By Erin Free
Proving that it takes more than a few drunken, anti-Semitic tirades and violent public outbursts to get you scratched from the Australian film industry’s A-list, Mel Gibson has just been announced as one of the judges for this week’s Tropfest, which will see a grand crop of Australian short films screened before an audience of thousands of film lovers (and more than a few folks who have likely never watched a short film in their lives) in Sydney’s Centennial Parklands on Sunday, February 14.
Gibbo is currently in Sydney shooting his WW2 drama, Hacksaw Ridge, so the actor/director was a plum pick for Tropfest main man, John Polson, who recently succeeded in pulling his iconic short film festival back from the brink after it was nearly scuttled by poor financial management.
“This is an enormous honour,” says Polson in an official statement. “Mel is one of Australia’s most prolific and talented actors, as well as an Academy Award winning director. It doesn’t get better than this. The sixteen finalist filmmakers, as well as Australian audiences, are in for a huge treat.”
Gibbo – who will be joined on the judging panel by Simon Baker (TV’s The Mentalist), Rebecca Gibney (Packed To The Rafters, Wanted); cinematographer, Don McAlpine (The Dressmaker, Puberty Blues, Breaker Morant); and director, Jocelyn Moorhouse (Proof, The Dressmaker) – is equally pumped about the appointment.
“I’m really thrilled to be in Sydney, and to have been invited to judge Tropfest,” says Gibbo in an official statement. “I know what it’s like to be starting out in this industry, in Australia, and what a big difference a break can make to a career. Tropfest has been doing an incredible job over the last 23 years as a platform for young filmmakers, and I’m absolutely delighted to support the great work that Tropfest is doing.”
Along with the free, live event at Sydney’s Centennial Parklands, Tropfest events will be held at venues across Australia. SBS 2 will screen all the action direct from Sydney into living rooms across Australia from 9:00pm AEDT, while SBS Online will be live streaming the broadcast at sbs.com.au/movies/tropfest, making Tropfest available everywhere in the world.
The winner of the coveted Tropfest trophy cup will receive $10,000 cash, a trip to Los Angeles for a week of meetings with industry execs, a Hyundai Tucson for a year, and a Nikon D800 plus lenses and accessories.
Visit www.tropfest.com/au for festival details, screening venues, and regular Tropfest updates.