FAQs

Austin Film Festival is dedicated to furthering the art, craft, and business of screenwriting and filmmaking by providing unique, year-round cultural events and services, enhancing public awareness and participation, and encouraging dynamic and long-lasting community partnerships. Austin Film Festival is a not for profit 501c3 corporation. Click here to learn more.

The Film Festival shows movies at theaters throughout downtown Austin and the surrounding area. Venues include The Paramount Theatre, The State Theatre, Alamo Drafthouse Village, The Long Center for the Performing Arts: Debra and Kevin Rollins Theatre, The Hideout Theater, and Galaxy Highland 10 Theatre. (Venues are subject to change each year). The Conference panels take place at The Driskill Hotel, Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Central Presbyterian Church, and St. David’s Church in the heart of downtown Austin.

More info on travel and lodging here!

The Conference provides over 175 inspiring and interactive panels, roundtables and meet & greets with established screenwriters and filmmakers. The Conference conducts workshops on the core elements of screenwriting and filmmaking, including dialogue, story structure and character development. Some popular panels focus on writing scripts that producers want to develop, overcoming writers block, producing your film on an indie budget, marketing your project and more.

The AFF Awards Luncheon presented by Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation will be held on Saturday, October 27th, and you can buy tickets by calling 1-800-310-FEST or purchase online with your Badge. Tickets are $65 and only Conference and Producer badge-holders may purchase a ticket. The Awards Luncheon honors the 2017 Awardees, Screenplay Competition winners, and Film Competition winners.

Opening night typically starts at 7 pm on Thursday. Films are screened all day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Afternoon matinees and evening shows are offered Monday thru Thursday. The full film schedule will be released closer to the Festival.

Yes! You can get involved by helping us prepare for the festival or by working at the actual event. Please feel free to give us a call at 512-478-4795 or email at volunteer@austinfilmfestival.com for more information. More details can be found at the Volunteer Information page.

Yes, lots! There are meet and greets with many writers and producers as well as parties where you can meet lots of people currently working in the entertainment industry. In fact, many attendees have sold their scripts and found new opportunities by attending the festival. To hear some of our success stories, visit the Success Stories page.

Badges give you priority access to all Festival films plus access to panels at the Conference as well as the parties and meet & greets offered by the Festival. Click here to purchase a Badge.
A Film Pass allows you the opportunity to see over 180 films in 8 days and grants you priority in line over single pass tickets giving you more time to get seats, popcorn, and drinks. Click here to purchase a Film Pass

Yes, individual movie tickets cost $12 per screening and are cash only. Movie tickets are $13 at the Paramount and State Theatres and can be purchased at the box office. However, we recommend buying a Film Pass that grants you access to over 180 films over the eight days of the Festival, with priority entry over individual ticket holders.

If you buy your Badge or Pass online or over the phone prior to the event, it will be available for pickup at Festival Registration located in the Driskill Hotel (604 Brazos) starting on Wednesday afternoon, October 24th.

General Film Pass Mailing

• Only Film Passes will be mailed – no badges or add-ons will be mailed
• Opt-in online by selecting “Mail ONLY my Film Pass” at an additional $5 charge
• No Film Passes will be mailed after September 30^th. After September 30^th all Film Passes must be picked up at the Driskill Hotel during registration hours starting Wednesday, October 25^th

If mailed, will I receive a registrant bag and program book?

• You will not receive a registrant bag or program book. Only Film Passes will be mailed. The only way to acquire a registrant bag is to go to Registration.
• Program books and schedules are available at every film venue. The most up-to-date schedule is available on the website.

If mailed, what about my badge(s) and add-on(s)?

• Badges and add-ons can only be picked up at registration. Registration hours at the Driskill Hotel start Wednesday, October 24^th. Registration hours will move to the AFF Tech Center (location TBD) Monday, October 29^th.

Please note: The purchaser of these tickets assumes all risk and damage incidental to the mailing of these tickets, whether occurring prior to, during, or after the mailing process. Service/Handling charges are non-refundable. Each event is subject to date, time, and location change. Not responsible for lost or stolen tickets.

If you purchase a Film Pass at an AFF year-round event you will receive the Film Pass on site. Check out our calendar of events to find out what’s coming up!

Film Passes are for sale at The Long Center box office and will soon be on sale at the Paramount Theatre box office.

Membership discounts 

Badge discounts are available to Austin Film Festival members – Associate Level and higher. For more information on membership, visit the Membership page.

Group Discounts

AFF offers special bulk pricing for groups of five or more. The group organizer will need to first call the AFF office at 512-478-4795 and ask to speak with the Screenplay Competition Administrative Coordinator or Project Manager in order to register with the discounts. Payment for each badge at the discounted rate will not be processed until all members of the group have officially registered.

If there are 10 or more registrants from one group, the group organizer will receive a complimentary Conference Badge which may be upgraded to a Producers Badge for $225. If you have already purchased a badge with us before your group has registered, you will not be refunded for the complimentary badge you receive. Complimentary badges cannot be redeemed until everyone in your party has registered and all badges have been paid for.

Group discounts are not valid with any other discount or promotional price offered by the Austin Film Festival. Each member of the group must be ready to register at one time with all information provided to Austin Film Festival upon calling in. The group discount rate will be locked once the registration is taken.

The Capital Metro Bus System, taxis, and walking are options for transportation downtown.  Bus day passes are $2.00 and are good for 24 hours; a one-way fare is $1.00.  Plus, the downtown area is very accessible for walking.

For the complete Capital Metro Bus schedule, visit their website.

It’s a common saying here: if you don’t like Texas weather, just wait five minutes. While Austin weather is not so dramatic, it can change from hot to chilly very quickly. In general, Austin sees highs of around 80 degrees Fahrenheit and lows around 60 degrees Fahrenheit in October.

The 25th annual Austin Film Festival is October 25 – November 1, 2018. Join Us!

Yes. The Conference Panels occur for the first four days of the Festival with Films screening through all eight days. Panels usually end around 5pm and films run throughout the evening. Stay tuned for more details!

Panelists photos and bios can be found on the Panelist page. All Panelists are confirmed, schedules permitting, and may be subject to change without notice.

The festival will show over 180 films during the 8 day event.

Each year, Austin Film Festival holds film competitions in 8 categories, including: Narrative Feature, Narrative Short, Narrative Student Short, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, Comedy Vanguard, Dark Matters, and Animated Short. In addition to these categories, AFF now offers a Scripted Digital Series competition for serialized content on online platforms.

AFF also presents out-of-competition Marquee Screenings, giving audiences their first opportunity to see films that will grab the spotlight during Oscar® season.

Yes. To see what badges get you into what parties, please see the grid on the Badge Page.

Of course! The Film & Food Party takes place the night before the Festival at the Driskill Hotel and raises money for our Young Filmmakers Program. Tickets can be purchased on the Film & Food Party page. Badgeholders receive a discount on the ticket price! If you’ve already purchased your badge, simply call the office to add on a Film & Food Party ticket at 512-478-4795!

• The Producers Badge grants you access to everything, including panels, all Film Festival films and to all parties!
• The Conference Badge grants you access to the four days of panels at the conference, unlimited access to the film screenings throughout the festival and entry to some of the parties, including the Late Night Welcome Party, the Pitch Finale Party, the Heart of Film Conference Party and the On Story Party.
• The Weekend Badge grants you access to the Conference on Saturday and Sunday, all films and entry to the Pitch Finale Party, the Heart of Film Conference Party and the On Story Party.
• The Lone Star Badge grants you access to Saturday panels and entry to all of the films and the Pitch Party. To purchase a badge, visit the Badges and Passes information page.

Not sure which badge is right for you?  Find out here!

The Producers, Conference, Weekend, and Lone Star Badges are on sale at a discounted price until September, then go to full price up to the Festival. Film Passes are on limited release – you can check the Film Pass Page on the website – sign up for the Film Pass Notification List to be the first to know when the next release is. Film Passes can also be purchased at all year-round events and at The Long Center box office. The Paramount Theatre box office will soon be selling Film Passes as well. Individual tickets go on sale the day of the screening, 20 minutes prior to showtime at the designated theater if seating is still available. For more information and pricing visit HERE, or order over the phone (1-800-310-FEST (3378).

Driskill Hotel:

Wednesday, October 24, 12:00pm–11:00pm
Thursday, October 25, 8:00am–11:00pm
Friday, October 26, 8:00am–11:00pm
Saturday, October 27, 8:00am–9:00pm
Sunday, October 28, 10:00am–5:00pm

Tech Center (location TBD):
Monday, October 29, 12:00pm-6:30pm
Tuesday, October 30, 12:00pm-6:30pm
Wednesday, October 31, 12:00pm-5:00pm
Thursday, November 1, 12:00pm–5:00pm

Badge Refund requests for the Festival must be in writing, and sent by U.S first class mail, postmarked by July 6th, 2018. All refunds will incur a $75 processing fee. Please send refund requests to:

Austin Film Festival
1801 Salina Street
Austin, Texas 78702

Film Passes are non-refundable for any reason.

After July 6th, 2018, all payments are non-refundable for any reason, including, but not limited to illness, acts of God, or travel related problems. Badges are non-transferable and are the property of Austin Film Festival, Inc. Refunds will be issued either via the original method of payment or other method approved by Austin Film Festival, if such original method is not available. Unused registrations cannot be credited for future year’s attendance. Find more information on our Refund & Policy Page.

We do not offer a specific area to park; however, there are several options to park downtown. There are parking garages and meters. Parking garages are available all around the downtown area and are only a few dollars to park there. Metered Parking hours are as follows: Monday-Wednesday: 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., Thursday-Friday: 8:00 a.m.-Midnight, Saturdays: 11:00 a.m.-Midnight. The hours listed will apply to all meters between Cesar Chavez and 10th Street, and between IH-35 and Lamar Blvd. Outside of that area, meters will begin operating from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Unless otherwise marked, metered on-street parking has a three-hour time limit.

While there are many great options for places to stay in Austin, Austin Film Festival has several special rates for those attending the festival. Please visit the Travel & Lodging page. To get the special rate, the room must be booked through Austin Film Festival. Please call 1-800-310-FEST(3378) to book today!