- 2012 Tropscore winner Ben Allen.
Alice Springs musician Ben Allen has won the APRA Tropscore Competition, at this year’s Tropfest Short Film Festival, held in Sydney.
Also working under the name Yellow Streetlight and Broadwing, Allen beat 900 other entrants, by composing an original music score to the short film Returning, by Amelia Olsen-Boyd.
The film score was his first, and with the $5000 prize money Ben says that he now has “the funds to buy studio equipment and the chance to speak to people in the film industry.”
A record amount of musicians and composers entered Tropscore this year, boosted by the APRA support of the competition.
- Ben Allen performing at Feedback on 5ive’(Acoustic), in Alice Springs in 2011. Pic: Megan Spencer
Festival director John Polson said “We’ve had more entries for Tropscore this year than any of our previous years. Because of APRA’s connections… we were able to reach out to even more emerging musicians.”
The judging panel included Australian musicians Dave Faulkner from the Hoodoo Gurus, and goth music legend-turned-movie composer Lisa Gerrard (The Insider, Gladiator).
Returning will be screened to over 150 000 people on February 19, as part of the Tropfest national screening program. Now in its 20th year, Tropfest is billed as “the world’s largest short film festival”.
Music NT congratulates Ben on this big win! Looking forward to hearing more music from you soon!
- Read more about Ben Allen performing at 2011 iNTune Alice Springs and on ABC Radio
- Read an interview with him on the Music NT website.
- Hear his music online at Yellow Streetlight and Broadwing.
Words: Megan Spencer. Sources: Inside Film, APRA
