Australia's most prestigious short film festival, Tropfest, today announces a one-week extension for entries into the December 8 event.
With entries originally due by 10 October 2013, filmmakers from around Australia and the world now have until 17 October 2013 to submit their short film, featuring this year's signature item (TSI), 'Change'.
Tropfest Film and Entries Manager, Henry Kalaf says the extension is fitting of this year's theme, "With so much change taking place for our December event, from a new date to a new venue, we wanted to give filmmakers a little extra time to complete their entries.”
Kalaf also points to the Nikon DSLR Film category as an alternative way for filmmakers to create their entries.The category returns after a quarter of films in the February competition were shot entirely on DSLR cameras.
Kalaf says this is no surprise with the advancement in DSLR technology "TV shows and even Hollywood blockbusters are now using DSLR technology to achieve their vision. DSLRs are fast becoming a popular creative choice for filmmakers. The cameras are compact and lightweight which means they are not only easier to take anywhere, including on outdoor shoots but also allow filmmakers to achieve their vision in intimate settings. The quality these cameras output is outstanding so there's no reason why anyone who thinks 'I can't make a film' should let anything stop them."
As well as the kudos of having their film screened to hundreds of thousands nationwide, finalists are in the running to win some incredible prizes – a new Toyota Corolla Levin ZR, a Nikon D800 DSLR plus $2,000 RRP worth of Nikkor lenses, $10,000 thanks to Kennedy Miller Mitchell and a film immersion trip to Los Angeles, where the winner will meet with industry executives, courtesy of Motion Picture Association and Australian Screen Association.
The winner of the Nikon DSLR category meanwhile will take home a Nikon D600 plus $3,000 RRP of Nikkor lenses and all films submitted into the DSLR category will also be considered as part of the main competition.
Songwriters, producers, DJs, composers and musicians can also get involved with Tropfest by entering APRA Tropscore! This unique competition provides Trop fans with an opportunity to write music to accompany a short film provided by Tropfest.
There’s $5000 up for grabs for the winning composer, courtesy of APRA AMCOS. Information on how to enter as well as tips and tricks on how to write music for film can be found at tropfest.com/au/tropscore. The entry deadline for Tropscore remains 10 October 2013.
Established in Sydney over 21 years ago, Tropfest has become the world’s largest short film festival. In Australia – and increasingly overseas – Tropfest is recognised for its enormous contribution to the development of the film industry by providing unique platforms for talented filmmakers.
The move to a larger-capacity venue might see 2013 host the biggest Tropfest live crowd yet. And better still – Tropfest finalists will also have their films screened live around the country on SBS 2, thanks to a five-year agreement with Tropfest’s new broadcast partner, SBS.
Tropfest is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, and is a key creative industries event on the Sydney and NSW Events Calendar.
Visit www.tropfest.com/au to submit your films, for more festival details, screening venues and regular updates on all things Trop!
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KEY DATES:
 Tropscore entries close October 10, 2013
 Tropfest Entries Close October 17, 2013
 Tropfest event December 8, 2013