After the devastating news broke yesterday that Tropfest had been cancelled this year due to “a terrible and irresponsible mismanagement of Tropfest funds“, the community at large came together in their grief and their desperation to do something.
Options floated ranged from crowdfunding…
So who is running a crowd funding campaign for @TROPFEST ?? Kickstarter? Where can I support? This can’t be the end of our favourite event!
— Scott Tweedie (@Scott_Tweedie) November 11, 2015
“I’d like to see the Government through Arts NSW convene discussion with the founder of Tropfest with the view to seeing how we can ensure this comes back on the state’s artistic calendar next year.” – NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley [source]
And so on and so forth.
But the 23-year-old film festival may have found a saviour in Netflix enemy #1: that of rival streaming-service Presto.
They got in contact with industry publication Mumbrella this morning, to kindly let them know Presto will step up to the plate if need be and #SaveTropfest.
“We’re certainly disappointed that such an iconic and popular event like Tropfest has been cancelled; however, we are currently exploring the possibility of showcasing the finalists’ films,” they said.
“We would be happy to make Presto available as a place for viewers to see these creative works and are exploring options with relevant parties.”
PEDESTRIAN.TV spoke to Presto, who confirmed they are looking into options to get Tropfest on screens.
Look guys – we’re currently keeping every single extremity crossed that Tropfest will pull through this fiscal fiasco in time for the December event, but there’s a teeny tiny chance that this year they’ll trade Centennial Park for your bed, and a 12m screen for your laptop.
Tropfest and chill?