Abe Forsythe from NSW was awarded first prize at Tropfest 2010 last night by a panel of celebrity judges for his film ‘Shock’. On winning the award Forsythe, said, “It means the world to me, especially after first entering when I was 16 and winning now. I really do honestly think that Tropfest is responsible for my learning how to make films and my encouragement to keep doing it. So I feel very, very grateful”.
The panel of six celebrity judges included; Genevieve Clay, Michael & Peter Spierig, Elijah Wood, Toni Collette, & David Michôd. A host of Australian identities turned out to celebrate Australian film including Baz Luhrmann, Warwick Thornton, Peter Helliar, Claudia Karvan, Pia Miranda, Jessica Marais, Jeremy Simms, Jacki Weaver, & Les Hill.
Festival Director John Polson commented, “2010 has been one of the strongest years yet, both in terms of the quality of the films and the audience attendance. Abe’s film was a massive crowd pleaser. His skill, combined with the topical nature of his film, meant that the audience response was overwhelming. He deserved to win”.
Check out some red carpet pictures from the event in the image gallery above.