The short film selected for this year’s APRA Tropscore musical scoring competition has come under fire for its use of domestic violence as a punchline. Concerned Twitter users have been making their outrage known with the hasthag #‎NotRemotelyFunny‬.

Now in its fifth year, the competition is a joint venture by Tropfest, Australia’s best known independent short film festival, and APRA AMCOS, Australia’s premier copyright and royalties body, wherein musicians are given a specific film to score.

This year, the competition asked participants to create a new score for Michael Noonan’s 2013 Tropfest finalist film Remote, providing entrants with a scoreless version to download via the competition website.

However, as SBS reports, many have expressed disappointment with Tropscore’s choice of film due to its representation of domestic violence, particularly as it comes as Australia’s problem with violence against women approaches the forefront of national dialogue.

Noonan’s film depicts a man taking a long drive in the desert, looking for the site of a recent burial. After digging up a patch of dirt, the man opens a box to reveal his frightened wife inside and asks her where the television remote is.

Writing on her blog and Facebook page, composer Jennifer Kingwell called for an artistic protest against the film choice. “Using domestic violence as a punchline is not ok, ever, but especially in a year where 63 women have died violently in Australia, often by the hand of a current or former partner,” she wrote.

“Rather than boycott, we’re calling for creative dissent by submitting your femmo/anti-misogynistic audio pieces to #tropscore to say that violence against women is ‪#‎notremotelyfunny‬.” The hashtag has since gained traction on Twitter.

Many social media users have noted the lack of propriety and tact displayed in selecting a film in which domestic violence is used as a punchline, right as the federal government launches a new policy initiative to counter violence against women.

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Furthermore, Tropfest is partnered with SBS, who screened Remote as part of the full coverage of Tropfest 2013, and who are heavily funded by the Australian government. In 2012, SBS received $158 million in government funding.

APRA AMCOS have since released a statement acknowledging the concerns of critics, writing, “The film was selected for Tropscore 2015​ for its suitability – its long sweeping frames and lack of dialogue – and the director had approved the film being re-scored.”

“We acknowledge that certain scenes in the film may challenge some people, notwithstanding the darkly satirical nature of the film. Given the level of domestic violence reported over recent months, we could and should have approved a more appropriate film choice.

“We will liaise with the 65 entrants on what action they would like us to take.” Readers can watch Remote, in its original form as shown at Tropfest 2013, in the embed below.

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