AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL RECEIVES RECORD ENTRIES FOR 2012 SCREENPLAY & TELEPLAY COMPETITION
OVER 6,500 ENTRIES FOR 2012, UP BY 12% FROM 2011
AUSTIN, TX (JUNE 13, 2012) – Austin Film Festival (AFF) is excited to announce record entries for their 19th annual Screenplay & Teleplay competition. The 2012 competition received a total of over 6,500 entries, up by approximately 700 entries or 12% from last year’s record of over 5,800. Entries came in from all over the U.S. and 42 other countries, and the records show the Competition has grown by over 62% since 2009.
This year, a significant rise in entries occurred in each category of the competition, including screenplay entries in Drama, Comedy, Sci-Fi and the Enderby Entertainment Award; and teleplay entries in Sitcom Spec, One-Hour Spec, Sitcom Pilot, and One-Hour Pilot. Panels of judges, including some of the industry’s top writers, showrunners, producers and managers, will choose the winners in each category, who will accept their awards and prizes at the 19th annual Austin Film Festival & Conference October 18-25, 2012 in Austin, TX.
Competition winners will receive cash prizes ranging from $1,000 to $5,000; reimbursements for travel and lodging while at the 2012 Festival & Conference; access to and recognition by some of the most important writers, agents, producers and filmmakers in the industry; and will also be included in the annual Producers Book distributed to more than 400 production companies. Advancing writers in the Second Round (roughly top 10-12%), Semifinals and Finals will be given exclusive opportunities to attend special roundtables and panels at this year’s Conference.
AFF not only recognizes the work of writers for feature screenplays but also those for television. This year’s number of entries includes over 1,500 submissions in the Teleplay Competition, which is open to both spec scripts for existing shows and original pilots. For the first time, the winner of the Sitcom Pilot category will be given the opportunity to have his or her winning script read aloud and workshopped during a special Roundtable session at the Conference with a panel of industry professionals including Alec Berg (writer The Dictator, Eurotrip, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”), Kell Cahoon (writer/producer “Psych”, “NewsRadio”, “Just Shoot Me”), and Etan Cohen (writer Men in Black III, Tropic Thunder, “King of the Hill”), among others.
The Writer’s Guild of America, East, this year’s underwriting sponsor of the Drama Screenplay Award, will present the winner of the Drama category at this year’s Conference and have provided the following three WGAE writers to judge and choose the winner: Stephen Schiff (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, True Crime), Christopher Kyle (Alexander, The Weight of Water) and John J. McLaughlin (Hitchcock, Black Swan). Overall, 40 industry jurors have been confirmed to judge the Screenplay & Teleplay Competition including Herschel Weingrod (writer, Trading Places; producer, Falling Down), Kyle Killen (writer, The Beaver; showrunner, “Awake”, “Lone Star”), Craig Mazin (writer, The Hangover II), and representatives from Escape Artists at Sony, Oasis Media, Washington Square Arts and Paradigm Agency.
In its 19-year history, the AFF Screenplay & Teleplay Competition has served to jumpstart many writing careers. In the competition’s first year, screenplay competition winner Max Adams’ script Excess Baggage was optioned by Columbia and made into a film starring Alicia Silverstone and Benicio Del Toro. Rachel Long and Brian Pittman’s 2008 Semifinalist script Stranded was acquired by Enderby Entertainment (Daniel Petrie, Jr. and Rick Dugdale’s production company). The project is currently in pre-production with Petrie set to direct. Julie Howe, 2010 Comedy Screenplay Award Winner for Jasper Milliken, signed an exclusive deal with Experience Media Studios after the 2010 Conference with the help of an AFF judge and panelist. The producers of the film have officially signed on veteran director Jonathan Lynn (My Cousin Vinny, The Whole Nine Yards) to helm the film.
The 19th annual Austin Film Festival & Conference will be held Oct 18 – 25, 2012 in Austin, TX. AFF has already announced the first round of panelists for this year’s Conference, including some of the top screenwriters, directors, showrunners and producers in the business. The full list of panelists can be found here. Stay tuned for announcements from AFF with this year’s awardees, film lineup, Conference panels and more panelists, and more. For more information on Austin Film Festival and to purchase passes or badges go to www.austinfilmfestival.com.
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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.
Austin Film Festival is funded and supported in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.