Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference to Receive $30,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
Austin, Texas (January 14, 2025) — Austin Film Festival (AFF) is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Grants for Arts Projects award of $30,000. This grant will support the AFF’s annual Writers Conference and national distribution of educational resources through On Story. The NEA will award 1,127 Grants for Arts Projects awards nationwide totaling more than $31.8 million as part of the recent announcement of fiscal year 2025 grants.
“The NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country’s vibrant arts sector and communities of all types across our nation,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place, including Austin Film Festival and On Story.”
Barbara Morgan, Austin Film Festival Executive Director said, “Austin Film Festival’s On Story has been successfully capturing and disseminating conversations with leading writers, filmmakers, storytellers across the media arts for fourteen years and counting. NEA’s support of On Story helps us share rich insight from the entertainment industry’s leading writers, directors, and creatives, providing a unique collection to inspire the next generation of artists.”
On Story, which began in 2011, encompasses recorded panel conversations from AFF’s Annual Writers Conference edited into a free, educational media resource on public TV and radio stations nationwide. Since its inception, On Story TV has demonstrated successful growth on the PBS network, currently reaching 87% of the US markets. On Story TV has produced nearly 200 episodes including two Lone Star Emmy Award winning episodes: “Breaking Bad: A Conversation with Vince Gilligan” and “Script to Screen: Arrival.” The upcoming 15th Season of On Story will feature conversations with Lucasfilm’s President Kathleen Kennedy, Last of Us creator Craig Mazin, Fargo creator Noah Hawley, and Shōgun creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo. Episodes are also available on the On Story website, onstory.tv, via YouTube, and housed as part of the digital archive at the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University.
For more information on projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
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About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. To learn more, visit arts.gov or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference
Entering its thirty-second year, Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television, theater, and new media. AFF champions the work of aspiring and established storytellers by providing unique cultural events and services, enhancing public awareness and participation, and encouraging dynamic and long-lasting community partnerships. This project is supported in part by the Texas Commission on the Arts. The 32nd Annual Austin Film Festival will take place October 23 – 30, 2025. All attendees and events are based on permitting schedules and are subject to change and/or cancellation without notice. Badges and passes are available for purchase online at www.austinfilmfestival.com or by phone at 1-800-310-FEST.
Contacts:
Travis Broughton
Austin Film Festival Marketing Director
512-478-4795
marketing@austinfilmfestival.com