Things are still looking a bit shaky for Tropfest, with a Pozible campaign to secure a sustainable future for ‘the world’s largest short film festival’ reaching just $16,261 of its $100,000 target.
Last November, Tropfest founder John Polson announced the sudden cancellation of the long-running festival, blaming the “outrageous mismanagement” of funds by the event’s managers.
CGU Insurance stepped in with an offer to help, and thanks to their funding, the event was able to go ahead, albeit slightly later than planned, with the winner being announced last February 14.
In late January, Polson kicked off his Pozible campaign, calling upon fans of the festival and Australian film industry types to chuck in, in order to make the future of the festival sustainable.
As outlined in the below chart, the bulk of the $100,000 raised was be set aside for “strategic review”, with smaller amounts set aside for activities such as research and the development of future fundraising plans.
via Tropfest / Pozible.
A $25 donation would buy you a shout-out on Tropfest’s social media, and rewards ranged all the way to the $10,000 tier, which would allow you to spend festival day with Polson, and experience the “high stress, high excitement experience” of running the event.
As of last night’s 7.30pm funding deadline, the campaign was well short of its goal; according to a message on the Pozible site, all 133 pledges made so far have since been cancelled.
Reaction to this news was … mixed.
@steve_philp I don’t think I’ll be invited next year…
— Dan Ilic (@danilic) February 19, 2016
We have contacted Polson to ask what the failure of the Tropfest Pozible campaign means for the future of the festival, and are awaiting comment.
Source: Tropfest.
Photo: Pacific Press / Getty.
