Rose Byrne (X Men: First Class), Judah Friedlander (30 Rock), Jennifer Westfeldt (Friends with Kids), producer Ted Hope, and film critic Scott Foundas have been announced as judges for Tropfest New York. In addition, the eight finalists from been revealed for the short film competition taking place on Saturday, June 23rd. Each short is less than seven minutes in length, had to be created specifically for the event, and must include the Tropfest Signature Item – a bagel – in “tribute to NYC culture.”
Hugh Jackman is hosting the event.
This year’s finalists are:
I’m Happy directed by Michael Neithardt (New York, USA)
Elvis: The Lonely Hunter of Circle Beach directed by Matt Hulse (Bristol, UK)
Killer Bagels From Outer Space directed by Jacinda Klouwens (Auckland, NZ)
Elevator directed by Jennifer Ross (Melbourne, AUS)
The Break-Up Tour directed by Alexander Poe (New York, USA)
Emptys directed by Joshua Leake (Oregon, USA)
Thanks Dad directed by Victor Bruno (New York, USA)
Mingo directed by Romy Randev (California, USA)
Elvis: The Lonely Hunter of Circle Beach was created on the smallest budget of the finalists ($1.59 for two bagels) while Thanks Dad had a $5,000 budget. The grand prize winner will be taking home $20,000 in cash and have a week of meetings with film producers, studio executives, agents, and managers.
Tropfest New York Schedule for Saturday, June 23rd
3:00 PM – Gates open, Yah Supreme and DJ Concerned Perform
5:00 PM – Milagres Set
6:00 PM – Alexi Murdoch/Doveman Set
6:30 PM – ‘Black Carpet’ Arrivals
8:00 PM – Eight ‘Best of Tropfest’ films followed by the New York Short Film Competition with a live panel of Judges
What is Tropfest?
“Tropfest is the world’s largest short film festival. It began in a Sydney café (‘The Tropicana’) 20 years ago with a single $100 short film and an audience of 200 people. Today the Australian FREE event is attended annually by a live audience of over 150,000 film-lovers and hundreds of thousands more watching via its national, live TV broadcast and other platforms. Tropfest has recently launched in New Zealand, Arabia, and other territories, with China, South East Asia and more in planning stages.
In 2012, the global expansion continues with the launch into the USA with Tropfest Las Vegas and Tropfest New York.
In the past two decades, Tropfest has become known as one of the world’s most exciting launch-pads for emerging filmmakers. Tropfest is also known for securing the support of some of the biggest names in the international film community. Tropfest USA’s Official Ambassadors include Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Geoffrey Rush, Charles Randolph and Anthony Lapaglia. The Tropfest YouTube Channel has had over 11 million video views, with around 40% of those coming from the United States.”
Source: Tropfest
