TROPFEST ANNOUNCES YOUNGCARE AS PRINCIPAL CHARITY PARTNER FOR 2026
Tropfest x Youngcare: Our Stories Matter  

22 February 2026 – Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival, is pleased to announce Youngcare as its Principal Charity Partner for its highly anticipated return in 2026. 

Built on a shared belief in the power of storytelling to create change, the partnership unites two organisations committed to giving a voice to the unseen. For over 30 years, Tropfest has democratised storytelling, providing a platform for emerging filmmakers to be seen, heard and celebrated. Youngcare, meanwhile, works tirelessly to be the voice for young Australians with complex and permanent physical disabilities who are too often unseen, overlooked, and living in inappropriate housing and hospitals. 

The Tropfest x Youngcare partnership is about visibility, dignity and representation. It recognises that stories –  whether told on screen or lived every day – have the power to challenge assumptions, connect communities and drive real change. 

Actor, producer and Tropfest Jury President Margot Robbie said, “Tropfest has always been about opening doors and giving people a chance, so partnering with Youngcare feels like a perfect union. I’m so supportive of the need to keep raising awareness regarding the incredible work Youngcare does.  To have Tropfest align with Youngcare provides the platform they need to ensure young people in our communities needing assistance, will receive the care and respect they so richly deserve.” 

Clare Stewart Youngcare CEO said, “We’re deeply grateful to Tropfest for welcoming Youngcare as its Principal Charity Partner. Disability can touch anyone, at any time, and when it does, families are often left trying to navigate an incredibly complex system. Youngcare is here to walk alongside them, helping restore choice, dignity and independence. Support like Tropfest’s means we can be there when people need us most.”  

Tropfest attendees will have the ability to donate to Youngcare at the event and can donate any time via the Youngcare website.  

Tropfest returns to Sydney’s Centennial Park on Sunday, 22 February 2026. The event is FREE to attend and will be livestreamed globally on YouTube. For more information, visit tropfest.com or follow @tropfest on socials.

Tropfest History:  

Launched in 1993 by Polson, Tropfest was started “by accident” with a screening for 200 people at Tropicana Caffé in Darlinghurst, Sydney showing Polson’s self-described “pretty average” short film “Surry Hills: 902 Spring Roll”. 

Since those humble beginnings, Tropfest quickly grew to become the largest platform for short films in the world, with hundreds of films submitted each year. Previously, audiences of up to 100,000 have been recorded at the live events where 16 finalist films are screened to the public, making Tropfest one of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest cultural icons. With broadcast and online audiences including the official Tropfest YouTube channel, this number has now swelled to millions across the globe. 

Notable alumni of Tropfest include leading actors, directors and others working in Australia and internationally such as Nash Edgerton (“Deadline”, “The Square”, “Mr Inbetween”), Joel Edgerton (“Monkeys”, “The Great Gatsby”, “Red Sparrow”), Bruna Papandrea (“Paris Texas”, “Big Little Lies”, “The Last Anniversary”, “Nine Perfect Strangers”, “The Undoing”), Rebel Wilson (“Bargain!”, “Pitch Perfect”), Murray Bartlett (“Muffled love”, “The White Lotus”, “The Last of Us”), David Wenham (“The Red Dress”, “Spit”), Robert Connolly (“Rust Bucket”, “The Dry”, “Balibo”), Alethea Jones (“Lemonade Stand”, “High Potential”, “Queen America”, “Fun Mom Dinner”), Genevieve Clay-Smith, director and co-founder of Bus Stop Films (“Be My Brother”), Damon Gameau (“Animal Beatbox”, “That Sugar Film”, “Future Council”), Patrick Hughes (“The Lighter”, “The Expendables”)  Abe Forsythe (“Shock”, “Wolf Like Me”, “Little Monsters”), Gregor Jordan (“Swinger”, “Two Hands”, “Ned Kelly”), Adam Zwar (“Wilfred”, “Rush”), Tony Rogers (“Wilfred”, “Bruce”), Justin Kurzel (“Meeting Misty Rain”, “Snowtown, “Macbeth”, “Nitram”), Mia Wasikowska (“September”, “Alice in Wonderland”, “Jane Eyre”), Sam Worthington (“A Matter For Life”, “Avatar”), Xavier Samuel (“September”, “Adore”, “A Few Best Men”), Patrick Brammall (“Shock”, “Offspring”, “Colin from Accounts”), Harriet Dyer (“The Mother Situation”, “Colin From Accounts”, “Love Child”), Sophie Lowe (“A Man Walks Into A Bar”, “Beautiful Kate”, “Adore”), Stephen Curry (“Self Serve”, “The Castle”, “The King”), Rhys Wakefield (“A Man Walks Into A Bar”, “Endless Love”, “True Detective”), Nicholas Hamilton (“Time”, “Captain Fantastic”, “The Dark Tower”) and Alyssa McClelland (“Nic & Shauna”, “Sex Education”, “Everything Now”). 

Since its inception, Tropfest has successfully staged 29 Main Events in Sydney as well as countless smaller satellite events across the USA, China, Africa, Southeast Asia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Middle East, the United Kingdom and many more. The support and involvement of film personalities has been a major drawcard of the festival since the beginning, with Australian and international celebrities such as Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Samuel L. Jackson, Baz Luhrmann, Keanu Reeves, George Miller AO, Ewan McGregor, Rose Byrne, Naomi Watts, Sam Neill and dozens more judging, attending and supporting past Tropfests. 

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