There’s no place like the Writer’s Conference at Austin to not only learn about your craft, but to build community.
AFF has been instrumental in launching the careers of writers for over three decades. Ryan Ederer, 2019 Drama Teleplay Pilot Semifinalist for The Sick and the Feared and 2023 Comedy Feature Winner for A Forest Through the Trees, is a true testament of success found at AFF. Scroll to read more about Ryan’s journey with AFF, and his career advancements as a screenwriter since attending the Festival.
Someone once told me that working as a screenwriter is just as much about timing as it is talent. When I first heard of AFF in 2019, I had finally written my first pilot based on a feature I had written years ago. While there are plenty of festivals and competitions to submit features, I’d never submitted a pilot to any sort of competition. But I had heard good things about Austin, so I figured what the hell. Let’s give it a go.
A few months later, I was told I was a semi-finalist and I booked my ticket to see what the festival was all about. If you’ve never attended, it’s a very long weekend filled with drinking, panels, drinking, meeting writers both on your level and those who have reached the top of the industry, and then more drinking. I had shown up with my career feeling scattered but left with a singular focus. And that meant finding a manager with my AFF script as ammo.
That pilot was about a worldwide pandemic. I sent it to 150 managers in March of 2020. Needless to say, people did not love the topic at the time.
But the success from the festival was eventually enough for me to secure reps and kick things off in the right direction. With a new manager and a slew of new scripts under my belt, things were finally starting to pick up as producers and studios started to take notice…
In May, 2023. Right as everyone went on strike.
Fortunately, my manager suggested that the new feature we were about to go out with would be great for AFF and to submit and see what happens. Smash cut to October, the strike had ended and I won the Feature Screenplay – Comedy award. I’m now working with several major producers on projects that are about to go to market. We will see how well the timing goes this time around.
AFF is always a home to help remind you that this industry has a million ups and downs, but you can always fall back on knowing that there are others out there who share your passion for the craft. Timing may be everything, but having a constant like Austin Film Festival will keep reminding you year after year that telling stories you love will always prevail. I’m looking forward to attending the next one.