NY gets "slice" of world's largest short film event

By Michelle Nichols

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - From a "slice" of pizza to "slicing" up a character, film makers put their creative spin on the word to enter Tropfest@Tribeca, a New York spin-off of the world's largest short film festival.

Sixteen short films from the United States, Britain, Norway and Australia -- chosen from 161 entries -- will compete on Sunday at the free outdoor festival that debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2006, but this year is a stand-alone event.

To ensure each movie, no longer than seven minutes, has been produced especially for Tropfest@Tribeca they must include the signature item -- slice -- said co-founder John Polson, a film director who created Tropfest in 1993 in Australia.

The Sydney-based Tropfest, which has had signature items including "sneeze" and "muffin," is seen by more than 150,000 people around Australia via simultaneous satellite screenings and finalists are chosen from more than 800 entries.

"This was always about, from day one, creating production, not just about showing old movies, it's about stimulating people to actually make new stuff," said Polson, whose next film "Tenderness," starring Russell Crowe and Laura Dern, is due out later this year.

He said Tropfest@Tribeca came about after he directed actor Robert de Niro in the 2005 hit film "Hide and Seek." De Niro founded the Tribeca Film Festival after the September 11 attacks as a way to revitalize lower Manhattan.

"We just got talking about festivals and started throwing around the idea of one at Tribeca, basically an American Tropfest," Polson said.

"In Australia it's become a major filter for some of the best filmmaking talent we have."