New Media Track
At Austin Film Festival, we make it our business to stay at the forefront of new storytelling. With digital media platforms consistently on the rise, there have never been more opportunities to have your story heard. From short-form digital projects and web series to high profile streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, online distribution gives content creators direct exposure to an audience, paving the way for independently produced projects to find success in the industry and providing a new space for storytelling outside the traditional world of film and television.
AFF’s New Media Track invites some of the creative minds behind this emerging medium to Austin this October for a series of conversations on writing for the digital space, making a living in the world of new media, and using digital storytelling as a platform for launching your career in the world of film and television.
Diversity Program
AFF will execute the expansion of ongoing goals and missions, and will continue The Diversity Focus Program, a series of panels and screenings featuring underrepresented storytellers with a goal of altering the narrative that minority voices are shrinking. Though industry statistics point to inadequate opportunities for women and minorities, Austin Film Festival sets out to usurp these trends and traditions by inspiring and showcasing a burgeoning community of talented and passionate voices, committed to challenging the story of who makes up the storytellers of today.
Podcast Track
If we’re going to be accused of anything at AFF, let it never be said that we’re late to a party. On the contrary, we’re sort of the jump-headfirst-into-brave-new-worlds kind of fest. Which is why we launched a track in audio storytelling back in 2017.
With the recent popularity of fiction podcasts made with Hollywood stars, the beloved medium of radio plays has been resurrected with a new, serial twist. In October, we’re going to bring some of the most creative minds in this emerging industry to you in Austin and let you hear for yourself about the art of writing a story for an acoustic medium, and about the need for great writers who will boldly go where few have gone before.
Screenwriter looking for a career break? Industry exec looking to keep up with the world of new media? Podcaster looking for the next big thing? Storyteller obsessed with great stories? This track is for you.
Click here to learn more about our Podcast Programming!
Indie Film Track
In an ever-changing industry, the independent filmmaker is required to concurrently adapt and change. Of course, with change comes opportunity, and between the rise of fundraising outlets, digital filmmaking, and innovative distribution models, indie cinema has become a creative forum in more ways than one. Sit in on this track of indie filmmaking sessions as panelists discuss their roles and responsibilities as independent filmmakers.
Playwriting Track
At Austin Film Festival, our passion has always been to further the art and craft of storytelling by championing writers. The panelist roster in the Playwriting Track features writers who have worked in multiple mediums, discussions will explore the development of dialogue, character, action, temporal elements, and, more specifically, how these techniques can serve to inform writing for film, television, theatre and new media.
AFF’s Playwriting Track invites all the ‘narratively-inclined’ to join us at what has become the ultimate writers oasis. Whether you are hoping to cultivate craft essentials in your dramatic writing or searching for creative new ways to move forward in your career, come meet others who share your passion and harness the inspiration offered at AFF for playwrights and screenwriters alike.
Game Writing Track
AFF has held foundational panels featuring gaming writers for years, featuring talent such as Susan O’Connor, Emily Zulauf, Angela Petrella, Ryan Kauffman, Marianne Krawczyk, Xalavier Nelson Jr., and more.
This programming was born out of our dedication to the Festival’s mission. As the lines between filmmaking and game development continue to blur, it’s time for screenwriters to turn eyes towards a new medium. Now, we’re beyond excited to take our exploration of narrative storytelling within games to the next level.
We successfully launched the Game Writing Track on October 2021, in an effort to bridge the gap between screenwriters, game writers, and writers of all types. Is interactive storytelling of interest? Are you looking to be a vanguard at the frontlines of the next great frontier of storytelling? This could be the beginning of that journey. Join us this upcoming October!