‘Disaster’ as short film festival Tropfest is axed owing to ‘terrible’ financial mismanagement
Tropfest, Australia’s best known and most widely attended public film festival, has been dramatically cancelled with less than a month’s notice.
Founder John Polson said in a statement the disaster was linked to sponsorship problems.
The festival – celebrating short films – began in 1993 as a small event held at Darlinghurst’s Tropicana Cafe.
It grew to a huge public event held at The Domain in Sydney attending by thousands of film lovers, and more recently moved to Centennial Park. It also expanded to more than ten cities globally.
The contest – themed on a single word each year – provided a major platform for budding filmmakers looking to break through. This year’s word was “card”.
The cancellation will come as a huge disappointment to film-makers who have already submitted their entries, many of which will have taken hundreds of hours and involved dozens of crew members.
In the statement, Polson pointed his finger at an unnamed company managing the event. he said: “It is too early to tell what has actually happened here, although it is hard to avoid concluding there has been a terrible and irresponsible mismanagement of Tropfest funds. I and others will be spending the coming weeks and months investigating what has transpired.
However, Polson did not rule out Tropfest returning in the future, saying it would take time to “figure out how we can rebound”.
It is not the first time that Tropfest has been at the centre of setbacks or controversies. In 2006 the screening had to be axed at the last moment due to wild electrical storms.
And in 1998 Fat Pizza and Housos creator Paul Fenech won after entering the contest in a woman’s name because he believed the organisers wanted a female director to take the prize.
The announcement came on the same night that Metro Screen, one of Sydney’s leading spots for film and TV training courses, held its closing party after losing Screen Australia funding following government cuts.
The statement:
TROPFEST PTY LTD announced today that the December 6 Tropfest event will not be taking place as scheduled. Tropfest Founder and Director, John Polson, provided the following statement:
“It is devastating for me to announce today that Tropfest will not be taking place as scheduled in Centennial Park this year.
In the past week or so, I have been made aware that the company contracted to raise the funding and administer the Tropfest event is unable to move forward for financial reasons. Despite a challenging sponsorship climate, Tropfest has done reasonably well in attracting support this year; however, to my great surprise, the management company has informed us that it is unable to proceed.
It goes without saying that this announcement is the most difficult one I’ve made in Tropfest’s 23 year history. My heart goes out to this year’s 16 filmmaking finalists, to our incredible list of sponsors and partners, and of course to our loyal and beloved audience.
It is too early to tell what has actually happened here, although it is hard to avoid concluding there has been a terrible and irresponsible mismanagement of Tropfest funds. I and others will be spending the coming weeks and months investigating what has transpired.
In the meantime, I ask all of Tropfest’s many supporters to bear with us while we figure out how we can rebound from this disaster. Now more than ever this unique Australian cultural event needs your patience and support.”
Tim Burrowes
Nicely worded.
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Good Times, and some unreal moments/films/people ….Money is Money and only Money , talent and passion will continue…
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What a terrible blow. I feel for the festival founder and of course this years finalists. Will watch this space to see Tropfest get to the bottom of the mismanagement of their funds and no doubt return. Tropfest has given to much to the film community and has been the inspiration of many film festivals including Creative Creatures Film Festival held on Sydney’s Northern Beaches in February each year.
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so what happened then?
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What a blow. Tropfest is the inspiration behind many film festivals including Creative Creatures Film Festival. I hope they work this out and return.
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crowd fund it and shrink its ambitions.
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I thought it had been continually in debt for years?
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Reads like the plot for a short film. Oh, wait…
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Tropfest has been around for almost 25 years but is still living paycheck to paycheck? Really?
That’s not ‘mismanagement of funds’ it’s poor management altogether.
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@Tim that is just the arts….getting $ is hard (unfortunately for the sector)
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Fro the last five or so years it had felt like Tropfest had lost it’s way a little. Hopefully they recover from this and it focuses them back towards their roots.
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Tropfest has been getting worse and worse. They haven’t been about the arts for a long time. The amount of sponsorship and advertising that goes on at the event is disgusting. Keep it simple, show lots of great work, but they can’t even do that. Such a shame.
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The Manhattan Short Film Festival is also run by an Aussie, and it now beams around the world during one huge week at the end of September. It is truly global and operates on a far more sustainable and relevant framework. And they support upcoming filmmakers from all over the world, without a cocktail party in sight.
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Getting money for the arts is not difficult, it depends upon who manages to slide in on the bullshit and take kudos from the magical word ARTS.
I have no idea what has happened here, but whatever the outcome, I bet I won’t be surprised. I have seen a mountain of art scams in my time, including entrepreneurs skipping with takings, producers laying actresses and female dancers when they should have been raising funds, and tax dodges galore in the name of high art and/or film making.
The arts and associated festivals are very seductive for con artists, there is frequently a huge number of people prepared to work for nothing, a plethora of rose tinted glasses, unfettered enthusiasm, junket by the truckload, art goodies to be bagged, and a freely contributed parcel of money.
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ANZ get to have the last laugh here.
Who would have thought that Tropfest would have been a worse investment than “Spectrum”?
ANZ had at least eleventy people to market to.
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There must be a reason why they’re not releasing the amount of debt or any attempt to save it. There’s something more serious we’re not being told.
What are the issues with not crowdfunding it? Are there legal / public liability insurance ramifications for those who fund it if something goes wrong?
Say if you threw up a figure of $500,000. With the amount of nationwide coverage this has had, if 50,000 people threw in $10, which is not unlikely, it’s ready to go. The threat is that if people don’t donate then it won’t go ahead. There are too many fans out there who won’t let that happen.
Go with that or… maybe change $5-$10 a head for entry to Centennial Park? It shouldn’t be this difficult.
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So who’s the ‘unnamed company managing the event’? C’mon
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I too would like to know the name of the company but as I understand it from some media reports Polson is taking legal action so maybe that’s why they have not been named as yet.
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This really is a great shame.
Sydney has some unique events – NYE Harbour, City 2 Surf, Tropfest etc
Now I hear the news Tropfest won’t happen.
Let’s crowd fund it.
Empathy for the folks who worked their dusters off to produce a film for this and then it gets yanked.
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I am more upset about Metro Screen. Tropfest has been an ego driven brand for a long time. Like many said above, stop with all the parties fireworks, focus on the work and promoting the industry and Australian film making. The government is surely not interested.
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