Trop Jr 2010

First published on 28 Jan 2010. Updated on 5 Apr 2011.

Trop Jr

Tropfest's ambitious younger sibling gives youthful filmmakers their chance to shine.

By Erin Moy
Tropfest has always had a family atmosphere. Looking around the Domain over the last 17 years, the crowd has always been more than modestly dotted with families. In 2008, inspired by the number of shorts submitted by younger filmmakers, festival organisers kicked the kid-friendly aspect of Tropfest into gear with the birth of Trop Jr, a spin-off mini-festival in which the entrants are as short as the films that they submit.

All the usual Tropfest incentives are in place: huge audience, great prizes and serious bragging rights in the playground. The only difference? The director, cast and crew must all be under 15 years of age.

Ten-year-old Ella Sandor made her directorial debut at last year’s festival with her autobiographical fantasy, ‘Meeting Me’. “We made a film at school last year and I was the main character,” Ella explains. “Then I made a film over the holidays, entered it [in Trop Jr] and I was a finalist.” Her inspiration? “The films are sort of about me. ”Though Ella didn’t win in 2009, she has not been disheartened and has come back full force with a 2010 entry. “It’s about a girl that really wants to play guitar and her mum won’t let her,” she reveals. The talent seems to run in Ella’s family. “My little sister Maya eight] has entered this year too and her film is really good. It’s about a genie, and guess who the genie is? Me.” Does she see a film career developing a bit further down the track? “Yes. I want to be an actress and a singer.”

Kids not officially involved in the festival proceedings can still let their creative juices flow on the big day. Yumi Stynes will be hosting the event and the gang from ABC3 will be bringing their custom-built trailer, complete with radio and television studio. Throughout the day kids can star in and produce their own shows, learn how to build a website, or indulge in the more classical art forms with Crayola and Oxfam’s colour and drawing activities.

“It was fun!” says Ella about last year’s event. “I invited some of my friends to see it, but one got confused and ended up at the adult festival and missed my film.” We can’t let that happen again, so let’s be clear on the specifics: Trop Jr takes place before the main Tropfest event at a site adjacent to the main stage. Screenings start at 1pm.