by FIlmInk Staff
Tropfest has always been a proving ground for emerging Australian voices, and this year’s Wildcard selection has delivered one of the most personal and unexpectedly funny entries of the lot: One More for Safety, a dark comedy inspired by writer-director Kacey Baker’s real-life medical emergency.
The short film, which recently secured a spot in the Tropfest 2026 YouTube Wildcard Top 10, follows a filmmaker hospitalised with a mysterious condition known as “Filmmakeritis”, surrounded by a ward of broken creatives, chaotic personalities and desperate dreamers, all clinging to the hope of one final shot at success.
Producer Victoria Carwin, founder of Scenario Productions and Scenario Artists, says the project came together almost instantly once Baker reached out.
“Kacey called me with the idea and said, ‘I don’t do festivals, but you do. This is Tropfest territory”, Carwin explains. “He told me it was based on something real that happened to him, and I said straight away: I don’t even need to read the script. I’m producing it.”
That instinct quickly turned into a race against the Tropfest deadline, with the team pulling together a lean, fast-moving shoot across the Central Coast and Sydney. The production was executed with a minimal crew and a tight turnaround, relying on strong collaboration and long-standing creative relationships.
The film features standout performances from an ensemble cast of established and emerging talent, bringing the “ward” of filmmakers to life with sharp comedic timing and surprising emotional depth.
For Baker, the film is more than satire. It’s a reflection of a career filled with near-misses, industry setbacks, and the emotional toll that comes from chasing creative ambition while juggling family life. After suffering a heart attack while playing soccer with his children, Baker found himself in hospital surrounded by medical staff, monitors and IV lines, and it was there that the concept for One More for Safety arrived fully formed.
“It was the moment I realised I had to recommit to life and creativity,” Baker says. “Win or lose, getting into the Wildcard is already a win.”
Carwin believes the film resonates because it’s grounded in truth, even when the comedy is heightened.
“It’s funny, but it’s also kind,” she says. “It’s about what happens when creatives feel stuck, or invisible, or left behind. It’s a reminder that it’s never too late to get back up.”
With One More for Safety now officially in the Wildcard running, the team is calling on audiences to watch, like and comment to help push the film into the final selection.
One More for Safety has cracked Tropfest’s Top 25 and is currently screening as one of 10 official YouTube Wildcard contenders.
