Tropfest is returning to its spiritual home – but there’s a huge twist

Two years into its revival, Tropfest is going back to the future.

Having returned after a seven-year break to Sydney’s Centennial Park this year, the buzzy short-film festival will move to the Domain – the site of many of its most celebrated years – in February.

And there’s a twist. For the first time since it started in Darlinghurst’s Tropicana Caffein 1993, Tropfest will be held on a Saturday rather than Sunday night.

Launching the festival on Friday morning, director John Polson described the Domain as the festival’s spiritual home.

“Some of the best nights of my life have been at the Domain,” he said. “Having a pretty great night with some huge films, some emerging filmmakers [and] some big-name judges from Cate Blanchett to Toni Collette, Nicole [Kidman], Joel [Edgerton] and Ewan McGregor. Everybody was there.”

Polson described the Domain as more central and accessible than Centennial Park, with a cityscape view that added to the atmosphere.

He used to be concerned that holding Tropfest on a Saturday night would send the wrong signal – “people getting too drunk” – but it felt like times had changed.

“We’re just trying to make this as easy as possible for people to rock up, have a great time, not have to worry about anything, not have to run home early or leave before the last film,” Polson said.

At the launch at Terrace on the Domain were NSW Premier Chris Minns, Tropfest Foundation chair Sarah Murdoch, board members Peter V’landys and Bryan Brown, Mad Max director George Miller, producer Bruna Papandrea and actors Heather Mitchell, Susie Porter, Damian Walshe-Howling and Susan Prior.

Calling the festival “an Aussie cultural institution” that was a drawcard summer event, Minns said the government had committed $2.7 million to it over three years. “We’re backing Tropfest to support local creative talent and showcase NSW to the world,” he said.

Another change is that the festival is taking over one of Australian film and TV’s most prestigious accolades, the Byron Kennedy Award for outstanding creative enterprise, which has been won by the likes of Jane Campion, Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, John Clarke and Polson over four decades.

Miller has taken it away from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards in “disgust” during a bitter dispute, while the Australian Film Institute, which runs the awards, has insisted it made the decision.

“When we lost confidence in the current board of the AFI-AACTA … I asked John and his board if Tropfest could provide a safe haven and they welcomed us with open arms,” Miller said.

Polson said that while he took Miller’s feelings about the AFI seriously “we’re not getting involved in that. We’re really just trying to give [the award] a home that honours this incredible legacy from Byron”.

Murdoch said there was a lot of love for festival returning to the Domain.

“There’s great public transport,” she said. “You can get in and out easily. We want it to feel it’s an easy night for people. And what I really love about it is that in the world of AI, getting human beings together to celebrate other human beings making creative content is a win-win.”

The festival has brought back Trop Jr, the national festival for filmmakers aged 15 and under. Organised with the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, it is running across the school year – entries close on October 23 – and will culminate in a grand final at Melbourne’s Astor Theatre on December 4.

“A lot of films are already coming in,” Polson said. “What’s more important than getting people to tell stories young, especially people who might want to go on to [film] careers?”

After controversy over the screening of the AI-generated animated film Syd Confidential this year, the festival has tightened its policy on the use of the technology so that “films that substantially rely on generative AI to create core creative elements” will not be eligible.

While requiring filmmakers to disclose them, it will allow “AI-powered tools in support of the filmmaking process; for example, for research, transcription, editing assistance, colour grading, sound clean-up or other production efficiencies”.

Filmmakers can submit entries until December 22, with the traditional signature item – required to ensure they have been made specifically for the festival – “necklace”.

The 16 finalists will screen free in the park and on YouTube on February 13, competing for $100,000 in prizemoney.

Polson said he was hoping to have Tropfest livestreamed in Melbourne at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. He hopes the livestream will expand nationally into pubs, clubs and cafes within three years.

After seven years away the festival has been brought back by an influential alliance from business, sport and entertainment who formed the non-profit Tropfest Foundation. High-profile sponsors include CommBank, YouTube, Qantas and Nine Entertainment (publisher of this masthead).

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