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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2019 SCRIPT COMPETITION AND FILM COMPETITION JURY AWARD WINNERS
AUSTIN, Texas—Oct. 26, 2019— Austin Film Festival (AFF) announced today the 2019 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 2019 Script Competition Winners were chosen from a record field of 11,907 scripts entered in the Screenplay, Digital Series, Playwriting, and Fiction Podcast Competitions. Finalists were reviewed by an industry panel of judges including Andrew Logan (Chappaquiddick), Steve De Souza (Commando, Die Hard, Judge Dredd), Paula Pell, (Sisters, Camping, A.P.Bio, SNL), Gary Whitta (Rogue One, Aftfer Earth, The Book Of Eli), Ben Cory Jones (Insecure, Boomerang, Underground ), James V. Hart (Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Hook, Contact), Christina Hodson (writer Transformers: Bumblebee, Birds of Prey), Rupinder Gill (Schitts Creek, I feel Bad), Nicole Perlman (writer Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel), among others.
The Fiction Podcast Script Competition was judged by an international panel of creators including Lauren Shippen (creator The Bright Sessions, CEO, The AM Archives, writer MARVELS), Tim Street (VP of Influence and Production, Authentic), Jonathan Mitchell (creator The Truth podcast), Matthew Derby (writer Phreaks, Sandra, The Silent History, Super Flat Times), Beth Eloshway (VP at Authentic), and Rob Herting (Qcode)
The following script winners were selected:
- Drama Screenplay Award presented by the Writers Guild of America, East: Scandalous! by Matthew Fantaci
- Matthew Fantaci will be provided the opportunity to stay at the Capri Residency in Marfa, Texas for 2-3 weeks.
- Comedy Screenplay Award presented by Sony Pictures Animation: Rearranged by Zarna Garg & Greg Fortier
- Sci-Fi Screenplay Award: Service Animals by Christopher Corte
- Enderby Entertainment Award (scripts that can be produced under $10 million): Service Animals by Christopher Corte
- Horror Screenplay Award: Delirium by Alex D Reid
- AMC Drama Teleplay Pilot Award: Ghostrunner by Jonathan Flicker
- Comedy Pilot Award: Good Lord by Tillery Johnson
- Short Screenplay Award: You are My Fish and I Will Keep You Alive by Em Frederick
- Scripted Digital Series Award presented by Stage 13: Incoming by David Singer
- Drama Teleplay Spec Award: The Crown: Heir Apparent by Lygia Gordon
- Comedy Teleplay Spec Award: Atlanta: Ghetto Submarine by Kyra Rogers
- Playwriting Award: After the Fall by Miki Kim
- Fiction Podcast Award: Old Forks Inn by Rose Judson
In addition, producer Barry Josephson announced the selected fellows for the Josephson Entertainment Screenwriting Fellowship. This 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: Service Animals by Christopher Corte
- Teleplay Pilot: Faith Breaker by Sam Alper
Austin Film Festival (AFF) and HUMANITAS have joined forces to launch the inaugural HUMANITAS Originals Award. This joint initiative is a new addition to AFF’s Script Competitions and is open to both feature screenplays and teleplay pilots that reflect the kind of stories HUMANITAS has honored for over four decades. A classic HUMANITAS story examines what it means to be a fully realized human being in a world struggling with racism, sexism, ageism, anti-Semitism, poverty, religious strife, and a widening political divide. By deeply exploring the cultures, lifestyles, sexual orientations, and political and religious beliefs of people who are very different from ourselves, we can dissolve the walls of ignorance and hate that threaten our global community. The winner of the HUMANITAS ORIGINALS Award is:
- When a Flower Falls by Zoe Cheng
Continuing the mission to champion writers, AFF has also announced the winners of the inaugural Rooster Teeth Fellowship. The Rooster Teeth Fellowship Award is open to original features, TV pilots, digital series, and fiction podcast scripts. The fellowship will be awarded to the project that best fits Rooster Teeth’s voice by incorporating elements of comedy and genre filmmaking and accomplishing a low budget/high concept feel. Stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations, coming-of-age stories, and other engaging journeys of self-discovery.
The winner of the Rooster Teeth Fellowship Award will receive a $5,000 prize along with a one-on-one mentorship. This will include a week-long mentorship in Austin. In addition to the Fellowship Award, Rooster Teeth will offer development deals to three (3) finalists, who will be given the chance to develop an original concept in conjunction with the Rooster Teeth team. The winner of the Rooster Teeth Fellowship Award is:
- The Daily Dowager by Jon Comulada
And the development deal winners are:
- All The President’s Women by Naomi Brodkin
- Fitter Families by Caitlin Scherer
- Rearranged by Zarna Garg and Greg Fortier
Serving on AFF’s Film Competition Jury this year were established filmmakers like Dave Kajganich (The Terror, Suspira, True Story), Ashley Miller (Thor, X-MEN: First Class), Felicia D. Henderson (Soul Food: the Series, Marvel’s The Punisher, Executive Producer, Empire, co-creator, The Quad), Kathleen Grace (CEO, New Form, creator, 365 Days of Love) and notable industry insiders, including representatives from Pixar Animation Studios, FilmRise, POV on PBS, New Form, The International Documentary Association, National Lampoon, Seven Summits, and Writ Large.
The following winners were selected:
- Narrative Feature: The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain, written and directed by David Midell
- Documentary Feature: Flannery, directed by Elizabeth Coffman & Mark Bosco
- Comedy Vanguard Feature: The Planters, written and directed by Alexandra Kotcheff and Hannah Leder
- Dark Matters Feature: Macabre, written by Lucas Paraizo and Rita Gloria Curvo, directed by Marcos Prado
- Narrative Short: Call Connect., written by Indianna Bell, directed by Indianna Bell and Josiah Allen
- Narrative Student Short: Black Goat, written and directed by Yi Tang
- Documentary Short: The Mortician of Manila, directed by Leah Borromeo
- Animated Short: The Kite, written and directed by Martin Smatana
- Digital Series – Produced presented by Stage 13: Brothers from the Suburbs, written by Patrick Wimp
AFF’s 2019 Awards Luncheon was held at The Line Hotel Austin and was supported by the following sponsors: Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, AMC, and by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department, Enderby Entertainment, National Endowment for the Arts, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 13, 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, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.