TROPFEST 2008 - WINNERS

Michelle Lehman (NSW) was awarded first prize at Sony Tropfest 2008 by a panel of celebrity judges for her short, Marry Me. The event in Sydney’s Domain was the biggest yet, and perhaps the best in terms of quality of sound and picture. The VIP marquee, a giant affair catering (literally) for a thousand guests, also housed the celebrity judges: Naomi Watts, Geoffrey Rush, Gillian Armstrong, Ray Lawrence, Claudia Karvan and last year’s winner Steve Baker.

Michelle Lehman said “I am thrilled and grateful to Sony Tropfest for giving me the opportunity to create and exhibit my work and of course for choosing my film. It is a great platform for filmmakers to be acknowledged. We worked very hard on this film and to have it recognised by judges in the industry is a testament that hard work pays off. As a filmmaker, having my films seen by an audience of such a great magnitude is what dreams are made of.”

Marry Me is a charming love story about 'a little girl who likes a little boy, and a little boy who likes his BMX bike'. Michelle's inspiration comes from her own experiences as a 5 year old, when she would chase a little boy called Jason around the school in a pretend wedding dress (her mother's nightie). Her film captures all the innocence, passion and determination as the young pigtailed protagonist finds a way to make the object of her imagination sit up and take notice.

"Sony Tropfest 2008 was a great success. It’s so exciting to see the thousands enjoying the films across Australia,” said John Polson, founder and creative director of Sony Tropfest. “The atmosphere was electric. I’m ecstatic for Michelle. Her film is a great example of the incredible talent among emerging Australian filmmakers."

Audiences of over 150,000 saw the 16 finalist films beamed live via satellite to venues in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Hobart, Adelaide and Brisbane, plus 8 regional locations. Presenters included Bryan Brown, Nash Edgerton and Noah Taylor.

This year was the first time in Tropfest history, film fans were able to watch the Tropfest event live online, exclusively on ninemsn. Check out this year’s finalist films and get a behind-the-scenes look at the festival on www.ninemsn.com.au/tropfest

The free official Sony Tropfest 2008 DVD featuring all 16 finalist films will be available in the Saturday 23 February edition of The Sydney Morning Herald.

On Thursday March 22 2008 the Nine Network will air The Best of Sony Tropfest 2008 which will showcase finalist films, filmmaker interviews and festival highlights.

The awards:
FIRST PRIZE
Film: Marry Me
Director: Michelle Lehman

SECOND PRIZE
Film: Uncle Jonny
Director: Mark Constable

THIRD PRIZE
Film: Great White Hunters
Director: Gary Doust

BALANCE WATER WOMEN IN FILM AWARD
Film: Glass
Director: Jayne Montague
Awarded for excellence in cinematography, editing, writing, directing, composing or producing with the aim to encourage and support Australian emerging female filmmaking talent.
$5,000 Cash; presented by BALANCE WATER

SONY FOUNDATION YOUNG TALENT AWARD
Film: The Code
Director: Murray Fahey
Actor: Shardyn Fahey-Leigh

BEST MALE ACTOR
Actor: Andrew Gilmore
Film: Smitten
Director: Grey Rogers

BEST FEMALE ACTOR
Actress: Jahla Bryant
Film: Marry Me
Director: Michelle Lehman

BEST COMEDY
Film: Great White Hunters
Director: Gary Doust

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Film: Glass
Cinematographer: Carl Robertson
Director: Jayne Montague

BEST SCREENPLAY
Film: Looped
Director: Sarah Crowest

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Film: White Lines
Director: Craig MacLean
Winner: Craig MacLean

BEST EDITING
Film: Scab
Director: Koichi Iguchi
Winners: Junya Otsuka / Takauki Mori

BEST ANIMATION AWARD
Film: Fault
Director: Daniel Miller

THE TROPICANA AWARD
Film: Scab
Director: Koichi Iguchi
Country: Japan

THE BRIGHT SPARK AWARDS
Film: My Brother, My Sanctuary
Director: Johnny Tran
Film: Loveless
Director: Karl Madderoom
Film: Spider
Director: Steven Woodburn

Published: February 18, 2008