Austin Film Festival is excited for the return of the Capri Residency Fellowship for 2019! This fellowship aims to provide a place where writers can hone their voice in order to tell the stories only they can tell.
The winner of the Drama Feature Screenplay Award for 2019 will be provided the opportunity to stay at the Capri Residency in Marfa, TX in order to further develop their screenplay in the unique environment that only West Texas can provide.
Read about the experiences of our 2017 Drama Feature Screenplay Winner, Caroline Hopkins, below:
Marfa. There’s just something special about it. A bit off the beaten path. A bit of effort required to get there. But long after you’ve left, you find yourself thinking about going back.
I spent two full weeks in Marfa, Texas for the Capri Residency. For the first week, I devoted myself from 9am to 5pm to writing. I did a page-one rewrite of my AFF-winning screenplay, completed a 1/2 hr serialized pilot, submitted an application for a fellowship, and started work on another feature-length screenplay.
Aside from my daily morning coffee trips to Frama and a few nightly cocktails at The Capri Bar, I spent the majority of that first week inside the residency space, a quaint desert cottage with a bedroom, kitchen, living room, and lounge. A walk out the back door led to the enclosed garden, washroom, outdoor dining space, and stone fireplace. A private oasis with the occasional wildlife visitor. The lounge served as my writer’s room, a bright space with bare walls and large windows. The natural light kept me attentive. The simplicity prevented distraction. My productivity begot even more productivity.
By the second week, the peach tree in the garden could barely sustain the weight of its fruit. (This called for fresh peach margaritas, of course!) And it was during this second week, I ended my self-imposed isolation and explored all that Marfa had to offer: a self-guided tour at the Chinati Foundation, a visit to Ballroom Marfa, an evening telescope viewing at the McDonald Observatory, a dip at Bar Nadar (the Hotel Saint George pool), and a trip to Marfa Maid Dairy to sample the goat cheese and mingle with the goats. Oh, and the food! A donut at Buns N’ Roses, queso at Al Campo, shrimp at Cochineal, pasta at Stellina. Even two weeks wasn’t enough time to sample all of Marfa’s offerings.
If food, art, and goats don’t inspire you, then a sky full of stars surely will. Away from the city lights, my midnight star walks provided silence, stillness, and introspection.
Marfa. It wasn’t easy to get there, but I hope one day I can make it back.
Are you interested in competing in our Drama Feature Screenplay Competition?
Submit your screenplay to the 26th Annual Austin Film Festival at the link HERE!