At Austin Film Festival, our mission is to champion all writers across mediums. Our Playwriting Competition (open to full-length plays) gives playwrights a chance to explore our film and television conference. It will also allow film professionals to discover storytellers who have mastered the art and craft of stage drama.

AFF has always promoted story as the most important element of film and TV. So giving playwrights their own story exposure and a chance of crossover into film and TV only advances our mission. There are many other playwriting competitions out there, but AFF offers playwrights broader access to successful writers and professionals in all the other related fields.

The play that make the Final Round will have a reading during the Conference. Advancing playwrights will have access to exclusive panels, workshops, roundtables, and unique networking opportunities with professionals in theatre, film, and television.

AFF understands the relationship between passion and writing. That’s why we have enormous respect for the many successful playwrights who made the seamless transition to film and TV – playwrights such as Tennessee Williams, Horton Foote, John Patrick Shanley, Tony Kushner and Beau Willimon. And that list grows exponentially with today’s widening viewer market.

So break a leg, y’all, and hobble on down to AFF. We promise it will be a standing-room-only kind of experience. But we also promise to find you a seat! Buy your badge now!

“Winning the award in Playwriting was extremely memorable – something I’ll carry with me forever. But I’d have to say the most memorable time I had at AFF was the reading of my play. To hear the play read by capable actors was the greatest joy.”

-Michael Bucklin, 2017 Playwriting Winner for Signature Photo