AUSTIN, Texas—Jan. 26, 2012— Austin Film Festival (AFF) is pleased to announce that Daniel Petrie, Jr. and Rick Dugdale’s production company Enderby Entertainment is the new judge for the sponsored award category of the 19th Annual Screenplay Competition. The new Enderby Entertainment Award is a sub-category of the Screenplay Competition and is open to feature scripts in all genres with an original concept and distinctive voice that can be independently produced with a production budget under $5 million. Enderby Entertainment will review the top scripts submitted in this category and will determine the Semifinalists, Finalists, and winner. Finalists will be given the opportunity to meet with the production company during the Festival and Conference, which will be held Oct. 18-25, 2012. The winner of the Enderby Entertainment Award will receive a prize package including $2,500, reimbursement for airfare (up to $500) and hotel (up to $500) for attendance to the Festival and Conference, and the bronze AFF Typewriter Award.
“We’re thrilled that Enderby Entertainment was chosen to be part of Austin Film Festival’s screenwriting competition” said Daniel Petrie, Jr. and Rick Dugdale. “Austin Film Festival has always believed, as we do, that the screenplay is the heart of a film. It’s a pleasure and an honor to be a small part of all the good work the Festival does to encourage and empower screenwriters.”
Festival badges and film passes for the 2012 Austin Film Festival, taking place October 18-25th, are currently on sale. For more information on the upcoming 19th annual Austin Film Festival, visit the official website at www.austinfilmfestival.com or call 1-800-310-FEST (3378). For regular updates, follow AFF on Facebook at facebook.com/AustinFilmFestival and Twitter @austinfilmfest.
About Enderby Entertainment
Los Angeles-based Enderby Entertainment is an independent film, television and digital media company with an old-fashioned emphasis on storytelling, on the creative side, and transparency, on the financial side. Founded in 2006 by partners Rick Dugdale and Daniel Petrie, Jr., Enderby Entertainment’s film credits include writer/director Stephen Elliot’s upcoming film Cherry, starring James Franco and Heather Graham, which will premiere at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival, and five films from Enderby’s thriller division: The Speak, Vile, 5 Souls, Silver Falls and No Tell Motel. Upcoming films include The Storm, to be directed by Walter Hill, and Stranded, to be directed by Daniel Petrie, Jr. from a screenplay by Austin Film Festival semi-finalists Rachel Long & Brian Pittman. Films in development include Heartbreak Hill, to be directed by Donald Petrie, and the comedy 50 Yard Line. Digital media properties include the internet production Get Wylde and a soon-to-be-released gaming application.
About Rick Dugdale
Enderby Entertainment President Rick Dugdale oversees all aspects of finance and physical production for Enderby. He serves as producer or executive producer on all Enderby Entertainment projects, including Cherry, which Dugdale produced for Enderby in addition to playing a key role in arranging the financing for the film. Dugdale also serves as CEO of Tony-Seven Films, Enderby Entertainment’s thriller division; he served as executive producer on The Speak, Vile and 5 Souls and as producer on Silver Falls and No Tell Motel. Dugdale joined Daniel Petrie, Jr. & Company as Vice President, Production in 2003 before becoming a full partner in 2004. He then founded Enderby Entertainment with Petrie in 2006.
About Daniel Petrie, Jr.
Enderby Entertainment partner Daniel Petrie, Jr. oversees creative affairs for the company. Petrie was nominated for an Academy Award for his first produced script, the box-office hit Beverly Hills Cop, starring Eddie Murphy. Next came Petrie’s original screenplay of the romantic thriller The Big Easy, starring Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin. Petrie served as producer of the thriller Shoot to Kill, starring Sidney Poitier and Tom Berenger, and as executive producer of the comedy Turner & Hooch, starring Tom Hanks; Petrie co-wrote both films. Petrie also served as executive producer of The 6th Day, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Petrie’s directorial debut was the film Toy Soldiers, starring Sean Astin, Wil Wheaton, and Louis Gossett, Jr., which he also co-wrote. Petrie also directed the HBO film Dead Silence, starring James Garner and Marlee Matlin, and adapted and directed the TNT movie Framed, starring Rob Lowe and Sam Neill. Most recently, Petrie was executive producer, showrunner and co-creator of the 13 episode TV series Combat Hospital, simulcast on ABC and Canada’s Global TV in the summer of 2011.
A past President of the Writers Guild of America, West, Inc., Petrie currently serves as Vice President, Programs of the Writers Guild Foundation. He is a former Governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a former Trustee of the American Film Institute. Petrie has also been an active supporter for Austin Film Festival since 1997.
About Austin Film Festival’s Screenplay Competition
One of the most respected competitions in the country, the AFF Screenplay Competition provides emerging writers the means to expose their work to major players in the entertainment industry. Past entrants have signed with Artisan Entertainment, Creative Artists Agency, Metropolitan Talent Agency, William Morris Agency, DreamWorks Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Miramax Films, and other highly respected companies.
The Screenplay Competition has two main categories: Drama and Comedy, and also features two sub-categories: The Enderby Entertainment Award and the Dark Hero Studios Sci-Fi Award (science fiction, horror, supernatural thriller, fantasy, etc.). The Teleplay Competition is open to spec scripts from a currently airing network and original pilot scripts and features four main categories: Sitcom Pilot, One-Hour Pilot, Sitcom Spec, and One-Hour Spec. The Screenplay Competition deadline is May 15 with a late deadline of June 1. The Teleplay Competition final deadline is June 1. Winners of the competitions will be announced in Austin at the Annual Awards Luncheon on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012 at The Austin Club.
For additional information on the 19th Annual Austin Film Festival Screenplay and Teleplay Competition including entry forms, submission fees and Competition guidelines rules call 1-800-310-FEST (3378) or visit the official website at www.austinfilmfestival.com.
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.