by FilmInk Staff
Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Britt Wickes as Executive Director. Previously the Head of Event Brand Marketing at Tennis Australia, Wickes brings a wealth of experience across brand, major events, audiences, entertainment, partnerships and cultural relevance to the iconic Australian film and cultural platform.
Tropfest relaunched in February 2026 following a seven year hiatus, produced by the newly established not-for-profit Tropfest Foundation, dedicated to nurturing emerging creative talent. The Foundation is guided by a board of cultural leaders including Sarah Murdoch (Chair), Bryan Brown, Peter V’landys, Richard Weinberg and the festival’s Founder and Director, John Polson.
Sixteen short films screened to tens of thousands of visitors in Centennial Park and were livestreamed globally on YouTube, with Lianne Mackessy’s Crescendo crowned the winner by a jury of industry heavyweights including Head Juror Margot Robbie; actors Sarah Snook and Taron Egerton; directors Danny Philippou and Dylan River; acclaimed producer Bruna Papandrea and Polson, with Academy Award-winning director James Cameron judging remotely.
During her time at Tennis Australia, Wickes was instrumental in helping grow Australian Open attendance from 800,000 to over 1.3 million through her role in championing new products, experiences and audience propositions. Wickes helped evolve the AO beyond simply being a sporting event and into a broader sport, entertainment and cultural experience, with the AO now recognised as Australia’s most culturally relevant sporting brand. Her contributions included growing AO Live into a full 21-day live music festival; introducing TOPCOURT, created for and with Gen Z; and helping launch the United Cup.
Wickes said, “Across nearly 20 years of my career, I’ve always been drawn to brands and experiences that sit at the intersection of culture, creativity, entertainment and audiences, so Tropfest feels like an incredibly exciting next chapter. For me, this isn’t really a move from sport to film, it’s a move from one iconic Australian cultural event to another.
“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to build deep relationships with some of Australia’s leading brands, agencies, media organisations and commercial partners and I look forward to bringing that expertise to Tropfest. It’s an iconic Australian brand with enormous cultural equity, a major live experience, an incredible creative community and so much potential around what it can become next.”
Founder and Director of Tropfest, John Polson said, “Tropfest exists to give filmmakers a shot. That mission is just as important today as it was when we began in 1993. I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Britt to Tropfest as our Executive Director. Britt’s appointment is a major milestone for us and sends a clear signal about our ambition for Tropfest’s future. She understands how to take something people already love and grow its audience, relevance and cultural impact without losing the qualities that made it special in the first place.
“Britt is ideally placed to build on what our incredible not-for-profit board and team have achieved in the first year and help lead Tropfest into its next chapter to create the festival Australian filmmakers — and audiences — need for the future.”
Tropfest Foundation Chair, Sarah Murdoch, said: “Tropfest has always been about giving Australian storytellers a platform, creating opportunities for talent to be discovered and bringing people together to celebrate our uniquely Australian stories. The Tropfest Foundation welcomes Britt, who brings an extraordinary combination of brand thinking, major event experience, audience growth, creativity and commercial partnership expertise.
“John, the Board and I have big ambitions for Tropfest and for the role it can continue to play in the future of Australian film, culture and entertainment. We’re incredibly excited to have Britt leading us into that next chapter.”
