How can one describe the story of Tropfest? What genre or narrative structure might we put it in?
Perhaps it is a David and Goliath battle. The world’s largest short film festival on one hand, and penny-pinching, rights-relinquishing artists on the other. Film-makers who try their hand at Tropfest have long abided by a harsh condition of entry, surrendering ownership of their work, granting the organisation “an exclusive license throughout the universe, in perpetuity”.
Or perhaps the evolution of the once-modest festival founded by John Polson in the early 1990s is a rags-to-riches tale, its journey moving from the cozy confines of a Sydney cafe to a rock concert-style national event, satellite-beamed to every Australian capital city with a collective audience of more than 150,000 people.
In that case, it would need a trouble-in-paradise, Rome-is-burning, fall-from-grace final act where everything goes down the crapper. Or at least it seems to, before things get back on track, leaving space for a potential happy ending.
And this is where we tune in. Late 2015, things looked diabolical for Tropfest, which was mismanaged so comprehensively that Polson discovered a six-figure hole in the ledgers. The future of the event was immediately cast in doubt, with prophecies that the end was nigh. A benefactor, however, jumped on board to square the damage and save the day: CGU Insurance, for whom six figures is a fart in the wind.
So maybe this is the story of Lazarus: a resurrection from the dead for the not-so-little festival that could. Tropfest’s near-fatal experience has created a moment of existential reflection for the actor/film-maker/founder. John Polson has made it clear the event will not be continuing business as usual.
To his credit, Polson has not only acknowledged many of the criticisms levelled at his event over the years (including that it is too big, too commercial and too WTF in its choice of winners) but is actively working to counter them. A recently uttered mea culpa may sound a little Gillard-esque (a good event has “lost its way”). But it made clear mistakes were made and lessons learned – there is dignity in that, and it ought to be recognised.
Now, as Tropfest contemplates its second coming this weekend, the festival has a chance to achieve the greatness it once had (or at least hinted at). To do that there are certain challenges it needs to address, and some are easier to achieve than others. Here are four of the key challenges.
Giving fair rights to artists
John Polson recently said: “When you hear the words ‘exclusive in perpetuity’, it sounds terrible.” Well, yeah. Not to mention what it sounds like when you throw in “across the universe”.
And it didn’t just sound terrible; it was terrible. This condition applied not just to Tropfest finalists but the many hundreds of people who entered each year (paying $45 a pop for the privilege) and were unsuccessful. Polson has said Tropfest now requires non-exclusive rights and is exploring whether it is legally possible to release rights to films in its back catalogue.
Not being primarily driven by profit
For a long time Tropfest was the McDonald’s of short film festivals, its menu unashamedly favouring work palatable for mass consumption.
Fair enough. There’s a place for everything, and this has never been the forum for black and white films with subtitles. That much seems to have remained the same (though one of this year’s finalists appears to be a film about Kytherian beekeepers). A significant change, however, is that Tropfest is now a not-for-profit organisation.
Pursuing what’s important for the Australian film industry
Some change seems to be happening on this front. Maybe. Half a year ago Tropfest declared it would focus on women film-makers. This year half the finalists are women, marking the first time in its history this has happened. But that isn’t focusing on women; it’s making the gender divide of applicants 50/50.
Given how dramatically the scales of Australian film production are – and always have been – tilted in favour in men, how good would it have been if Tropfest declared: every finalist is female from now on until the industry sorts itself out?
Making better decisions when dishing out prizes
This is a big one, given the winning short films understandably command the lion’s share of attention. In this capacity, Tropfest has a long history of bad decisions.
From 2008 to 2013, three of the six winning films were accused of plagiarism. In 2014, the winner was outrageously transphobic: a nasty piece of work called Bamboozled. Polson recently addressed it, saying “We’re not perfect. I know [with] that film, if we had our time again it might have gone down very differently.”
In a sense, the world’s largest short film festival does have its time again. This weekend is all about its comeback story (or whatever kind of narrative you wish to frame it with) and, in typical Tropfest style, its return is bolstered with a bit of star power – including the addition of George Miller to its board.
If Tropfest can meaningfully address its problems – and there’s everything to suggest it can and will continue to – who knows? Its near-death experience might turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to it.
• Tropfest is showing at Parramatta Park, Sydney, on Saturday 11 February
