Film Competition
Storytelling is at the core of filmmaking
Known as the “Writers Festival” since its inception in 1993, Austin Film Festival recognizes the importance of narrative at the core of filmmaking. Without a good story, movies might just be sound and fury.
By celebrating the work of storytellers; those committed to crafting intricate worlds, fully-formed characters, and diverse perspectives, AFF bolsters its reputation as a champion for the creator.
The Best Around
Moviemaker Magazine once again named AFF one of the 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee, and named Austin one of the best cities to live and work as a Moviemaker .
2017 Competition Deadlines
Early Bird Deadline: March 31 ($50)
Regular Deadline: May 19 ($60)
Late Deadline: June 30 ($75)
Extended Deadline: July 7 ($85)
2017 Film Competition Sponsors and Partners
AFF has assembled a group of influential organizations and production companies to sponsor various awards for this year’s Film Competition. Sponsors and partners will review and help determine the top films in their respective categories. We are proud to have the following sponsors and partners for 2017:
Narrative Shorts presented by Shorts TV
This year’s Narrative Short Competition is sponsored by ShortsTV, the global home to short film. Available across the US and Europe, the channel brings audiences captivating short form content from filmmakers across the globe. ShortsTV will help select the Jury Award winner of this category and, schedules permitting, meet with each finalist during or after the Festival. Additionally, ShortsTV will provide the Jury Award winners of the Narrative, Documentary, Animated, and Student Short categories a distribution deal, and will offer the filmmakers the opportunity for their short in competition to air on their channel.
Documentary Feature in partnership with POV
POV, American Documentary’s award-winning premiere showcase for independent non-fiction film series on PBS, is once again partnering with Austin Film Festival to support the Documentary Feature Competition. POV will help select the Jury Award winner in this category and, schedules permitting, meet with each finalist during or after the Festival.
Comedy Vanguard
Popular independent distribution company Gravitas Ventures will once again help decide the Jury Award winner for the Comedy Vanguard Feature Competition and offer the Jury Award winner a first look Video On Demand distribution deal.
Film Categories
Narrative Feature
Entry Requirements:
- Films must be feature-length narratives, 41 minutes or longer.
- Texas Premieres strongly preferred, though World/North American/US Premieres are ideal
- Open to anyone who wishes to enter.
Narrative Short presented by Shorts TV
Entry Requirements:
- Films must be short narratives of 40 minutes or less.
- Films must be Austin Premieres. We highly prefer the short to be at least a Texas Premiere.
- Open to anyone who wishes to enter.
Narrative Student Short
Entry Requirements:
- Films must be short narratives of 40 minutes or less.
- Films must be Austin Premieres. We highly prefer the short be at least a Texas Premiere.
- The film’s writer or director must have been enrolled in an accredited college or university during production in order to qualify for this category.
- Entrants must provide proof of enrollment from accredited university or college in the form of an official transcript or signed letter from faculty on official letterhead. Students can send proof of enrollment to programming@austinfilmfestival.com.
Animated Short
Entry Requirements:
- Films must be animated short narratives of 40 minutes or less. Please note: Animated films over 40 minutes should be entered in the Narrative Feature category.
- Open to any form of animation. Animated Shorts must be narrative works only, no experimental pieces.
- Films must be Austin Premieres. We highly prefer the short to be at least a Texas Premiere.
- Open to anyone who wishes to enter.
Documentary Feature in partnership with POV
Entry Requirements:
- Films should document a solid narrative structure and relay a fully-formed and impactful story.
- Films must be documentaries, 41 minutes or longer.
- Texas Premieres strongly preferred, though World/North American/US Premieres are ideal
- Open to anyone who wishes to enter.
Documentary Short
Entry Requirements:
- Films must be short documentaries, 40 minutes or less.
- Films must be Austin Premieres. We highly prefer the short to be at least a Texas Premiere.
- Open to anyone who wishes to enter.
Dark Matters Feature
Entry Requirements
- Must be stories that are easily identified as belonging to the horror, thriller and embody dark themes, unconventional subject matter, or suspenseful sensibilities.
- Films must be feature-length narratives, 60 minutes or longer.
Texas Premieres strongly preferred, though World/North American/US Premieres are ideal - Open to anyone who wishes to enter.
Comedy Vanguard Feature
Entry Requirements
- Must be original narrative films that encompass all forms of the comedy genre, where the only thing that outweighs the humor is the story.
- Films must be feature-length narratives, 60 minutes or longer.
- Texas Premieres strongly preferred, though World/North American/US Premieres are ideal.
- Open to anyone who wishes to enter.
Please Note: Austin Film Festival does not waive entry fees. AFF believes waiving entry fees hurts the integrity of the competition. The same rules and entry fees should apply to all applicants so no one film is favored over another. In a similar respect, AFF does not invite films to be in competition. Only films that are submitted will be considered for competition.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Austin Film Festival is not responsible for the streaming quality of Secure Online Screeners. If you choose to submit a Secure Online Screener and would like to guarantee the quality of your submission, AFF strongly suggests you submit a DVD in addition to your Secure Online Screener submission.
THE DEAL OF THE YEAR, EVERY YEAR
At AFF, when you win, you really win. Not only is there a cash prize and our unmistakable typewriter statuette—five pounds of awesome you can carry around—but you win alongside legendary figures as part of our annual Awards ceremony. Last year, our winning filmmakers received their awards next to Nancy Meyers, Marta Kauffman, and Paul Feig. It simply doesn’t get better than that.
But wait, there’s more! Keep in mind that the Jury Award winners of our Narrative, Documentary and Animated Short categories officially qualify for an Academy Award®. Big things happen when you win our bronze typewriter, but you can’t win if you never enter.
START HERE, GO ANYWHERE.
Each year, numerous films and filmmakers screened at Austin Film Festival have gone on to find tremendous success. Almost Adults, Finding Oscar, Santoalla, American Wrestler: The Wizard, and One Night, all films from the 2016 Festival, are just a few of the features that signed distribution deals since last October. Not only do films gain recognition after playing AFF, but our filmmakers are able to find exciting careers post-fest. In 2000, Jason Reitman won the Jury Award for his short film In God We Trust and later won AFF Audience Awards for Juno (2007) and Up in the Air (2009). In 2003 and 2005, Cary Fukunaga received AFF awards for his student short films, and has since gone on to direct the first season of the HBO drama True Detective as well as the critically acclaimed Netflix feature Beasts of No Nation.Writer/Director Jeff Nichols won the Narrative Feature Award for his debut feature, Shotgun Stories, in 2007. His last two features debuted at Sundance and Cannes.
Questions?
For more information, please feel free to contact us at 512-478-4795 or email programming@austinfilmfestival.com.
