Tropfest

thumb|Tropfest in Sydney, February 2011 Tropfest, originally named Tropicana Short Film Festival, is an Australian short film festival held in Sydney. After being founded by actor/director John Polson in 1993, it became the largest platform for short films in the world. Lack of funding caused its cancellation in 2015, with the next festival taking place in Centennial Park in February 2016 after funding was sourced. The 2017 Tropfest was held in Parramatta Park. It went on hiatus after the 2019 event after experiencing financial difficulties, but returned in February 2026 at Centennial Park.

==History== ===Australia=== The festival's name is derived from the first year's location—the Tropicana Caffe in Darlinghurst, an inner-eastern suburb of Sydney. It was established in 1993 by Australian-born filmmaker John Polson, who had originally, by arrangement with the proprietor of the Tropicana Caffe, screened his short film Surry Hills: 902 Spring Roll there, for an audience comprising cast, crew, and friends which grew to 200. In 1993, he oversaw the first "Tropicana Short Film Festival", which screened nine short films.