Billed as the world’s largest short film festival, Tropfest has announced its event scheduled for Sunday 6 December will not take place. The announcement comes as Tropfest Founder and Director, John Polson says it may be due to a “terrible and irresponsible mismanagement” of funds.
In a statement released by Polson, he says: “It is devastating for me to announce 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.”
Tropfest began with organised screenings at Sydney’s Tropicana cafe in 1993, and has since expanded to North America, the Middle East, New Zealand and South-East Asia. Tropfest attracts hundreds of entries and is watched by thousands every year.
For more information, visit: www.tropfest.com for details.
Image: John Polson – photo by Mike Coppola