Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival which staged its hugely successful U.S debut in Bryant Park earlier this year in front of a 10,000 plus capacity crowd, today announced its next phase of programming, the Roughcut film symposium. Produced in the United States in partnership with The Film Society of Lincoln Center, Roughcut is an exclusive and intimate day-long series of lectures, conversations and presentations about the art of storytelling on screen. The event will feature actor/writer/director Liev Schreiber (Salt, X-Men: Origins, Everything Is Illuminated), film editor Sarah Flack (Lost in Translation), producer/writer Scott Rosenberg (Gone in 60 Seconds, Con Air), Entertainment Weekly’s film critic Lisa Schwarzbaum, Global Chief Creative Officer of R/GA Nick Law and Tropfest’s founder and director/producer John Polson (Swimfan, Hide and Seek) in moderated conversations with FSLC Associate Director of Programming, Scott Foundas. Best-selling author and journalist Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point, Outliers) will keynote the event in a conversation with internationally celebrated screenwriter Charles Randolph (Love and Other Drugs). Roughcut will be held on Friday, December 7th beginning at 10 am at The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s landmark state-of-the-art Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center.
Tropfest began more than 20 years ago in a small Sydney café with one short film and an audience of 200 people. Since then, the event has been at the forefront of bringing short films back into the mainstream, expanding globally with a host of Tropfest events and screenings in regions such as Arabia, Asia, Europe, New Zealand and the United States. The original Australian version is attended annually by a live audience of over 150,000 film-lovers and hundreds of thousands more watch via its national, live TV broadcast and other platforms. True to its communal origins, the event remains free and open to the general public at large. Today it is regarded as one of the world’s most exciting launching pads for emerging filmmakers.
Tropfest spin-off event, Roughcut, was created to cultivate outstanding storytelling on screen and to foster a culture of dynamic and creative filmmakers, so it’s only apropos that this inaugural Roughcut New York focuses on the heart and soul of the filmmaking process – storytelling. The day’s programming will delve into the thought process of creative thinkers, what makes them tick, and how each of their disciplines contributes to the filmmaker’s vision.
“Filmmaking is about storytelling and Roughcut is a wonderful opportunity to bring emerging filmmakers and some of the most creative minds in the industry together to discuss ways to bring creative storytelling to the screen,” said Malcolm Gladwell. “It is an honor to be a part of this event and I look forward to sitting down with Charles Randolph and speaking with up-and-coming filmmakers about their own stories and their work.”
The idea of hosting an intimate event for filmmakers and film-lovers and to give them a chance to hear first-hand from the very people who are at the heart of the storytelling process came naturally for Tropfest’s founder John Polson, who says:
“At its core, Tropfest is about discovering, supporting and engaging emerging filmmakers and providing them with tools and exposure in order to continue their creative process. Roughcut is a natural extension of that and we are pleased to be partnering with one of the premiere film institutions in the country, the Film Society of Lincoln Center, to bring it to fruition in the U.S”.
Tickets for Roughcut are $35.00 plus standard processing fees and can be purchased via the Tropfest New York website at www.tropfest.com/newyork. Ticket price includes coffee and light lunch.
For more information about Tropfest New York, please visit: www.tropfest.com/newyork.
About Tropfest
Tropfest is the world’s largest short film festival. It began in a Sydney café (‘The Tropicana’) 20 years ago with one short film and an audience of 200 people. Today the Australian FREE event is attended annually by a live audience of over 150,000 film-lovers and hundreds of thousands more watching via its national, live TV broadcast and other platforms. Tropfest has recently launched in the United States, New Zealand, Arabia, and other territories.
In the past two decades, Tropfest has become known as one of the world’s most exciting launch-pads for emerging filmmakers. Tropfest is also known for securing the support of some of the biggest names in the international film community. The Tropfest YouTube Channel has had over 13 million video views, with around 50% of those coming from the United States. The Channel provides film enthusiasts the chance to watch the top films from past festivals at: http://www.youtube.com/tropfest.
Tropfest’s stated ambition is to propel talented filmmakers to great heights in their chosen career, regardless of their financial constraints, and to simultaneously bring quality, short film content to the masses. The vast majority of access to all Tropfest’s global events is FREE. For more information, please visit: www.tropfest.com.