Australia’s Tropfest short-film festival will move its February finale from Centennial Park to the Domain in Sydney. For the first time since its launch in 1993, the event will take place on a Saturday rather than a Sunday.
Festival director John Polson called the Domain Tropfest’s spiritual home. He said the site is closer to the city centre, easier for audiences to reach and offers a skyline view. The festival returned to Centennial Park this year after a seven-year hiatus.
The next final is scheduled for February 13, 2027. Sixteen finalists will screen their films free in the park and on YouTube, competing for A$100,000 in prize money. Organisers are also considering a livestream in Melbourne and hope to extend it to pubs, clubs and cafes around the country over time.
The New South Wales government has committed A$2.7 million to the festival over three years. State Premier Chris Minns described Tropfest as part of Australia’s cultural life and a platform for local creative talent.
Organisers said films that rely substantially on generative artificial intelligence to create core creative elements will be ineligible. Filmmakers may use AI for supporting tasks such as transcription, editing assistance, colour grading and sound cleanup, but they must disclose its use.
The festival is also bringing back Trop Jr for filmmakers aged 15 and under. Entries close on October 23, with the final scheduled for December 4 at Melbourne’s Astor Theatre. Submissions for the main competition close on December 22. This year’s required signature item, used to show that a film was made specifically for Tropfest, is a necklace.
Tropfest will also take over the Byron Kennedy Award, previously presented as part of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards. Director George Miller, who has criticised the dispute around the prize, will speak at the three-day Tropfest Roughcut workshop at NIDA from February 10 to 12. Polson said the festival wanted to give the award a home that honoured its history without entering the dispute.