2007 Tropfest finalists

The Tropfest short film festival is held in Sydney, Australia each year. This is the list of 2007's short-listed films and winners.

There was controversy regarding the winning film An Imaginary Life due to similarities to the American television series Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.^[1]

Synopsis: John Doyle, as the omnipotent yet not altogether totally reliable narrator, tells the tragic tale of Ned, a little story with a detective yarn for a father and a children's fable for a mother. But in this animation, Ned has a problem: he is a story without an ending.

Director: Simon Weaving

Producer: Simon Weaving

Writer: Simon Weaving

Cinematographer: Dan Miller

Sound design: Mark Webber

Composer: Troy Hambly

Editor: Dan Miller Key

Key Cast: John Doyle, Tony Turner

Length: 6' 50"

Synopsis: This noirish film, set in a crime-ridden city, opens with a man walking a woman down an alley. Nearby is a mysterious piano bar, a place where the music can simply take you away.

Director: Matt Peek, Cam Ford

Producer: Matt Peek, Cam Ford

Writer: Matt Peek

Cinematographer: Cam Ford

Sound design: John Kassab

Composer: Craig Bryant

Editor: Cam Ford

Key Cast: Mick Preston, Katie Astrinakis, John Richards, Brett Cartlidge

Length: 7'

Shot On: Super 16mm

Tropfest Awards: Best Cinematography - Cam Ford^[2]

Synopsis: What happens to an imaginary friend once they're forgotten? Where do they go? How do they live? And can their lives ever have any meaning again? For one such imaginary friend, life has been empty. That is, until he finds a potential answer to the one question that's been consuming him this whole time.

Director: Steve Baker

Producer: Steve Baker

Writer: Steve Baker

Sound design: Steve Baker

Composer: Steve Baker

Editor: Steve Baker

Key Cast: Andrew Baker, Steve Baker

Length: 4' 55"

Shot On: Animation

Tropfest Awards: First Prize^[2]

Synopsis: When Jeff is dumped by his girlfriend, he buys a cute boxer puppy called Boston to keep him company. But the weeks, then months prove lonely and difficult. Jeff's unpredictable behaviour means it could be some time before Boston makes this man his best friend.

Director: Justin Drape

Producer: Justin Drape

Writer: Justin Drape

Cinematographer: Timothy Laffey

Sound design: Simon Kane

Editor: Simon Njoo

Key Cast: Sean Lynch, Felicity Hopkins, Ashlie Fellow

Length: 5' 4"

Shot On: DV/HD

Synopsis: How many rioters does it take to start a riot? When two guys from opposing sides of conflict are the first arrivals for a beach riot, they are initially unsure of the accepted etiquette.

Director: Jayce White

Producer: Jayce White

Writer: Jayce White

Cinematographer: Ian Nicholson

Sound design: Jayce White

Editor: Jayce White

Key Cast: Dan Feuerrigel, Matuse

Length: 7' 4"

Shot On: DV/HD

Tropfest Awards: Best Comedy, Best Actor (Matuse)^[2]

Synopsis: On a busy morning on the roads, there's a near traffic accident. One driver, shaken and angry, watches as the offending car speeds away without its driver acknowledging or apologising for the near miss. He decides to chase him down in a quest for revenge, cornering the offender in a nearby street.

Director: Mark Bellamy

Producer: Mark Bellamy, Lyndal Mebberson

Writer: Mark Bellamy

Cinematographer: Simon Harding

Sound design: Rohan Charlton

Composer: Simon Bailey

Editor: Laurie Hughes

Key Cast: Paul Kelman, Alan Flower, Scott Johnson, Freddy Talib

Length: 7'

Shot On: HD

Tropfest Awards: Second Prize; Audience Prize^[2]

Synopsis: When a well-dressed man climbs into a taxi one night, the tired driver settles in for another boring ride in silence. But things change quickly when the passenger starts talking earnestly about the troubling purpose of the journey. The driver finds himself parked outside a strange house, fearing for his life.

Director: William Allert

Producer: William Allert

Writer: William Allert

Cinematographer: Craig Jackson

Composer: Andy Scott

Editor: Brad Hurt

Key Cast: Nathan O'Keefe, William Allert

Length: 5' 50"

Shot On: HD

Tropfest Awards: Best Screenplay - William Allert^[2]

Synopsis: Two cops startle a woman working in the garden. That's the start of a story about two guys who remember that lucky kid from school who has the pool, the trampoline, the Atari and all that other cool stuff. It's been years since they've seen him, but they still want to play.

Director: Nathaniel Kiwi

Producer: Nathaniel Kiwi

Writer: Nathaniel Kiwi

Cinematographer: Stuart Simpson

Sound design: Andrew Neil

Composer: Mark Farrel

Editor: Nathaniel Kiwi

Key Cast: Stephen Curry, Steven Stagg, Diana Greentree, Charlie Clausen

Length: 5' 40"

Shot On: DVCAM

Synopsis: A troubled accountant inherits a mysterious counter from a relative, who says "it will make everything clear". But what does it count? Desperate to know the purpose of his inheritance, Neville begins to question everything he does in his daily routine, becoming drawn into an obsessive and life-changing search for meaning.

Director: Michael Noonan (filmmaker)

Producer: Michael Noonan, Carine Chai

Writer: Michael Noonan

Sound design: Michael Noonan

Composer: Michael Noonan

Editor: Michael Noonan

Key Cast: Christopher Sommers, Kat Henry, Catherine Glavicic, Paul Bryan, Michael Carter

Length: 6' 59"

Shot On: HDV

Synopsis: A woman wakes up in bed. Beside her is the man who insists he is her husband. But is he really? She can't remember.

Director: Rupert Glasson

Producer: Hugo O'Conner, Rani Chaleyer

Writer: Rupert Glasson

Cinematographer: Ben Allen

Sound design: Michael McMenomy

Composer: John Gray

Editor: Rani Chaleyer

Key Cast: Slava Orel, Emma Jackson, Jean-Marc Russ

Length: 5'

Shot On: DVCAM

Tropfest Awards: Best Original Score - John Gray^[2]

Synopsis: It is 1982 and a schoolboy Alex Vonzitzavitz—possessor of a cool jacket and superhero card collection—is about to face the most humiliating experience of his life. Remember that nightmare you had about turning up to school naked? This is worse. But don't panic! Superheroes like The Von always find a way to get out of trouble.

Director: John Mavety

Producer: Robyn Sinclair

Writer: John Mavety

Cinematographer: Glenn Hanns

Sound design: Nathan Brand

Composer: Tewe Hanare

Editor: John Mavety, Adam Harley.

Key Cast: Jacob Bicknell, Zeke Collins, Jaime Lee Parker, Gabrielle Desdoigts, Louis Desdoigts, April Hayes Dickson

Length: 6' 59"

Shot On: HD

Tropfest Awards: Third Prize; Sony Foundation Young Talent Award - Jacob Bicknell^[2]

Synopsis: On a hot summer's day, a hot sexy woman sits by a pool. She eats some hot sexy yoghurt. But everything is not as perfect as it seems. The glamour fades when she realises the yoghurt is bad.

Director: Shaun Beagley

Producer: Shaun Beagley

Writer: Shaun Beagley

Cinematographer: Jonas McGuiggin

Sound design: Stuart Welch

Composer: Bernard Houston

Editor: Kurt Royan

Key Cast: Natalie Lynn

Length: 5'

Shot On: 16mm

Tropfest Awards: The Tropicana Award^[2]

Synopsis: The title, from Shakespeare, is a reference to growing old. Librarian Kenny Bunkport learns what it means when he takes his elderly grandmother to a swish restaurant.

Director: Burleigh Smith

Producer: Burleigh Smith

Writer: Burleigh Smith

Cinematographer: Jason Thomas

Editor: Ross Farnsworth (i.e., Burleigh Smith)^[3]

Key Cast: Burleigh Smith, Elizabeth Caiacob, Michael Su, Kate Ritchie

Length: 7'

Shot On: HDV

Tropfest Awards: Best Female Actor - Elizabeth Caiacob^[2]

Synopsis: Muz's doctor has bad news: "Your aorta's clogged with fat, all your vital parts are weak". In this animation, that means Muz has to stop eating meat. To break the habit, the doc prescribes a radical new cure that goes from A to Z.

Director: Zenon Kohler

Producer: Zenon Kohler

Writer: Murray Hartin

Still photographer: Greg Desmon

Sound design: Ash Maklad

Composer: Pat Drummond

Editor: Zenon Kohler

Length: 4' 40"

Shot On: Computer generated on a Macintosh with digital stills

Synopsis: When a man and a woman choose the paths they want to take in their relationship, their son is left aside. In this evocative film, there are three lives and two decisions on one still night.

Director: Jayne Montague

Producer: Jayne Montague

Valentina Forno

Assistant Director: Ashleigh Kate Brooks

Writer: Nick Thompson

Cinematographer: Shing Fung Cheung

Sound design: David Stalley

Composer: David Stalley

Editor: Rolmar Baldonado

Key Cast: Jodine Muir, Pete Walters, Giles Penfold,

Length: 6' 41"

Shot On: HD

Synopsis: "Golf isn't a game," says Tiger Woods. "It's a choice that one makes with one's life." A man learns the truth of that statement when he heads to the driving range to hit a few balls.

Director: Duane Fogwell

Producer: Stewart Brown

Writer: Duane Fogwell

Cinematographer: Geoff Ellis

Composer: Geir Brillan

Editor: Duane Fogwell

Key Cast: Daniel Bowden, Paul Moxey,

Length: 6' 30"

Shot On: 35mm

Tropfest Awards: Best Editing - Duane Fogwell^[2]