Tropfest is The Largest Short Film Festival in the world. It is also the world’s most exciting platform for up and coming film makers to gain international exposure.
Scores of films made for and screened at Tropfest have gone on to gain commercial distribution. And literally dozens of Tropfest filmmakers have had local and international careers launched as a result of their work being seen in front of thousands of people – including many of the most respected professionals in the film world. The festival is judged by a panel of distinguished industry professionals. Previous judges have included George Miller, Naomi Watts, Salma Hayek, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill, Baz Luhrmann, Ewan McGregor, Darren Aronofsky, Will Smith and many others!
Tropfest was established to encourage production, not just exhibition. Consequently, an annual, randomly-chosen item (known as the Tropfest Signature Item or TSI) must be included in each film to show it was made specifically. We believe that practice makes perfect; only by honing his or her craft will a filmmaker continue to refine their story-telling abilities.
Our mission is to continue to develop the most exciting forum in the world for audiences to come together and celebrate premium short films; and to continue to offer filmmakers a bigger and better platform from which to launch their professional careers.
- Your film must be made specifically for Tropfest
- Tropfest must be your film's first public screening
- Your film must be no longer than seven minutes
- Your film must contain the TSI (see above)