Ex-local makes film festival shortlist

CREATIVE: Allan George.PHOTO/SUPPLIED

A former Rotorua man has made the finals for Tropfest, the world's largest short film festival, for the fourth year in a row.

Allan George, 28, who attended Western Heights High School, said he always had a passion for creativity.

"I have always been creative, ever since I was a kid and I love writing and that took me into screen writing where my passion lies."

This year Mr George entered his short film, Lon-Done, about a Kiwi man on an OE in London who is longing for home.

He said it was pretty amazing to be picked as a finalist again.

"I didn't think I would get in twice let alone four times. The competition has got bigger and bigger each year with more competitors, so it's a real testament to get picked as a finalist four times," Mr George said.

He currently holds the record for most times in a Tropfest final, taking the mantle from Matt Noonan in Australia with three appearances.

Recently Mr George won the Best Screenplay award at the LA Shorts Fest (which is both Academy Award accredited and British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) accredited) with his screenplay, Everybody Has a Thing.

He said he wanted to get commission funding for that short film and then move on to a feature film "in the same tone".

Mr George was awarded the Top Film Student Award at the SAE Institute in Parnell, Auckland, in 2007.

Since then he has worked on more than a dozen music videos for some of New Zealand's top artists.

He currently works as a Sky TV camera operator/editor and producer.

Mr George will find out if he is the overall winner at Tropfest New Zealand on February 27 in New Plymouth.

-For more information, go to www.tropfest.com/nz/attend/new-plymouth/