TROPFEST 2009 - WINNERS

GENEVIEVE CLAY WINS TOP TROPFEST PRIZE
Genevieve Clay’s Be My Brother has won First Prize at this year’s Tropfest, with an estimated 150,000 people watching live at Sydney’s Domain and via satellite in Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Hobart, Adelaide, Gold Coast and Brisbane. For the first time, the event was also telecast live on Movie Extra subscription channel.

There will be an encore screening of Movie Extra Tropfest at 12:00pm, Saturday 28th February (3 hour version). And each of the 16 finalist films will be broadcast at 8.30pm from February 23 on MOVIE EXTRA with Top of the Trops.

A free official Movie Extra Tropfest 2009 DVD featuring all 16 finalist films will be available in the Saturday 28 February edition of The Sydney Morning Herald.

The 2009 Finalist Films are also available exclusively on Telstra BigPond mobile.

Nine Network will air a 2009 Movie Extra Tropfest Special which will showcase the finalist films and festival highlights. Stay tuned for more programming details.

The panel of eight celebrity judges included; Vince Colosimo, David Wenham, Mia Wasikowska and last year’s winner Michelle Lehman.

“Each year the calibre of films we receive never fails to impress us,” commented John Polson, Director and Founder of Movie Extra Tropfest. “This year is no exception and we are faced with the delightful challenge of selecting a winner. Fortunately there are a number of award categories which helps us to recognise the out standing film makers who have come this far.

“Tropfest continues to offer an amazing platform for showcasing the rest of Australia’s emerging film making talent and with Movie Extra’s live national broadcast that platform is better than ever,” continued Polson, who also announced that the Tropfest Signature Item fro 2010 will be ‘dice’ – appropriate for these economically dicey times…

The winners:
FIRST PRIZE - WINNER
Film: Be My Brother
Director: Genevieve Clay
State: NSW

SECOND PRIZE - RUNNER UP
Film: Being Carl Williams
Director: Abe Forsythe
State: NSW

THIRD PRIZE
Film: Fences
Director: Tim Dean
State: VIC

WOMEN IN FILM AWARD
Film: Song For A Comb
Director: Sal Cooper
State: VIC

BEST FEMALE ACTOR
Film: Bargain
Director: Rachel Givney
Actress: Rebel Wilson
State: NSW

BEST MALE ACTOR
Film: Be My Brother
Director: Genevieve Clay
Actor: Gerard O’Duyes
State: NSW

BEST COMEDY
Film: Being Carl Williams
Director: Abe Forsythe
State: NSW

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Film: Fences
Cinematographer: Matt Wood
Director: Tim Dean
State: VIC

BEST SCREENPLAY
Film: Fences
Writer: Chris Corbett
Director: Tim Dean
State: VIC

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Film: NYE
Sound Designer/ Composer: Geir Brillian Gunnarsson
Director: Duane Fogwell
State: NSW

BEST EDITING
Film: Fences
Editor: Nathan Wild
Director: Tim Dean
State: VIC

BEST ANIMATION AWARD
Film: Song for a Comb
Director: Sal Cooper
State: VIC

THE BRIGHT SPARK AWARDS
Film: The Chicken Lady
Producer: Shanti Rajini
State: NSW

Published February 23, 2009