Qantas has announced a new major sponsorship, including exclusive airline partner, with Tropfest Australia, the world’s largest short film festival.

Qantas Group executive brand, marketing and corporate affairs Olivia Wirth said the airline was pleased to partner with the iconic cultural event and to help attract more visitors.

“We are extremely proud to partner with Tropfest Australia and carry visitors from across Australia and overseas to the outdoor celebration of short films in Sydney,” said Wirth.

“Qantas continues to play a vital role in supporting the arts across Australia, inspiring and supporting creative young Australians in their artistic endeavours.

“Our sponsorship of this event will include the Qantas Film Cadetship, a rare six-month paid internship for the winner to work in-house at Qantas as part of our Digital and Inflight Entertainment division.”

The Qantas Film Cadetship recognises a new generation of talented Australians, giving them the professional support they need to boost their creative career.

The winner will gain experience working with a leading brand, which will help build their portfolio and expose them to a number of high profile projects.

Founder and director of Tropfest, John Polson said he was excited to be partnering Tropfest with Australia’s leading airline.

“We’re proud to partner with an organisation that celebrates great Australian stories and talented storytellers,” said Polson.

“In helping us bring people to the Festival, Qantas will help our filmmakers reach larger audiences than ever before.

“The partnership will also allow us to continue to support talented filmmakers by providing new opportunities for their work to be recognised.”

To celebrate the partnership, Qantas is launching an exclusive Tropfest channel on its Inflight Entertainment.

The on-demand channel will feature a selection of the best finalists from the past twenty years.

Festival-goers who attend the event on Sunday December 8th will have the chance to win Qantas event packs via social media channels and be part of exclusive Qantas opportunities at the event.