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.

The Story of Ned

 * 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"

The Grey Cloud

 * 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

An Imaginary Life (First Prize)

 * 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

Being Boston

 * 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

Between The Flags

 * 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)

Road Rage (Second Prize)

 * 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

Yellow

 * 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

Pig Latin

 * 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

Counter

 * 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

Real Thing

 * 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

The Von

 * 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

Bad Yoghurt

 * 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

Mere Oblivion

 * 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)
 * Key Cast: Burleigh Smith, Elizabeth Caiacob, Michael Su, Kate Ritchie
 * Length: 7'
 * Shot On: HDV
 * Tropfest Awards: Best Female Actor - Elizabeth Caiacob

A-Z

 * 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

Still

 * 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

Fore!

 * 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