From our prestigious competitions to the transformative Writers Conference, AFF provides invaluable opportunities for students aspiring to careers in screenwriting and filmmaking. With exclusive discounts and tailored programming, we’re here to help you navigate your path into the industry.
Script Competitions
AFF’s Script Competitions discover and champion exceptional emerging writers each year. Renowned as the premier script competition worldwide, AFF is trusted by studios, agents, and industry executives to identify the next generation of great storytellers. With exclusive student discounts, we are dedicated to creating opportunities and experiences that launch writers into life-changing careers. In addition to the prestigious Bronze Typewriter Award—which is certainly an exciting achievement—those who place in an AFF Script Competition use their success to secure representation, attract agents, get into writing rooms, and advance their careers to new heights.
Film Competitions
AFF’s Film Competitions celebrate the finest films created by visionary independent filmmakers each year, showcasing stories that are both authentic and innovative across all genres. Recognized by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee,” AFF’s Film Competitions aim to provide opportunities for emerging filmmakers. Winners of the AFF Film Competition often connect with collaborators for future projects or secure broader distribution for their films. Additionally, let AFF be your road to the Oscars®—the winners of Narrative, Documentary, and Animated Short Jury awards qualify for consideration for an Academy Award®.
Why submit?
Discounted Student Submission Rates
Students can save with an exclusive $15 discount code. To request the code, please email the below addresses and include proof of current enrollment:
- For script submissions, please email screenplaydirector@austinfilmfestival.com
- For film submissions, please email filmdept@austinfilmfestival.com
Universities/schools looking to do bulk submissions can request larger discounts, which depend on the amount of entries submitted.
Have your work seen by industry representatives
Have your work seen by industry reps from AMC Networks, Netflix, Disney Entertainment Television, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Verve Talent Agency, Range Media Partners, FilmNation, and YMH Studios, to name a few.
Network & form valuable connections
Set yourself up for success post-graduation! Let AFF be your catalyst to propelling your film career forward with endless opportunities to network with writers & filmmakers from around the world. Meet your future career mentor or next collaborator for your dream projects.
Gain real experience
Invest in your career by gaining Festival experience, and submit to our fellowships sponsored by production companies such as the Donners’ Company, Valhalla Entertainment, or Starburns Industries. Fellowships offer an opportunity to receive insight on pitfalls to avoid, tips on career guidance, and advice on best practices.
“AFF is a remarkable film festival, not only because of its distinct emphasis upon the importance of storytelling – but especially because of its commitment to fostering an environment where artists can interact without the usual velvet ropes.”
—Kyle Wyborski, 2024 Student Short filmmaker, Jesus Thief, Jury Nominee
Attend Austin Film Festival and Writers Conference
Each October, we gather over 200 industry leaders in Austin: writers, directors, producers, managers, agents, and executives who recognize the power of a well-crafted script. Immerse yourself in over 150 panels, 180 films, and countless networking opportunities, all designed to ignite your creativity and jumpstart your career.
What AFF offers students
The AFF Writers Conference provides vital insights into the craft of storytelling and actionable advice on how to navigate the industry. Hear from development executives and literary managers on how they find new voices, from assistants turned showrunners on how to climb the industry ladder, and from storytellers at all stages of their careers on how they got their start.
- In 2025, writer-director Celine Song (Materialists, Past Lives) and legendary independent producer Christine Vachon (Still Alice, Carol, Past Lives) for a conversation about building and sustaining the essential writer-producer relationship.
- The 2024 recipient of the Polly Platt Award for Producing was iconic producer Kathleen Kennedy, who has helmed classic films including ET, Jurassic Park, and Back to the Future. She spoke about her incredible body of work at the Writers Conference.
- At 2023’s AFF, Oscar winner Cord Jefferson screened American Fiction and spoke on accompanying panels about the film, and his work on hit TV shows Watchmen, The Good Place, and Master of None.
- In 2022, TV executives from NBCUniversal spoke about the state of their industry, their approach to working with new talent, and the way that networks look for new material.
- Check out 2024 Writers Conference programming here to see what to expect!
Student Conference Badge
Students enrolled in nine hours in an accredited university are eligble to purchase a Student Conference Badge at the reduced price of $275. That is a savings of $250 off the walk-up price of a regular Conference Badge!
$275Select options
Group Student Conference Badges
AFF offers university programs/departments/classes bulk discounts on Student Conference Badges, plus the organizing faculty member will recieve a complimentary Conference Badge with a purchase of 1o badges or more. Please contact us at the AFF office if you are interested in purchasing as a student group email development@austinfilmfestival.com or call (512) 478-4795.
- 10 Students or more: Conference Badge – $250 each ($525 value)
- 15 Students or more: Conference Badge – $225 each ($525 value)
Writer/ director So Young Shelly Yo screened her student short Moonwalk with Meat the 2018 Festival before being invited back in 2023 to accept the New Voice Award for her debut feature, Smoking Tigers which played at AFF30. The film also premiered at Tribeca Film Festival receiving multiple honors, including Best Screenplay, Best Actor, & Special Jury Mention for the Nora Ephron Prize.
“Austin Film Festival has been instrumental to my growth as a filmmaker. I’ve met creative collaborators from this festival that I still keep in touch with to this day and attended panels that have significantly shaped how I think about character, structure, and story. Each visit to the festival further fuels my love for writing and inspires me to keep creating. I look forward to the day I can come back.”
—So Young Shelly Yo, 2023 New Voice Awardee, 3x AFF Alum, including the feature Smoking Tigers and student short Moonwalk with Me
University Sponsorship opportunities
Amplify your brand through University partnerships with Austin Film Festival. Design a personalized AFF experience for your students, or promote your program to the AFF audience! Opportunities include:
Private panels allow Universities to handpick AFF panelists to provide their insights to students. Example panels:
- Students met with legendary producer and “script whisperer” Lindsay Doran. who has worked on Sense and Sensibility, This Is Spinal Tap, and Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse.
- Also veteran comedy writer Megan Amram, whose credits include The Good Place, The Simpsons, Silicon Valley, and Parks and Recreation.
Sponsored panels give sponsors exposure to the AFF audience, made up of emerging writers and filmmakers. Example panel:
- Inside the Writers Room presented by Loyola Marymount University: graduates of their screenwriting program, working today on shows like The Bear, Yellowjackets, Criminal Minds, Vida, and Ratched, discuss the creative process behind a hit TV show.
For aspiring writers and filmmakers, connections are everything. Striving to foster a sense of community among creatives while providing an opportunity for artists to expand their professional network, Austin Film Festival hosts a dozen parties over the eight days of the event. Get your brand in front of a wide audience of attendees, actively looking to connect to creative communities like your school. Example:
- Experience the controlled chaos of a writer’s room in person during UCLA’s Storybreak Live! A group of panelists break a pilot live on stage, with no prior knowledge of the story, and have it (hopefully) whipped into a pitchable state before the panel ends. One random Second Rounder in attendance will be chosen to participate.
Be seen and speak with all our registrants as they go enter AFF. Build personal relationships while sharing what your program has to offer. Reserve your booth space inside the foyer of our Registration hall, which is located in the heart of the headquarters hotel of the Festival. The Exhibit Hall is open the Thursday-Sunday of the Writers Conference.
- Ads in our commemorative Program Book or informative Pocket Guide – We offer ads
- Inclusion in registrant gift bags – Give our 3,000+ registrants something to notice your school by and let them carry it back home with them.
Give your students the chance to learn directly from the best in the industry through access to the complete AFF Writers Conference Panel Catalog. Through our partnership with Statemints, students can view/listen/read every panel from the past 10 years plus have the ability to pull their favorite highlights for easy reference at any time. Group subscriptions are available.
Looking for a way to speak to creatives about your school/department’s brand on a worldwide scale? Then consider a sponsorship of AFF’s national TV/radio/podcast show, On Story. We highlight the very best of AFF in what Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan called, “On Story is film school in a box, a lifetime’s worth of filmmaking knowledge squeezed into half hour packages.”
- On Story TV airs of 87% of PBS stations nationwide
- In conjunction with KUT and PRX, On Story radio airs on public radio stations across the US
- The On Story podcast streams on all major platforms and has over 3 million stream to date.
“One of my favorite things about Austin is that, unlike other world-class film festivals where filmmakers are separated from the audience by velvet ropes, AFF encourages their attendees and speakers to mingle and get to know each other. The festival’s social gatherings are how I’ve come to meet so many of the writers who have gone on to become close friends, mentees, and mentors.”
—Nicole Perlman, writer Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel
For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please fill out the below form or reach out to sponsorshipdirector@austinfilmfestival.com. Or give us a call at (512) 478-4795!