Long-standing Australian indie short film festival cancelled

Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival and a hugely popular summer event in Australia, has been cancelled one month before it was set to be held in Sydney’s Centennial Park and broadcast around the country.

A financial black hole is the reason for the sudden withdrawal of the festival and legal proceedings are expected to take place. The organisers are very disappointed for the 450 filmmakers who had entered their short films this year. The finalists had already been called and Hollywood heavyweight, Susan Sarandon was booked to head the jury deciding the competition winner. The 24-year-old festival began with screenings at Sydney's Tropicana cafe in 1993 and has since expanded to festivals in North America, the Middle East, New Zealand and South East Asia. Read more: smh.com.au