An animated film, Steve Baker's AN IMAGINARY LIFE, won this year's Sony Tropfest short film competition. The Queenslander had entered the festival five times and at last won during the awards ceremony on Feb. 18, 2007.
Baker said, "This is something that I have been working toward for such a long time. As a director, it means so much for your career to be recognized at a high level such as Sony Tropfest. And to have your film seen by literally hundreds of thousands of people there is nothing else like it.
Baker combined old home movies of his brother as a little kid with animated scenes of the friend his brother deserted.
Audiences of more than 150,000 viewed the 16 finalist films as they were beamed live via satellite to venues in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Hobart and Brisbane, plus eight new regional locations around Australia.
The panel of six celebrity judges included: George Miller, Catherine Martin, Susie Porter, Clayton Jacobson and David Wenham, as well as Australian identities Joel Edgerton, Andrew Denton and Phillip Noyce.
Baker's first prize winnings included:
* 1st prize trophy
* Qantas Scholarship Program: Including a trip for two to the USA, six nights accommodation and a tailored program of meetings with agents, executives and industry (valued at $10,000).
* High Definition CMOS HDV 1080i Handycam (HDRFX7), soft carrying case (LCSVCB), high-grade wide conversion lens (VCLHG0862), video flashlight (HVL10NH) (valued at $6,856)
* $5,000 cash
* A director's attachment on an Australian feature film
* $7,000 credit for sound edit & mix
* Kine transfer of winning film (valued at $5,000)
* Registration for the Producer to SPAA Fringe 2007
One can check out this years finalist films and get a behind-the-scenes look at the Tropfest online video channel www.tropfest.ninemsn.com.au. Nine Network will be airing a Tropfest Special on free-to-air over Easter Weekend, which will showcase finalist films, filmmaker interviews and festival highlights. Popcorn Taxi in association with Sony Tropfest will also be announcing the Best Of The Rest (BOTR), the world premiere screenings of 32 brilliant short films entered into the 2007 Tropfest Film Festival that almost made the final 16 films. Popcorn Taxi will present two BOTR programs over two evenings (screening 16 films a night) in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth, with tickets available to purchase to these events. For more information, please visit www.popcorntaxi.com.au.
For updates on the winners check out, www.tropfest.com
The Tropfest short film festival is held in Sydney, Australia each year. Sydney hosts the live event that is then broadcast live via satellite to venues in Canberra, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart, Melbourne and Adelaide.
The festival's name is derived from the first year's location -- the Tropicana Cafe in Darlinghurst, an inner-eastern suburb of Sydney. Created by John Polson, the first festival was held in 1993 with the films projected onto a blank wall and was called the Tropicana Short Film Festival in that first year.
