New York, NY [December 15, 2005] – Tribeca Film Festival founders Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, along with John Polson, director (Swimfan, Hide & Seek) and founder of Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival and beloved Australian cultural event supported and attended by noted actors Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Geoffrey Rush and Heath Ledger, announced today the creation of a new Tribeca Film Festival program, Tropfest@Tribeca. Tropfest@Tribeca will take place at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival and provide another outlet for short filmmakers to participate in the Tribeca Film Festival. The partnership has been formed in recognition of the critical role that short films have played in the broader filmmaking world as well as to provide an audience for the work of emerging filmmakers.

Tropfest@Tribeca will be comprised of eight short films chosen for the competition and “The Best of Tropfest,” eight short films that have previously screened at Tropfest in Australia. John Polson will serve as the Creative Director of Tropfest@Tribeca. Following the guidelines of Polson’s Tropfest, each short film must incorporate a Tropfest Signature Item (TSI) to demonstrate that it has been made specifically for Tropfest. The first Tropfest@Tribeca TSI is: "Manhole Cover". Each film must be under seven minutes in length and must be making its world premiere.

Beginning December 19, 2005 through March 10, 2006 Tropfest@Tribeca will accept short film submissions for entry into the competition. Further rules and instructions for submissions can be found at www.tribecafilmfestival.org.

“Like the Tribeca Film Festival, John Polson’s Tropfest has created a distinctive cultural event. We look forward to offering this unique experience to our community,” said Robert De Niro, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival.

“I am very excited to partner with Tribeca to create Tropfest@Tribeca. I never expected that showing one of my short films for friends and family fourteen years ago at the Tropicana Caffé in Sydney would lead to the creation of a short film festival that attracts over 150,000 people on a single night,” said John Polson. “The Tribeca Film Festival has become a landmark event for filmmakers, and I know that bringing Tropfest to Tribeca will provide significant opportunities to a new generation of short filmmakers around the world.”

“Since the inception of the Tribeca Film Festival we have sought to connect filmmakers and audiences in innovative ways,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival. “Tropfest@Tribeca offers another avenue for creativity and exposure to emerging short filmmakers”

About Tropfest
Tropfest, founded by John Polson, is the world’s largest short film festival and Australia’s most beloved public cultural event. The central aim of Tropfest is to stimulate the production of short films and provide an audience for the work of Australia's emerging filmmakers.

The festival began in the early 1990s when John Polson approached a local cafe to screen his short film for cast, crew and friends. The film, entitled Surry Hills: 902 Spring Roll, drew an amazing crowd of 200 people. Inspired by the turn out, Polson decided that a short film festival was the next step. In 1993 the Tropicana Short Film Festival was born, named after the café venue, the Tropicana Caffe.

Now in it’s 14th year and known as Sony Tropfest, the festival is the premiere creative platform for aspiring filmmakers in Australia. The films screen live via satellite to unique outdoor settings in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and Hobart to audiences in excess of 150,000 and is supported by many of Australia’s most established film identities.

The 14th annual Tropfest will be held on Sunday 26th February 2006. For more information please visit www.tropfest.com

About the Tribeca Film Festival:

The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff as a response to the attacks on the World Trade Center. Now entering its fifth year, the Festival's mission is to promote New York City as the world's independent film capital and to foster the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music, and culture. For more information, please visit www.tribecafilmfestival.org.

The 2006 Festival, presented by American Express, will take place from April 25 - May 7, 2006. The 2006 Festival will feature screenings, special events, concerts, a family street fair, and panel discussions with noted filmmakers.

American Express is the Founding Partner of the Tribeca Film Festival. Part of a multi-year relationship, the sponsorship demonstrates American Express’ dedication to the goals of the Festival and the revitalization of lower Manhattan.

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