Mentor bio

John Polson is an established filmmaker, actor and writer, as well as the founder and creative director of Sony Tropfest and Executive Producer of the Tropfest Feature Program. In 1997, the Australian Film Institute awarded John the Byron Kennedy Award for his contribution to the Australian film industry as the Director of Tropfest, and in 1998 he won the AFI Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in The Boys. As a director, his films have earned both critical praise and achieved commercial success, with Swimfan opening at number 1 at the US box office. John's latest feature film, Tenderness, in which he directs Russell Crowe and Laura Dern, is expected out in 2008. He is also currently a producer-director on the hit TV series, Without A Trace. John Polson’s support of emerging filmmakers is already well known around the world, which is why we are thrilled to offer the Film winner of SOYA08 the opportunity to learn from one of Australia’s finest.