Picture: John Polson / The Age
Encore Magazine reports
When Tropfest creator John Polson isn’t busy taking the festival to the world, he’s flat out with a host of film and television projects. We ask him about Sydney’s 20th Tropfest, his thoughts on sponsorship and Sydney I Love You.
Did you ever expect Tropfest to become as big as it has?
No, I had no idea. I didn’t know it would last to the second year. It started as a short film screening and I ran with the ball. I never expected it to have the scope that it does in Australia or any of the other places.
What’s next for the world’s largest short film festival?
We’re pushing Tropfest Sydney to three days for the 20th birthday with a party on Friday 17 February, an all day seminar on Saturday, musical events and the main event Sunday. The conference will have six to eight successful film professionals including short film and feature directors, financiers and cinematographers. It is an opportunity for filmmakers serious about their career and taking their position to the next level to hear from others that have done well.
Tropfest is no stranger to corporate dollars. What’s your sponsorship strategy?
Every sponsor offers an initiative. We don’t do generic packages. Part of what we sell them is an exclusive opportunity that adds value to both the stakeholders and Tropfest. We have Telstra doing the mobile marketing and if you make your film on a mobile phone, you get included in a whole other competition with a prize of a trip to Sundance and $5000.
The Sydney Morning Herald supports with marketing and they deliver a free DVD with the newspaper.
We say to filmmakers we can offer a platform that makes sure everyone your mum knows will see your film and we ask for content in return for subscription television channel, Movie Extra, our naming sponsor, who broadcasts the finalists.
You’ve just held the first Tropfest Arabia. What were the entries like?
With everything going on around the Arab Spring, there are a lot of films about transition and change. Overall they feel a bit more serious. I have no issue with Tropfest having a different tone in a different region. One other thing I’ve noticed is music plays a big role. I don’t know if that’s a local filmmaking trait but as all the films have been in Arabic, with English subtitles, possibly they realised with the language barrier comes music.
Away from Tropfest, you’re producing a city-based collaborative film, similar to Paris Je T’Aime and New York I Love You. How is it going?
We’ve locked in 12 directors for Sydney I Love You and I must say it’s an impressive who’s who of the Australian industry. The timeline is to have a full draft by the end of the year with the working title ‘Sydney’. We’re putting together financing and our plan is too shoot in 2012.
What would you change about the Australian film and television production industry?
I think the development process could do with work. Right now, there’s pressure to get a film into production quicker than it should, as people don’t get paid until it’s in production.
I don’t think anyone does it with the wrong intention but if I was running the Australian film industry, I would be investing in the people rather than the projects.
Whether it’s state or national government, someone has to put their focus on individual talent and not get so caught up in, ‘what movie are you doing now?’
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