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Tropfest To Return In February Thanks To Insurance Company Support

7 December 2015 | 11:08 am | Staff Writer

"Supporting this fantastic cultural event is about creating a renewed opportunity for Tropfest..."

Short film festival Tropfest has had a rough few weeks recently: first, with the announcement it had been cancelled due to funding mismanagement, then questions from the Department of Fair Trading regarding the fate of the competition's thousands of dollars worth of entry fees.

With Presto offering to showcase Tropfest's short films on their streaming service earlier in November, Tropfest's organisers announced this weekend that the renowned film festival would return in February thanks to a lifeline from CGU Insurance.

Festival director John Polson said it was "extremely encouraging" to see so much support, while Ben Bessell of IAG, which owns CGU Insurance, said, "Tropfest is a great festival, providing unique platforms for talented filmmakers through its events and initiatives, and we are excited to be able to help them get back on their feet.

"Supporting this fantastic cultural event is about creating a renewed opportunity for Tropfest and all those small businesses associated with the event to continue to thrive and get some business done.

"It’s also about supporting the wider community who are avid fans of film and entertainment and give them an opportunity to come along and enjoy a free cultural event."

Tropfest will now be held on Valentine's Day, Sunday, 14 February at Sydney's Centennial Parklands. Trop Jr will also go ahead on the same day, screening before the Tropfest finalists' films.