About
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- - About
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    - Austin Film Festival furthers the art and craft of storytelling by inspiring and championing the work of writers, filmmakers, and all artists who use written and visual language to tell a story.
      In addition to an 8 day film festival and 4 day Conference, we offer Year Round Events, a Young Filmmakers Program, a TV show, Radio show, Podcast and more!
      Austin Film Festival is really about creativity, about trying to help people find their voice. And it’s fun.”
      - Ron Howard, 2009 Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award Recipient
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  - Staff
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    - The folks [at AFF] share our passion…Which is, of course, why they are so damn adept at crafting a conference that manages to satisfy the needs and desires of all of us attending.”
      -Scott Rosenberg, screenwriter
      Get to know the faces and stories of the people who run the show for the Austin Film Festival!
      Want to work with us? We're always looking for folks to join our team whether it's through volunteering or interning or working with us on staff. Check out our current opportunities below.
    - Check out our job opportunities!
    - Intern with us!
    - Or volunteer!
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  - Board
  - FAQs
  - Get Involved
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    - Membership
      Exclusive screenings, script readings, Conversations in Film, parties and more!
      - Membership
      - Corporate Membership
    - Donate
      Not only is your donation tax deductible, but your support helps us to further the art and craft of filmmaking in our state.
      - Donate
    - Intern
      We're always looking for interns to join our team and be an integral part of pulling off our incredible programs!
      - Intern
    - Volunteer
      Volunteers are a huge part of what we do at AFF. Plus, we have a ton of fun!
      - Volunteer
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  - Sponsors and Partners
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    - Sponsor
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  - Testimonials
  - Accessibility
  - Contact
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    - Newsletter
      Subscribe to our newsletter to stay in touch!
      - Sign up!
    - Press
      Feel free to contact us with any press inquiries.
      - Press Inquiries
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What We Do
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- - On Story
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    - WATCH
      - The weekly, 30-minute television series features interviews with today’s leading creators, writers and filmmakers.
    - LISTEN
      - The one-hour radio program & our podcast both feature the creative minds behind True Detective, The Graduate & more.
    - READ
      - Praised as recommended reading by film and media studies professors and filmmakers alike, the book offers introspections and recollections on the creative process.
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  - Film Festival
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    - 8 days of film
      Join us in Oct for over 180 films, Q&As, indie breakouts, narrative and documentary competition features, classic retrospectives, and a stellar shorts program.
      
      Purchase your Film Pass while you still can!
      This pass will get you into any of our venues across Austin! It is perfect for first time attendees who want a taste of the excitement at AFF and the opportunities to see this year’s award-season contenders alongside little indie gems and everything in between. Get on the FP notification list so you don't miss any updates!
      - Film Pass Notification List
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  - Conference
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    - 4 days of amazing panels
      
      It started as a getaway weekend for great barbecue, and has become a pilgrimage. Going to the Austin conference is like stepping into a time machine and returning to that day, that moment in time when you fell in love with movies and the idea of making them. And living a whole week feeling that feeling.”
      Terry Rossio, writer Shrek, Aladdin, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise
      
      Screenwriters all live in Los Angeles, but they only seem to meet in Austin.”
      Michael Green, writer The Green Lantern, Kings, Heroes, Smallville, upcoming Blade Runner reboot
      
      I was completely surprised by the scale of AFF. Apparently, everything is bigger in Texas, including the hospitality. If you’ve never been to Austin it’s a great time to go. One of the best film festivals you’ll ever experience.”
      Chris Carter, creator The X-Files, The Lone Gunmen
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  - Competitions
  - Young Filmmakers Program
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    - AFF’s Young Filmmakers Program introduces the arts of screenwriting and filmmaking to young people, ages 9-18, and provides them with venues for developing their storytelling talents. Here are a few of our programs:
    - Competition
      The competition is free to enter and open to youth filmmakers ages 12 to 18! The competition opens DECEMBER 6th!
      - Competition
    - Camps & Classes
      Check out our workshops that help kids and young adults create their very own fabulous short films!
      - Summer Camps and Classes
      - Virtual Film Camp
    - Digital Storytelling
      Our program works with schools to improve communication skills through film.
      - Digital Storytelling
    - Festival Scholarships
      Austin Film Festival’s Young Filmmakers Scholarship Program grants access to over 300 scholarships for students and teachers in middle and high school.
      - Festival and Conference Scholarship
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  - Student Opportunities
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    - Did you know that Austin Film Festival provides group discounts to students at colleges, universities, and specialty schools? Consistently considered by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee,” AFF allows participating writers and filmmakers to measure themselves against the very best, while also providing valuable networking and learning opportunities.
    - Did you know that Austin Film Festival provides group discounts to students at colleges, universities, and specialty schools? Consistently considered by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee,” AFF allows participating writers and filmmakers to measure themselves against the very best, while also providing valuable networking and learning opportunities.
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  - Year-Round Events
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    - Check out our year-round opportunities to attend conversations with industry pros, advance screenings, special retrospectives, filmmaker Q&As, parties and more!
    - Calendar of Events
      Whether it's a networking event, workshop, conversation in film, or screening we've always got something coming up!
      - Calendar of Events
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  - Summer Camps & Classes
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    - It’s back!
      The critically-acclaimed and uber-loved Summer Film Camps & Classes, presented by Austin Film Festival, returns this June with rocking workshops that promise to teach, inspire, and help kids and young adults create their very own fabulous, funny, thought-provoking, heartbreaking, award-winning (you never know!) short films.
      
      The opportunity to work with an instructor who has real world experience in the film industry during summer camp made a real impact on my [teen]. He loved everything about his camp experience!"
      - Register Now!
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  - Parties
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    - 8 Days of Parties
      We offer a variety of parties beyond film screenings with opportunities for networking or just having fun. We’re party people!
      - Learn More!
    - Film & Food
      Amazing food! Amazing drinks! Amazing night! Our Film & Food fundraising gala benefits our Young Filmmakers Program.
      - Film & Food
    - Awards Luncheon
      Each year at the Festival, we celebrate the year’s honorees and competition winners at the Awards Luncheon.
      - Awards Luncheon
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  - Membership Program
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What Should I Buy?

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You Get...	Film Pass	Lone Star Badge	Weekend Badge	Conference Badge	Producers Badge
	All 8 Days of Film
All 8 Days of Film
	Priority Access to all films (before Film Passes and General Admission)
Priority Access to all films (before Film Passes and General Admission)	—
	Exhibit Hall
Exhibit Hall	—
	Access to Awards Luncheon with Luncheon Ticket Purchase
Access to Awards Luncheon with Luncheon Ticket Purchase	—	—	—
	All Panels on Thursday
All Panels on Thursday	—	—	—
	All Panels on Friday
All Panels on Friday	—	—	—
	All Panels on Saturday
All Panels on Saturday	—
	All Panels on Sunday
All Panels on Sunday	—	—

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Conference

AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL ENDERBY ENTERTAINMENT FILMMAKING FELLOWSHIP AWARD AND JURY ADVISORY PROGRAM

05/18/2020 AFF Blog, Announcements, Competitions, Conference, Festival & Conference, Film Competition, News, Press, Press Releases

For inquiries, contact Kelly Lafargue marketing@austinfilmfestival.com o 512.478.4795 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Austin, TX - May 18, 2020 - Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference (AFF), the premier film festival recognizing the writers’ contributions to... Read More

Awardees Archive

05/08/2020 Annual Festival Winners, Awardees, Festival & Conference

Recipients of the Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting (previously the Distinguished Screenwriter Award) 2019 Ron Bass (writer Rain Man) 2018 Tony Gilroy (writer Michael Clayton) 2017 Kenneth Lonergan (writer Manchester By The Sea) 2016 Nancy... Read More

TRICKS OF THE TRADE: WRITING FOR THE YOUNG ADULT GENRE

02/12/2020 AFF Blog, Tricks of the Trade, Writing Wisdom

The long-awaited sequel to AFF 2019 panelist Sofia Alvarez’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before hits Netflix today, and we can’t wait to see where this story goes next. Alvarez captivated audiences of all... Read More

TRICKS OF THE TRADE: CRAFTING COMPLICATED CHARACTERS

02/05/2020 AFF Blog, Tricks of the Trade, Writing Wisdom

Regular AFF panelist Christina Hodson’s Birds of Prey hits theaters on Friday, following supervillain-turned-protagonist Harley Quinn, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for this complicated character. So, what goes into creating a truly... Read More

TRICKS OF THE TRADE: TACKLING WRITER’S BLOCK

01/29/2020 AFF Blog, Tricks of the Trade, Writing Wisdom

Writing can be a daunting task, and oftentimes the hardest part of the process is facing that blank page. So, what can you do to overcome these obstacles and what steps can you take to... Read More

TRICKS OF THE TRADE: CREATING GREAT TELEVISION WITH PHIL ROSENTHAL

01/22/2020 AFF Blog, Tricks of the Trade, Writing Wisdom

From his beloved sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond to his food and culture centered docuseries Somebody Feed Phil, Phil Rosenthal has an undeniable knack for creating entertaining and engaging TV series that resonate with a wide... Read More

Sibling Bond by Siqi Song

01/13/2020 AFF Blog, Awardees, Guest Blog, News

Siqi Song, winner of the Jury Award for an Animated Short for her film SISTER. The genesis of SISTER came from my personal experience. The idea of telling a story about siblings has been in... Read More

Remembering Buck Henry 1930 – 2020

01/13/2020 AFF Blog, Awardees, News, Panelists, ubermenu

Click here to listen to the On Story episode - Comedy Legends: Buck Henry, Harold Ramis, Judd Apatow, and Larry Wilmore Beloved comedy writer and actor Buck Henry passed away at the age of 89.... Read More

Celebrating our Pitch Finalists with Roadmap Writers!

12/24/2019 AFF Blog, Annual Festival Winners, Conference, Festival & Conference, News, Sponsors

This year we were lucky to have Roadmap Writers as the exclusive sponsor of the Pitch Competition and Finale Party! The judging panel consisted of Emmy-Winning writer Craig Mazin (Chernobyl), Aline Brosh McKenna (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) and... Read More

AFF at Home: Wrapping Up

Welcome to week ten of AFF at Home! We’ve reached the end of Austin Film Festival’s AFF at Home project but, like any writer knows, it can be difficult to tell when a project is... Read More

AFF at Home: Animation

Welcome to week nine of AFF at Home! For those of you just joining us – AFF at Home is Austin Film Festival’s way of promoting a sense of community, engagement, and creativity in a... Read More

AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL ENDERBY ENTERTAINMENT FILMMAKING FELLOWSHIP AWARD AND JURY ADVISORY PROGRAM

For inquiries, contact Kelly Lafargue marketing@austinfilmfestival.com o 512.478.4795 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Austin, TX - May 18, 2020 - Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference (AFF), the premier film festival recognizing the writers’ contributions to... Read More

AFF at Home: Nonfiction & Fiction Adaptations

Welcome to week eight of AFF at Home! For those of you just joining us – AFF at Home is Austin Film Festival’s way of promoting a sense of community, engagement, and creativity in a... Read More

AFF at Home: Writing for Episodic

Welcome to week seven of AFF at Home! For those of you just joining us – AFF at Home is Austin Film Festival’s way of promoting a sense of community, engagement, and creativity in a... Read More

AFF at Home: Comedy

Welcome to week six of AFF at Home! For those of you just joining us – AFF at Home is Austin Film Festival’s way of promoting a sense of community, engagement, and creativity even in... Read More

Announcing: Deadline Extension & Virtual Pitch Competition!

The Script Competitions Late Deadline Extended to June 1, 2020! Due to the ongoing pandemic, we want to give you all a little more time to finish and polish off your scripts. We’ll now be... Read More

AFF at Home: Action & Description

Welcome to week five of AFF at Home! For those of you just joining us – AFF at Home is Austin Film Festival’s way of promoting a sense of community, engagement, and creativity even in... Read More

AFF at Home: Setting

Welcome to week four of AFF at Home! For those of you just joining us – AFF at Home is Austin Film Festival’s way of promoting a sense of community, engagement, and creativity even in... Read More

AFF at Home: Dialogue

Welcome to week three of AFF at Home! For those of you just now joining us – AFF at Home is Austin Film Festival’s way of promoting a sense of community, engagement, and creativity even... Read More

AFF at Home: Character Q&A with Brian Helgeland

We collected your questions from the AFF at Home: Character page and social media for Brian Helgeland for a virtual Q&A about creating character. Brian Helgeland, writer L.A. Confidential, Mystic River, writer & director A... Read More

AFF at Home: Character

Welcome to week two of AFF at Home! For those of you just joining us – AFF at Home is Austin Film Festival’s way of promoting a sense of community, engagement, and creativity even in... Read More

AFF at Home: Spark Your Story Q&A with Wendy Calhoun

We collected your questions from the AFF at Home: Spark Your Story page and social media for Wendy Calhoun for a virtual Q&A about how to get a new project going. Wendy Calhoun, writer/producer EMPIRE,... Read More

AFF at Home: Spark Your Story

Welcome to week one of AFF at Home! In this time of distance and restrictions - we wanted to promote a sense of community, engagement, and creativity. AFF at Home will guide you through a... Read More

AFF at Home

We're excited for our Festival & Conference in October, but if this season has made us aware of anything - it’s that we don’t want to wait. Launching this Wednesday, we’ve created a virtual experience... Read More

Our Script Competition’s Foundation and Process

At Austin Film Festival, story comes first and foremost above all else. We fully acknowledge the hard work and passion you put into your script, and rest assured, your story is in good hands. By... Read More

Alumni Blog: Bud Force

Cowboys: A Documentary Portrait was a project created from the truest sense of passion and a need to tell a story we felt had not been told. My family moved to rural Texas from the... Read More