CAMBODIAN FILMMAKER SOTHEA INES PICKS UP TOP PRIZE AT TROPFEST SOUTH EAST ASIA 2014

Tropfest Southeast Asia 2014 Press Release | 26 Jan. 2014

In front of a crowd of over 4,000 people, the first edition of Tropfest South East Asia culminated in the Esplanade, Penang, with 24-year-old Cambodian Sothea Ines walking away with the top prize for her film, ‘Rice’. The first-time filmmaker emerged as the judge’s top choice from the group of 12 finalists, earning US$10,000 from Tropfest SEA, and a 5-day immersion trip to Los Angeles, sponsored by the Motion Picture Association (MPA­­).

Tropfest SEA is supported by the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) and Malaysia Major Events, a division of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia.

Fellow Cambodian, Polen Ly, came in as first runner up with his silent short film, “Duetto” and Ezequial Paolinelli was second runner up with his entry for Malaysia, “The Last Flight”. Ly and Paolinelli will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Tropfest in Sydney and Tropfest Arabia, respectively.

The panel of five industry expert judges, comprising Oscar-winning director Adam Elliot, Legally Blonde director Robert Luketic, top Singaporean director Glen Goei, Malaysian actress Sharifah Amani, and the director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival, Roger Garcia, came to the decision after watching all twelve films live at the Esplanade, Penang.

Sothea’s film centred around a children’s camp during the Khmer Rouge regime. Five orphan boys collect grains of rice day by day to stave off starvation, but are later caught and punished by the camp commander. The seven minute film is shot in monochrome, and is entirely without dialogue.

The finalist films were made specifically for Tropfest SEA, and all incorporated the ‘Tropfest Signature Item’(TSI), which for this edition as ‘Rice’. John Polson, the founder and director of Tropfest, announced in a pre-recorded clip from New York that the TSI for Tropfest SEA 2015 is ‘Wheel’.

Tropfest SEA Managing Director, Joe Sidek, was delighted at the turn-out at Penang’s very first Tropfest SEA. “I’m overjoyed that people came from all over the region to celebrate short film with us. There is so much filmmaking talent out there in Southeast Asia, and I think we’ve proved that Tropfest SEA is set to be one of the most important new platforms out there for the region’s creative talent.” Sidek added that the excellent crowd turnout and positive industry reaction should encourage sponsors in coming years.

Aside from the films, the inaugural Tropfest SEA also featured live musical performances from Paperplane Pursuit, Paladin and White Shoes & the Couples Company. Red FM DJs Mynn, JJ and Papi Zak acted as emcees alongside Bernie Chan and Jonathan Case, The Esplanade also played host to a variety of food and drink stalls, pop-up shops from  a range of local businesses, and a “black carpet” by which celebrity guests including Singaporean actress Tan Kheng Hua, MediaCorp artiste Gurmit Singh and director Saw Teong Hin entered and gave interviews.

All twelve finalist films are available to view online on the Tropfest SEA Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/tropfestsea.Viddsee, Tropfest SEA’s online screening partner, will be hosting the Audience Choice Award on their dedicated Tropfest SEA channel until 9 February. The public can watch and vote for their favourite film at www.viddsee.com/tropfestsea for the next two weeks. The winner will receive US$500 from Tropfest SEA and a 4D3N luxury cruise to Krabi, Thailand, sponsored by Star Cruises.