Austin Film Festival furthers the art and craft of storytelling by inspiring and championing the work of writers, filmmakers, and all artists who use written and visual language to tell a story.

Since our inception in 1994, we have used our mission – to further the art and craft of storytelling by inspiring and championing the work of writers, filmmakers, and all artists who use written and visual language to tell a story – as the guiding principle throughout our history and growth. We were the first organization of its kind to focus on the writer’s contribution to film and television, and we pursued this focus with the intention of creating not only a community for writers to engage with one another, but to build a bridge from craft to career.  We have been lucky enough to build a family of storytellers from multiple mediums, who come together in both a pursuit and celebration of story.

Currently in our 31st year, we are best known for our annual Film Festival and Writers Conference held each October in Austin, Texas. This event plays host to the largest screenwriters conference in the world, featuring over 200 panelists and panels that, along with film and television, now also explore storytelling mediums such as plays, podcasts, and digital series. Partnered with a film program that has welcomed artists on the frontlines of shaping culture, we are proud not only of our festival’s ability to celebrate story at such a scale, but the opportunities it provides for story development and career advancement. We were the first festival and conference to highlight the artistic achievements and contributions of the television writer. Starting by awarding David Chase in 2000 (Creator, The Sopranos), we have since continued to acknowledge the medium’s writers and their importance in shaping the landscape of storytelling as a whole.

Past participants of the Festival & Conference include Robert Altman, Robert Duvall, Greta Gerwig, Susannah Grant, Buck Henry, Walter Hill, Barry Josephson, Lawrence Kasdan, Sydney Pollack, Natalie Portman, Harold Ramis, Susan Sarandon, Gary Shandling, Caroline Thompson, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Larry Wilmore, to name just a few. See all of our past awardees here.

At Austin Film Festival, we recognize both the accomplished and the aspiring storyteller alike. Our annual script and film competitions serve as catalyst to the ever-evolving entertainment industry.  By championing the work of those with original voices and keen storytelling sensibilities, our festival, conference and competitions are a launching pad for creative careers often providing storytellers their first platform for exposure.

However, our mission does not begin and end with our festival dates. Austin Film Festival has grown to serve our community by translating our original mission into a slate of year-round programs. We’ve seen the benefit of work-shopping a writer’s draft as demonstrated through our Script Reading Workshop Series and First Three Pages Live events. We know what is gained through connection and conversation as we’ve learned through our Filmmaker Roundtables and Conversation in Film series with both local and visiting screenwriters. We showcase the work of up-and-coming filmmakers and share in the joy of watching a film together with those who come to see our Audience Award Series. We believe in the education and empowerment of our next generation of storytellers though our Young Filmmakers Program, and most of

all we know that preservation of these stories is of the utmost importance as demonstrated through our story-based initiative the On Story Project which features curated festival content in the form of a television show, radio show, podcast, and book series – as well as the On Story Archive at the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University.

Storytelling, no matter the medium, is inherently a collaborative art. We are here as your collaborators even when we must adapt and discover alternative ways to connect, create, and collaborate.

Tell us how we can support your storytelling journey. In the meantime, we promise to carry on with our mission.