Austin Film Festival, the premier Festival to recognize the writer’s contribution to film, television, theatre and new media, is thrilled to announce our 2019 Award winners.

• 2019 Awards and Awardees

Check out Austin Film Festival’s awardees throughout the years!

–2018—2017—2016—2015–

–2014—2013—2012—2011—2010—2009—2008—2007—2006—2005–

–2004—2003—2002—2001—2000—1999—1998—1997—1996—1995–

All awards will be presented to the Writer of the winning films, with the exception of the Documentary awards, which will be presented to the Director. The Jury Awards will be presented on Saturday, October 24, 2020, during the Austin Film Festival Awards Luncheon. Awards are based on overall merit of the entries. Jury members reserve the right not to grant an award.

Submit your film here!

AUDIENCE AWARD

Directly following each screening, viewers will be given an Audience Award ballot in order to judge each film on its overall quality and courage. Audience Awards will be awarded to Best Marquee Feature, Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Comedy Vanguard Feature, Best Dark Matters Feature, Best Texas Independent Feature, Best Stories From Abroad Feature, Best Heart of Film Feature, Best Narrative Short, Best Narrative Student Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Animated Short, and Best Produced Digital Series. Don’t forget to vote!

Award winners are announced within one week following the Festival. The Audience Award is based solely on audience voting at the film’s screening(s).

JURY AWARDS

Prizes
Each Competition Filmmaker receives two film screenings, October 22 – 29, 2020; five complimentary tickets to each of the film’s screenings; one ticket to the AFF Awards Luncheon (if in attendance, it is the preference of AFF that the writer be provided this ticket); the film featured in the AFF Program Book; and two complimentary Producers Badges to the Austin Film Festival (if in attendance, it is the preference of AFF that the writer be provided one of the complimentary Producers Badges).

Feature Films
1st Place Winners in both the Narrative Feature Category and Documentary Feature Category receive a cash prize of $2,500; reimbursement (up to $500) of one round-trip airfare to Austin to attend AFF; reimbursement (up to $500) for stay at an AFF hotel during the Festival; and the AFF Typewriter Award.  The 1^st Place Winner in the Dark Matters and Comedy Vanguard Feature Category receives a cash prize of $1,000; reimbursement (up to $500) of one round-trip airfare to Austin to attend AFF; reimbursement (up to $500) for stay at an AFF hotel during the Festival; and the AFF Typewriter Award.

Short Films
1st Place Winners receive a cash prize of $1,000 (Narrative Short Category only) or $500 (Narrative Student Short, Documentary Short, Animated Short Categories); reimbursement (up to $500) of one round-trip airfare to Austin to attend AFF; reimbursement (up to $500) for stay at an AFF hotel during the Festival; and the AFF Typewriter Award.  In addition, the winning films in the Narrative Short, Animated Short, and Documentary Short categories are eligible to be nominated for an Academy Award®.

Produced Digital Series
The winner will receive a $1000 cash prize; AFF’s bronze typewriter statue; reimbursement (up to $500) of one round-trip airfare to Austin to attend Austin Film Festival & Conference; reimbursement (up to $500) for stay at an AFF hotel during the Festival.

The Enderby Entertainment Filmmaking Fellowship Award is open to short films entered under the Narrative Short and Narrative Student Short categories. Founded by Daniel Petrie, Jr. (Beverly Hills Cop, The Big Easy) and Rick Dugdale, the production company will provide airfare and hotel accommodations for a week-long trip to Enderby’s Los Angeles offices, guidance, and the opportunity to shadow executives and filmmakers on-site.

The winner will also receive a cash prize of $1,000, reimbursement (up to $500) of one round-trip airfare to Austin to attend AFF, reimbursement (up to $500) for stay at an AFF hotel during the Festival, and the AFF Typewriter Award.

• Consideration requires an additional $20 submission fee.
• The expenses of the writer(s) and the director(s) will be covered under the fellowship (at most 2 people). If only one writer/director, only one person will be covered.

The Jury Advisory Program will facilitate opportunities for entrants across all nine of AFF’s film competition categories sourced from selected in-competition films.

Each Jury Winner per competition category and at least one additional selected in-competition filmmaker per category will have the opportunity to participate in advisory sessions with members of the AFF jury.

The jury already includes representatives from notable companies such as Pixar Animation Studios, ESPN Films, Participant, Powderkeg, Stage 13, Sony Pictures Animation, Rain Management Group, Writ-Large, and Verve.

Eligibility for the Advisory Program are as follows:

1. Only in-competition selected filmmakers are eligible for this program.
2. The Jury winner of each competition is guaranteed access to the Advisory Program along with at least one additional selected in-competition filmmaker.

All Awards are presented during the Austin Film Festival Awards Luncheon*. Those advancing to the Semifinalist level or beyond will have the option to attend exclusive panels hosted by participating panelists. They will also be included in the Producers Book, distributed to competition judges and other industry professionals.

SCREENPLAY COMPETITION PRIZES (ONE WINNER PER CATEGORY)

*Awards Luncheon tickets are only available to Producers and Conference Badge holders.

The winner of the Scripted Digital Series category will receive a $1000 cash prize; AFF’s bronze typewriter statue; reimbursement (up to $500) of one round-trip airfare to Austin to attend Austin Film Festival & Conference; reimbursement (up to $500) for stay at an AFF hotel during the Festival.

The winner of the Produced Digital Series category will receive a $1000 cash prize; AFF’s bronze typewriter statue; reimbursement (up to $500) of one round-trip airfare to Austin to attend Austin Film Festival & Conference; reimbursement (up to $500) for stay at an AFF hotel during the Festival. Additionally, all produced series finalists will be screened publicly at the Festival.

Three finalists from the Playwriting Competition will have staged readings during the festival which will be performed in front of an audience including the industry professionals already in attendance at the Conference. One winner will be selected and will receive a $1000 cash prize, AFF’s Bronze Typewriter Award, and reimbursements of up to $500 for travel and up to $500 for lodging if used during the Festival.

The Fiction Podcast Script Competition Winner receives: a $1000 cash prize, AFF’s Bronze Typewriter Award, reimbursement (up to $500) of one round-trip airfare to Austin to attend AFF, reimbursement (up to $500) for stay at an AFF hotel during the Festival.

The Capri Fellowship hopes to provide a place where writers can find their voice and tell the stories they want to tell. The winner of the Drama Feature Screenplay Award will be provided the opportunity to stay at the Capri Residency in Marfa, Texas for 2 weeks – stay must be scheduled from November 2020 – December 2021. Schedule stay to be determined by the winner(s) based on Capri Residency Availability.

This new opportunity will provide a one-on-one mentorship in Los Angeles for two fellows – one writer or writing team with a feature script and one writer or writing team with a teleplay pilot – selected from the Final Round of this year’s competition. Fellows will be chosen based on the writers and scripts that imbue the most promise for development.

Finalists in the feature and teleplay pilot categories of the Script Competition will be invited to apply and AFF will select the top writers for Josephson Entertainment to further review. The selected fellows will be announced and presented by a representative from Josephson at the Awards Luncheon on October 24, 2020. Each fellow will be flown to Los Angeles to be mentored by various executives from Josephson Entertainment to take their writing to the next level. A maximum reimbursement of $500 for airfare and maximum of $1200 for hotel will be provided per selected script for each fellow.

A classic HUMANITAS Award-winning script is both entertaining and uplifting, with stories that are beautifully crafted and characters who speak to our deepest selves. They are scripts that examine what it means to be a fully realized individual in a world struggling with racism, sexism, ageism, anti-Semitism, poverty, religious strife, and a widening political divide. They explore the human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way which brings the global community closer.

The winner of the HUMANITAS ORIGINALS will receive a $5,000 prize as well as the bronze AFF Typewriter Award. HUMANITAS will review the top scripts submitted in the category and will determine the finalists and one winner. Finalists will be given the opportunity to meet with representatives from HUMANITAS during AFF’s Writers Festival, which will be held this October 22 – 29, 2020.

This category is open to feature scripts that are kid-friendly or tailored for a family audience. Three Scholastic Entertainment judges will evaluate scripts that reach the final round and select one winner. The winner will receive a $5,000 prize, AFF Bronze Typewriter Award, and get the opportunity to meet with the Scholastic Entertainment team and adapt one of Scholastic’s published books into a screenplay. Finalists of this category will get the opportunity to meet with a Scholastic Entertainment representative.

To submit, within the submission form click the Category drop-down and select Family Feature.

The Enderby Entertainment Award category is open to feature scripts in all genres with an original concept and distinctive voice that can be independently produced under $10 million. The winner receives $2,500 cash; reimbursement of round-trip airfare (up to $500 per script, excluding frequent flyer miles); hotel reimbursement (up to $500 per script); and AFF Bronze Typewriter Award. An Enderby representative will meet with each of the finalists in this category either at the AFF Conference (October 22 – 29) or set up a phone call at a later date.

The Rooster Teeth Fellowship Award is open to all original comedy scripts in the feature, TV pilot, digital series, and fiction podcast categories that align with Rooster Teeth’s voice: an emphasis on comedy with grounded, low budget/high concept, genre storytelling that features ordinary people in extraordinary situations, coming-of-age stories, and other engaging journeys of self-discovery.

The winner will receive a $5,000 prize, the AFF Bronze Typewriter Award, and will be flown (travel-expenses covered) to Austin for a week-long mentorship with Rooter Teeth’s team. The winner will meet with Rooster Teeth executives and their development team.

Rooster Teeth will also select one script to develop into an original concept.

The winner will receive a $1,000 prize; reimbursement of roundtrip airfare (up to $500 per script excluding frequent flyer miles); hotel reimbursement at the Film Festival (up to $500 per script); and the AFF bronze typewriter award. An AMC representative will meet with each of the finalists in this category at the AFF Conference (October 22 -29) or arrange calls with the finalists and winner at a later date.

Finalists will pitch live (virtually) in front of three Industry judges who will be crowning at least six winners. Each winner will receive a one-on-one video call with one of our judges to further discuss their script.