings.

Can I re-edit a film that has already screened so it fits the Tropfest New York guidelines?! 
No! We consider this a different version of the same film, therefore if it has screened previously or otherwise made publicly available, it is not eligible for Tropfest New York.

What format do I have to shoot on? 
You can shoot on any format you like (or can afford) – HD, DVD, 35mm, 16mm, Mini DV, mobile. Whatever format is available to you.

What format do you accept for entry? 
Stay tuned for more details on this.

Is Tropfest meant to be fun? 
YES!

If you have further questions, please email: nyinfo@tropfest.com

The deadline for entries is Thursday 5th January 2012 at 6pm (AEDT), and Tropfest is urging film buffs to grab their camera or mobile phone and start shooting now for a chance to shine.

Tropfest is again offering to fly lucky international finalist filmmakers to Sydney to attend the three-day festival in Sydney from Friday 17 – Sunday 19 February 2012. Finalist’s films are screened to a massive live audience at events across Australia on Sunday 19 February 2012, and broadcast live to homes across the nation on Subscription TV channel MOVIE EXTRA.

Finalists walk the star-studded red carpet in Sydney and have their work judged by industry heavyweights, with past judges including Nicole Kidman, Toni Collette, Geoffrey Rush, Russell Crowe, Samuel L Jackson, Baz Luhrmann, Ewan McGregor and Elijah Wood.

Tropfest’s 20th Birthday competition will be hotly contested, with organisers predicting the biggest year ever.  More than 700 entries are expected from Australia and overseas. Organisers have three days of filmmaking celebrations planned, taking the Festival from the traditional one-day event to a full Tropfest weekend. There will be parties, screenings of Tropfest gems from the past and special film industry events.

South African filmmaker Ari Kruger made the finals last year and was flown from his hometown of Cape Town for the 2011 festival where he joined 15 other finalists.  His film “Focus” screened to a massive live audience across Australia as well as hundreds of thousands of viewers live exclusively on MOVIE EXTRA.

Kruger encourages filmmakers from any location to get involved, “I never imagined I’d be flown to Australia to see my film up on the big screen, it was such an unreal experience. It just goes to show that no matter where you’re from, if you’ve got a film idea,

Films must be no longer than seven minutes and, in Tropfest tradition, must contain the Signature Item – LIGHT BULB.  The 20th year signature item was chosen because Tropfest is all about the importance of the central idea in film.

Tropfest is a phenomenal launch pad for young and emerging filmmakers from around the globe, and there will be some great prizes up for grabs, aside from the kudos of winning the world’s largest short film festival. Finalists compete for a massive prize pool of cash, equipment and international travel valued at approximately $100,000, along with an unprecedented level of industry interest and attention.

Movie Extra Tropfest’s mobile category, Telstra Mobile Masterpieces, is back for the third year giving filmmakers an opportunity to unleash their creativity on their mobile phones.  The same rules apply as the main competition, with the winner able to enter for both the Tropfest main competition prize and for the mobile prize as well.

For the second year running, entries will be received online in partnership with YouTube making the submission process a breeze for international filmmakers by eliminating the need to submit a hard copy on DVD. Just register your details and pay the entry fee at www.tropfest.com/au and then upload your film at Tropfests YouTube channel – www.youtube.com/tropfest.

Film buffs are encouraged to stay a while on the Trop site and peruse the newly launched 20 Years of Tropfest interactive timeline. The timeline showcases never before seen photos and event footage, including famous faces such as Nicole Kidman, Will Smith, Keanu Reeves and Toni Collette, as well as media articles, Tropfest films and other interesting content drawn from the 20 year history of Tropfest, right back to its humble beginnings at Tropicana Cafe in 1993.

Download the full media release.