After his red carpet appearance and a little swanning around with the who’s who of the movie industry, he sat down with 95,000 people in Centennial Park Sydney on Sunday to watch the winning entries.

He entered a short documentary that follows an unnamed soldier on an eight-month deployment in Afghanistan.

His story is told through the narration of a letter to the soldier’s mother. 

When Mr Abood’s film hit the screen the crowd was captivated.

“That was such an adrenalin rush to be sitting with that many people watching my film. And they were silent,” he said.

Once the film ended the silence was shattered by ear splitting applause.

“It was a pretty cool rush,” he said.

“The whole event was awesome, a lot of fun.

“I took a couple of friends from Nowra; we were just laughing while walking the red carpet together.

“Before the screenings we were at the back of the VIP area, there was an open bar and I got to mingle with other filmmakers.

“Then they announced who won. I was shocked to hear my name. I didn’t expect to get anything. 

“We got into the VIP after party which was fun and I think we got to bed at 4am.”

Mr Abood said he was not sure what happens as far as film promotion goes from here but was already planning his entry for next year,” he said.

“I’ll definitely have another crack at it next year.

“It’s given me a little bit of weight in the industry which will help when looking for funding and equipment.

“Getting something at Tropfest means you’ve proven yourself a bit.

“But like they say in this industry you’re only as good as your last film. 

“There’s a bit of pressure,” he said.