Barbara Singer won the Best Actress award at Tropfest NY 2008 for her title role in Jonathan Emmerling’s Mrs. Jones Friday night, September 26, 2008.

The audience went wild over Barbara’s acceptance speech. Here it is:

“It was a privilege to be in Jonathan Emmerling’s wonderful film. I am grateful for my study of Aesthetic Realism and all of the consultants and teachers at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation here in New York City, and particularly my acting teacher, Anne Fielding, for making it possible for me to have this new career in acting, which I love. I am grateful to Jon Polson and all of the judges and Nicole Kidman for this wonderful award. I shall be grateful for all of these things for the rest of my life.”

Mrs. Singer’s $1,000 award was sponsored by Nicole Kidman in this event known as the world’s largest short film festival.  The panel of judges included Julianne Moore, Billy Crudup, Radha Mitchell, Malcolm Gladwell, James Gray, Christine Vachon, Bruna Papandrea, and Nash Edgerton.

Mrs. Jones was one of eight finalists films presented Friday night in the World Financial Center Plaza. Writer and director Jonathan Emmerling, third place winner at last year’s Tropfest @ Tribeca, is part of Untucked Films, an award winning independent production company based in Brooklyn, NY.

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TROPFEST NY 2008 WINNERS & TSI ANNOUNCED!

SHORT FILM MADE ON CELL PHONE WINS TOP $20,000 PRIZE AT TROPFEST NY; MOORE, CRUDUP JOIN THOUSANDS AT WORLD'S LARGEST SHORT FILM FEST

Jason van Genderen's Mankind Is No Island – a 3 ½ minute film that was shot entirely on a cell phone – took home the top $20,000 prize last night at Tropfest NY, the world's largest short film festival.

Thousands of New Yorkers turned out for the free, outdoor event to see the world premieres of eight short films. The films, which can now be viewed online at www.youtube.com/tropfest, were selected from more than 100 submissions from around the world. They spanned the spectrum from comedy to drama, and all include this year’s Tropfest Signature Item (TSI) – “sunflower.”

A panel of luminaries, including Julianne Moore, Billy Crudup, bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point, Blink), actress Radha Mitchell (High Art), directors James Gray (The Yards, We Own The Night)and Nash Edgerton (The Square), and producers Christine Vachon (Far From Heaven) and Bruna Papandrea (MILK) selected the night's best film live in front of the massive crowd - as well as the Best Actor and Actress prizes, which were sponsored by Nicole Kidman.

In addition to receiving a $20,000 cash prize, sponsored by Citi, van Genderen will receive a First Look Feature Film Deal from GreeneStreet Films, one of New York's leading production and financing companies, and two round-trip tickets to Australia, courtesy of Qantas Airlines.

Mankind Is No Island uses found signage on the streets of New York and Sydney to tell a touching story from the very heart of two cities and was shot entirely on a cell phone. The entire budget for the film was $57.

“We are thrilled about the turnout and the crowd’s response to this year’s films”, said Tropfest founder and director John Polson (Hide and Seek, Swimfan). “Jason’s film really exemplifies what Tropfest is all about – original, unforgettable filmmaking.”

The top acting prizes were awarded to Barbara Singer for the film Mrs. Jones and Jonathan Harford for TheWildflower. The crowd also picked Mankind Is No Island as its favorite film, via an SMS vote at the end of the screenings.

Previously presented as Tropfest@Tribeca in association with the Tribeca Film Festival, Tropfest NY 2008 marks the first time the free public outdoor festival was presented independently by Tropfest and Polson.

Tropfest originated at the well-known Tropicana Café in Sydney in 1993. Over the past fifteen years, it has evolved into the “Olympics of Short Film” and into an Australian cultural phenomenon with the festival screening live via satellite to over 150,000 people in eight cities across the continent.

Tropfest NY’s sponsors include: Brookfield Properties, Qantas, Macquarie, Deloitte, Citi, Daily News, YouTube and NYmag.com.

PRIZES:

2nd Place

It All Starts With The Shoes by Ben Pietor

3rd Place

The Wildflower by Charles Divak

People's Choice Award

Mankind Is No Island by Jason van Genderen

Next year's Tropfest NY 2009 Signature Item is "BALLOON"