Australian cultural phenomenon, Tropfest has announced it will return in February 2017 to celebrate ’25 years young’, enjoying a bright new future thanks to a multiple-year partnership with CGU Insurance, and some exciting changes that herald a new era for the iconic event.

Changes announced today include a switch to a not-for-profit business model, a focus on attracting more women filmmakers, a first-time move for the ‘main event’ from Sunday to Saturday 11 February 2017, and the introduction of a board which will help oversee the longevity of the organisation.

Legendary Australian film director George Miller, a longtime supporter of Tropfest and one of the world’s most exciting storytellers, is the first to join the board, which will meet regularly and bring a range of skills, talents and contacts to the emerging filmmaker institution.

Tropfest also announced the much anticipated ‘Tropfest Signature Item’ (TSI) for the 25th festival: ‘PINEAPPLE’. The popular spiky fruit must be included in all 2017 entries by all would-be finalists.

After a bumpy road to the 2015 event, Tropfest received a financial lifeline from CGU Insurance to rise from the ashes and resurrect the event in February 2016. The event was arguably the biggest and best yet, with more than 90,000 punters converging on Centennial Park.

This week, CGU Insurance announced it is back to ‘see it through’ as a Foundation Partner, signing a three-year sponsorship deal to help the festival continue to thrive for years to come.

Tropfest founder John Polson said: “We’re delighted to have CGU back on board. Their support has been critical to the future of the festival, and in turn, the future of many emerging Australian filmmakers.”

As Mr Polson explained, the announced changes, a result of recommendations to come out of Tropfest’s strategic review, undertaken by partner EY, will also bring new voices and expertise to the festival, starting with one of the film world’s most celebrated storytellers, George Miller.

“We’re extremely excited to partner again with such an iconic event, which has also become an important annual milestone for the local business commmunity,” added IAG chief executive Australian Business Division (which owns the CGU business) Ben Bessell.

“Our support is not only about helping the event get back on its feet, but also about ensuring those businesses involved with Tropfest have a bright and successful future.” With almost six full months to craft stories before the deadline of Thursday 15 December, filmmakers are encouraged to grab a camera, a group of friends and get filming, for a chance to win at Tropfest’s milestone 25th year.

All films entered into Tropfest must be no longer than seven minutes and contain the 2017 (TSI) and it is entirely up to entrants as to how they interpret and include it in their film, encouraged to be as creative or as literal as they like.

Since its conception in 1993, Tropfest has become a cultural institution in Australia and has played a pivotal role in fostering the careers of some the biggest and brightest names in the industry, including Sam Worthington, Joel and Nash Edgerton, Rebel Wilson and dozens more.

“We’ve always been really proud of our alumni and want to continue to give Australian filmmakers a leg up in the industry,” said Polson.

“Recently a new generation of Tropfest alumni are making their mark with exciting new projects. Our 2013 finalists Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke’s Tropfest film Cargo is right now being turned into a feature film starring Martin Freeman.
“Filmmaker Alethea Jones was hired by Tobey Maguire’s production company not long after her film Lemonade Stand took out the fruity trophy at Tropfest 2012, where Tobey was a guest. Now, she’s just announced her first feature film, Fun Mom Dinner, set to star Toni Collette – who was a judge the same year she won – as well as Molly Shannon and Adam Levine.
“Alethea isn’t the first Tropfest filmmaker to hit the big time internationally. Jason Gann’s 2002 Tropfest film Wilfred was picked up by SBS, then remade for US audiences as a top rating comedy series on FX, starring Elijah Wood. And there are many more examples of filmmakers using us as a platform to bigger and better things,” said Polson.

As the 2016 festival came to a close, Tropfest was adamant that the event would go through changes to ensure its longevity. Having spent the last few months working tirelessly, it has undergone a governance review and many changes have already been implemented.

First and foremost, Tropfest is a festival born of filmmakers and those who love to see a good story unfold. From humble beginnings at the Tropicana Café in Sydney’s Darlinghurst in 1993, an eager crowd of 200 showed up to watch a short film screening organised by festival founder John Polson.

The event now attracts a live audience of around 150,000, with more than 1.6 million people having attended a Tropfest event since it was established.

To find out more, head to www.tropfest.com/au or www.facebook.com/tropfest