Tropfest 2011

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"You're going to reach out for something and it's not there... it's not there." - Silencer
Tropfest is a short film festival.

Correction, Tropfest is the largest short film festival in the world. I've never heard of it though. Jean, Rachel and I headed out to the Domain, a sprawling park in downtown Sydney, to watch the finalists one Sunday afternoon. We found ourselves amidst 100,000 or festival goers spread out over the grounds on picnic blankets and lawn chairs. The event was being simulcast in venues all over Australia easily pushing the numbers of of a quarter of a million.

When I think of short films, the image of two cheery Lego knights jerkily hacking each others' limbs off instantly pops into my head. As the sun set and the movies began to roll I quickly discovered that these were very polished, very professional works. No cheesy Grapes of Wrath parodies shot the night before the project is due high school productions here. The films had all kinds of themes and genres with the majority being comedic pieces. All were restricted to being under seven minutes. I was amazed at what the artists were able to convey in that time span. I've posted a several below and you can find more on Youtube.









Comments

Dave said…
Library chase scene with a pink backpack ring any bells?
14 April 2011 at 20:52
Aaron said…
I thought it was bright green backpack with a smiley face. I don't think it would have made the finalist cut unfortunately.
14 April 2011 at 21:37
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