Sydney actor and director Matt Day has taken out this year's Tropfest short film festival, winning for his dark comedy The Mother Situation.
Day, well known as a character actor who has featured in Aussie films like Muriel's Weddding and My Year Without Sex, helmed the winning film that tells the story of a family assisting an ill mother to end her life.
In 2017 Tropfest, often billed as the world's biggest short film festival, shifted from its traditional home near Sydney's CBD to Parramatta. The festival in recent times has been plagued by financial difficulties, with the move west aimed at breathing new life into the event by placing it in the geographic heart of the city.
Second prize went to Arielle Thomas and Ellenor Argyropoulos' Meat & Potatoes while Daphne Do took home third prize for her film Wibble Wobble.
Day said the win was a total surprise.
"I didn't expect this to happen. I was just really looking forward to getting my film in front of as many people as possible so receiving the win is just a bonus," he said.
"Tonight was the first time that I saw the film off of my laptop and I do my own post-production work so I was just pleased that it all came together."
Despite the extreme heat in western Sydney on Saturday, Tropfest management estimated the crowd to be around 35,000, with Mad Max: Fury Road director George Miller backing the move west.
"Tropfest fell down last year and Parramatta basically said yes, we want to get our hands on it ... When places get a bit lazy I think they begin to lack vitality," he told Fairfax Media.