Tropfest Founder Expresses Regret About Transphobic Film's Win In 2013

Three years after the controversial film Bamboozled picked up the top honours at Tropfest, the short film festival's founder John Polson has admitted that its win may have been misguided.

Speaking to The Guardian, Polson said, "We’re not perfect.

"I know [with] that film, if we had our time again it might have gone down very differently. But you’ve got to take those on the chin and say, ‘OK, let’s try and do better next time.’"

The film was widely criticised as being homophobic and transphobic — it depicts a woman having undergone a sex change and rekindling a romance with a former flame. After the two men spend the night together, she steps out to reveal the sex change was all an elaborate hoax to "get back at [her] ex" and make him spend the night with a man. 

Tropfest has struggled in recent times with financial hardship and alleged mismanagement of funds, though it was luckily saved at the very last moment by a sponsor.

Tropfest will head to Parramatta Park for the next few years — they recently revealed actor Rose Byrne would be joining the event as Head Of Jury.