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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2018 SCRIPT COMPETITION AND FILM COMPETITION JURY AWARD WINNERS
AUSTIN, Texas—Oct. 27, 2018— Austin Film Festival (AFF) announced today the 2018 Script Competition Winners and the Film Competition Jury Award Winners. All award recipients will receive an array of cash prizes, reimbursement of travel expenses, and industry access and recognition.
The 2018 Script Competition Winners were chosen from a record field of 10,580 scripts entered in the Screenplay, Digital Series, Playwriting, and Fiction Podcast Competitions. Finalists were reviewed by an industry panel of judges including Wendy Calhoun (writer/producer Stage 19, Empire), Peter Craig (writer The Town, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I and II), James V. Hart (writer Hook, Bram Stoker’s Dracula), Christina Hodson (writer Transformers: Bumblebee, Birds of Prey), Ali LeRoi (writer/producer Everybody Hates Chris, Survivor’s Remorse), Nicole Perlman (writer Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel), Scott Rosenberg (writer Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Venom), Rodney Rothman (director Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, writer 22 Jump Street), Oren Uziel (writer 22 Jump Street, The Cloverfield Paradox), and Brian Yorkey (showrunner 13 Reasons Why, playwright Next to Normal) among others.
The Fiction Podcast Script Competition was judged by an international panel of creators including Chris Bannon (Chief Content Officer for Stitcher), John Dryden (Director of Scripted Programming, Panoply), Lauren Shippen (writer/creator The Bright Sessions), Tim Street (VP Influence & Production, Authentic), and Jocelyn Gonzales (Executive Producer, Studio 360).
The following script winners were selected:
- Drama Screenplay Award presented by the Writers Guild of America, East: Horsehead Girls by Wenonah Wilms
- Comedy Screenplay Award presented by Sony Pictures Animation: Sex APPeal by Tate Elizabeth Hanyok
- Sci-Fi Screenplay Award: Our Own Devices by Paul Vance
- Enderby Entertainment Award (scripts that can be produced under $10 million): Project Horizon by Charles Morris
- Horror Screenplay Award: The Patience of Vultures by Greg Sisco
- AMC Drama Teleplay Pilot Award: Worth by Stuti Malhotra
- Comedy Pilot Award: What Will Jessie Do? by Kevin Luperchio
- Short Screenplay Award: Ruby Throat by Sarah Polhaus
- Scripted Digital Series Award presented by Stage 13: Epizootic by Dan Young
- Drama Teleplay Spec Award: The Handmaid’s Tale: Rebels by Angela Jorgensen
- Comedy Teleplay Spec Award: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy Volunteers! by Maggie Gottlieb
- Playwriting Award: Particular Disposition by Benjamin Fulk
- Fiction Podcast Award: The Rest Stop at the End of the Universe by Samuel Suksiri
In addition, producer Barry Josephson announced the selected fellows for the inaugural Josephson Entertainment Screenwriting Fellowship. This new opportunity is an extension of AFF’s Script Competition and will provide a one-on-one mentorship with Barry Josephson and his team in Los Angeles for the writers of one feature screenplay and one teleplay pilot. The fellows were chosen from the pool of Finalists in this year’s competition and were selected based on the writers and scripts that imbue the most promise for development. The selected fellows include:
- Feature Screenplay: The Death of Colm Canter by Revati Dhomse & Hector Lowe
- Teleplay Pilot: Lifers Anonymous by Sean Collins-Smith
Serving on AFF’s Film Competition Jury this year were established filmmakers like Macon Blair (Hold the Dark, I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore), Pamela Ribon (Moana, Ralph Breaks The Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2), and Ashley Miller (Thor, X-MEN: First Class), and notable industry insiders, including representatives from Pixar Animation Studios, The Orchard, Showtime, ShortsTV, FilmRise, Rooster Teeth, Roadside Attractions, Gravitas Ventures, The Hollywood Reporter, and Gunpowder & Sky.
The following winners were selected:
- Narrative Feature: Clara, written by Akash Sherman and James Ewasiuk
- Documentary Feature: The Interpreters, directed by Andres Caballero and Sofian Khan
- Comedy Vanguard Feature: In Reality, written by Ann Lupo, Esteban Pedraza, and Aaron Pryka
- Dark Matters Feature: Ghost Light, written by Geoffrey Taylor and John Stimpson
- Narrative Short presented by ShortsTV: Judas Collar, written by Alison James
- Narrative Student Short: Woman in Stall, written by Josh Boles
- Documentary Short: Father K, directed by Judd Ehrlich
- Animated Short: Sister, written by Siqi Song
- Scripted Digital Series presented by Stage 13: Song in the Sky, created by Samuel Frederich
AFF’s 2018 Awards Luncheon was held at The Austin Club and was supported by the following sponsors: Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, AMC, Authentic, City of Austin Economic Development Department, Enderby Entertainment, POV, Public Radio International, Sony Pictures Animation, Shorts TV, Stage 13, Stitcher, Texas Commission on the Arts, and Writers Guild of America, East.
About Austin Film Festival
Austin Film Festival (AFF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television and new media. AFF champions the work of aspiring and established writers and filmmakers 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 Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department and the Texas Commission on the Arts.