TROPFEST 2014: CELEBRATE THE BEST SCREEN STORIES WITH A FULL DAY OF FESTIVAL FUN

Posted by Sas Lyon

The biggest short film event on the Australian calendar is just around the corner. Tropfest 2014 will touch down in Sydney’s beautiful Centennial Park on Sunday December 7 and this year, the line-up of phenomenal films, red carpet radiance, and marvellous live music and entertainment will be unforgettable. Keep an eye out for the QT Sydney Director of Chaos, who might just reward you with a QT stay package.

Along with the free, live event at Sydney’s Centennial Park, Tropfest events will be held at venues across Australia, thanks to a national partnership with Moonlight Cinema. SBS 2 will be reflecting all the action from the Sydney event straight into living rooms across Australia and for those not near a TV, SBS Online will be live streaming the broadcast at sbs.com.au/tropfest; making Tropfest available everywhere in the world.

The festival fun starts from 11am when gates open for Trop Jr, the world’s largest short film festival – for kids, by kids, presented by the Australian Children’s Television Foundation. The eighth instalment of Trop Jr will screen 15 extraordinary films from filmmakers aged 15 years and younger.

Trop Jr 2014 finalists were required to submit a film of seven minutes or less based on the Tropfest Signature Item (TSI), ‘FLY’. Expect to see some highly original interpretations ranging from cranky seagulls to kites caught in trees, soaring superheroes and flyaway packages, to name just a handful.

Family friendly entertainment will happen throughout the day as well with hip hop and live music sets from 11am- 12pm.

Leading into the evening, a range of exciting musical acts will entertain Tropfest crowds from 5pm. The lineup includes the foot-stompingly energetic acoustic duo Pierce Brothers, and pioneering and genre-melding artist Ego who merges club DJ sets with pop culture samples and psychedelic cinema-scapes on screen. Catch the spellbinding soulful pop of Thelma Plum, who is already a seasoned live performer at the tender age of seventeen and the unique sounds of award winning, electronic producer-singer-songwriter Elizabeth Rose.
As the sun sets over the pristine parklands in Sydney, the crowds will settle in under the stars as Tropfest 2014 begins. The world premiere of 16 spectacular short film finalists from all over Australia, incorporating this year’s TSI of ‘MIRROR’, kicks off at 7:30pm. Filmic delights of the night will span all kinds of genres and styles; from thrillers and dramas, to documentaries and even a public service announcement thrown in there.
The most popular genre this year by far is comedy, with some of the most laugh-out-loud, zany, and wickedly dark comedy shorts of any Tropfest in years past. Everything from runaway brides to clumsy butlers, chocoholic dentists to pizza-craving couch potatoes – Tropfest 2014 audiences can expect to be treated to comedic gold and biting social commentary.

Hosting the night’s fun and thrilling activities will be Tropfest aficionado, Adam Spencer, and The Feed and Movie Mayhem’s Marc Fennell, both returning from last year’s Tropfest. Also joining in to host for the first time will be SBS 2’s leading lady and The Feed reporter, Jeannette Francis.

Tropfest Managing Director, Michael Laverty, said: “We’re so excited to bring Tropfest to Centennial Park for the second time. Last year’s event in the new location was such a huge success and we’re sure that Tropfest 2014 will be bigger than ever before.”

Tropfest had humble beginnings at the Tropicana Café in Sydney’s Darlinghurst in 1993 where an eager crowd of 200 showed up to watch a short film screening that Tropfest founder John Polson had organised. Twenty-two years on, Tropfest attracts a live audience of around 150,000 in Australia and the festival has grown internationally, with standalone competitions in New Zealand, South East Asia, New York and the Middle East.
Tropfest is proudly supported by the NSW Government, through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW.

HOW TO GET THERE

Tropfest is held at the Brazilian Fields within Centennial Park. Recommended entry points to the Park are via the following gates: Paddington Gate, Woollahra Gate, Randwick Gate, and Robertson Rd Gate. The closest train station to the event site is Bondi Junction, with the Woollahra Gate only a short walking distance from the station.

Centennial Park is located just minutes from the Sydney CBD (and a 2 minute walk from QT Sydney!) and is easily accessible by public transport, which is highly recommended. Additional bus and train services have been organised to meet demand. For information about public transport, please call the NSW Transport info line on 131 500 or visit www.131500.com.au.

For any two-wheeled wanderers out there, we say ‘bike is best for Trop
fest!’ Cyclists should definitely take advantage of the FREE and secure bike valet service organised by Centennial Parklands, which is very cycle friendly and a comfortable riding distance from the city, inner west or eastern suburbs of Sydney. Check out the Tropfest website for more information and links to choose the best bike route for you.

FOOD AND DRINK

Tropfest has your festival cravings covered with sizzling Mexican street food, gourmet German-style hot dogs, and American inspired sliders. There will also be some grab-and-go options including salads, sandwiches, toasties and wraps. The menu selections will remain endless until the night’s end! Tropfest’s friends at Robert Oatley Wines, Cricketer’s Arms and Somersby will also keep you cool with a great range of wine, beer and cider.
Remember that Tropfest is BYO friendly so you can pack a picnic basket with all your favourite eats and drinks too!

TROPFEST MERCHANDISE

Tropfest will be unveiling a brand new Picnic Collection of Merchandise including hats, sunglasses, picnic blankets and beach balls – all available for sale from the official merchandise stall at Tropfest in Centennial Parklands

OTHER ONSITE ACTIVITIES

A range of Tropfest partners have put together some lively activations of their own to add to all the fun of the day.

Be in the running to win $100 worth of vouchers to redeem at food and beverage stalls in Trop village thanks to Toyota Corolla. Simply share a photo on Instagram of you and your friends having a good time at Tropfest and use the hashtags #tropfestgoodtimes and #corolla.

Play putt putt with Qantas to win a luxury golf trip or fly a kite for the Red Kite charity. Chill out with some lemonade and fairy floss in the 60s themed airstream caravan provided by Nikon and inspired by the soon to be released film ‘Love is Now’. Get yourself a keepsake photo with friends in front of the Moonlight Cinema flower wall or air your dirty laundry at SBS 2’s interactive art installation.

Add to the Spotify Tropfest collaborative playlist to snag some free popcorn and the chance to win a free Spotify subscription.

Need a seat for the main event? Pick up one for a gold coin donation from the GetUp! Team, and get some temporary tattoos or face paint while you’re there. Keep an eye out for the QT Sydney Director of Chaos, who might just reward you with a QT stay package. Look out for the Totem Turtle from Cirque Du Soleil’s new production ‘Totem’ – a fascinating journey into the evolution of mankind.

ACCOMMODATION PACKAGES

Planning on spending in the night in Sydney for Tropfest this year? Spoil yourself with a stay at QT Sydney, the official hotel partner of the event. QT Sydney is offering all Tropfest attendees exclusive discounted rates for QT- King rooms, valid 8 December. Visit Make the most of your Tropfest weekend and bed down amongst the dramatic surrounds of the city’s most art and film-focused hotel.
SBS 2 BROADCAST

Australia’s most prestigious and iconic short film festival Tropfest will return to its home on SBS 2 on Sunday December 7, bringing all the action direct from Sydney’s Centennial Park to living rooms across Australia. The broadcast will kick off at 8:30pm on SBS 2. For those not near a TV, SBS Online will be live streaming the broadcast at sbs.com.au/tropfest, making Tropfest available everywhere in the world. Tropfest aficionado Adam Spencer and The Feed and Movie Mayhem’s Marc Fennell return to host Tropfest 2014, and this year are joined by SBS 2’s leading lady and Feed reporter Jeannette Francis.

OTHER SCREENING VENUES

For full info on Tropfest Screening venues across Australia visit here.

Skyline Drive In Blacktown plays host this year to the first ever Tropfest event in Sydney’s West… and a very different kind of event it is. In a break with tradition, guests are invited to experience the first ever Tropfest at the retro ‘Happy Days’ styled Drive In and Diner which is set amidst the Western Sydney Parklands at Prospect.
If you’d like to enjoy Tropfest from the comfort of a funky deck chair on our ‘Gold Grass’ lawn, make sure to arrive early. Gates open at 5.30pm and the live Tropfest screening will start at 8.30pm. Deck chairs cost $10 to hire and are available from the Skyline Diner.
Pack the car as full as you can (legally!) as tickets are being allocated by the car load and must be booked online. Please note that although the tickets are free, a booking fee of $1.10 per car load will apply.

Melbourne

Thanks to a national partnership with Moonlight Cinemas, Tropfest will be screened at Moonlight Cinema locations across Australia! So if you’re in Melbourne on December 7, head down to the Royal Botanic Gardens to watch Tropfest on the big screen at Moonlight Cinema Melbourne. Tropfest have also developed relationships with community screening partners across Melbourne – so there are plenty of ways to watch Tropfest this year!

Community screenings will be held at: College Lawn Hotel, The Duke, Southgate Cinema, The Exchange, Geebung Polo Club, Hawthorn Hotel, Limerick Arms Hotel, The Local, Portland Hotel and The Provincial.