'The Mask', by Ruby Kontaratos.
The 16 young finalists whose films will screen at Trop Jr, now a standalone event, have been unveiled.
Each of the selected films has been made by a filmmaker less than 15 years old. Among them is Darwin Schulze, who has now been a Trop Jr finalist four times.
All have been inspired by this year’s signature item, ‘mask’, and will be judged by a panel led by Justine Clarke (Red Dog: True Blue, Playschool).
“I am so pleased to once again be a part of Trop Jnr and can’t wait to see the finalists’ films," said Clarke. "It is such an exciting thing to witness the future of the Australian screen industry getting out there and making films that families can enjoy together.”
Other jury members include Angourie Rice (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Jasper Jones, The Nice Guys), Hunter Page-Lochard (Bran Nue Dae, The Sapphires, Cleverman), Julian Dennison (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), Karan Brar (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Pacific Rim: Uprising), and last year’s winner Yianni Rowlands.
Trop Jnr will be held at Parramatta Park on February 10. Tropfest will be held on February 11.
The full list of finalists:
A Week to Deliver – Zander Czerwaniw & David Liu NSW
About Time – Ben Obermoser VIC
Almost Abducted – Oliver Topp NSW
Buddies not Bullies – Sienna Morison NSW
Car Conversations – Oliver Stone NSW
Deadline Demon – Sebastien Skubala, Violet Alfred Keenan, Georgia Carr, Matilda Alfred Keenan, Louise O’Loughlin SA
Dropping the Mask – Niamh Kerridge NSW
Keeping My Voice – Tisya Sharma NSW
Pupils – Nick Ward NSW
Rover – Hugo Morgan NSW
Stream This! – Jordan Paolillo WA
Masking Tape – Charlie Butler SA
The Golden Slice – Darwin Schulze NSW
The Lemonade Stand – Jordan Blanch
The Mask – Ruby Kontaratos WA
Think Twice – Carolin Oelschlägel GERMANY