A group of Year 9 boys have made it to the finals of the TropJR short film competition this year. Presented by the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, TropJR is the junior competition of Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival. Films entered are made specifically for the festival and must be no longer than seven minutes long. The films will be screened on February 14 in Sydney’s Centennial Parklands along with live entertainment and great food and drink!

The entry of Year 9 students Christopher Spiropoulos (9/ME), Daniel Nailand (9/LE), Morgan Burkitt-Doyle (9/LE), Tom Mowat (9/JN), and Benjamin Klipin (no longer at the College) was a sci-fi/action/thriller entitled Chronophobia.

“Each year, TropJR has a specific object that must be included in the film,” explains the film’s producer Christopher Spiropoulos (9/ME). “Last year it was buttons. The way the buttons are incorporated in our film are such that the buttons have the ability to travel through time and our main character, James (played by Tom Mowat (9/JN)) goes back in time to stop his father’s death.” The boys took inspiration for their work from Christopher Nolan’s films such as Memento and Inception.

Their final film was the result of much hard work by these budding filmmakers but the opportunity provided invaluable experience and a great sense of collective achievement. “I enjoy watching the process unfold,” said the Director, Daniel Nailand (9/LE), “seeing it go from pre-production through post-production and then seeing the final product. It gives me a sense of accomplishment knowing that the hard work and effort from the team has paid off.”

Congratulations to the team on their fantastic efforts and we wish them all the best at the festival on the 14 February!