Austin Film Festival

Austin Film Festival

Also known as: AFF
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Austin Film Festival has centred on the writer’s contribution to film and television since its inception in 1994. Its film programme runs alongside a Writers Conference with more than 200 panelists each October in Austin, Texas, where panels also cover podcasts, plays and digital series. Film competitions include narrative and documentary features and shorts, student and animated shorts, and the genre categories Dark Matters and Comedy Vanguard. Jury Awards go to the writers of the winning films, except in the documentary categories, where they go to the directors, and the Jury Award winners for narrative, documentary and animated shorts are eligible for Academy Award consideration.

The non-profit organisation also runs script competitions, year-round screenings, the Young Filmmakers Program for Texas students and the On Story series. The 33rd edition runs 29 October – 5 November 2026.

Country

United States (USA)

Categories

Animation, Documentary, Feature, Short, Student, Web and New Media, Screenplay, Television Script

Dates

29 October 2026 — 5 November 2026

Awards and prizes

Jury Awards in each competition category, presented to the writer of the winning film (to the director in the documentary categories). Jury Award winners receive a cash prize of $2,500 (Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature), $1,000 (Dark Matters Feature, Comedy Vanguard, Narrative Short) or $500 (Narrative Student Short, Documentary Short, Animated Short), reimbursement of up to $500 for airfare and up to $500 for a partner hotel to attend the festival, and the AFF Brass Typewriter Award. Jury Award winners for Narrative Short, Documentary Short and Animated Short are eligible for Academy Award consideration. Audience Awards in each category, decided by audience ballots at screenings.

Festival rules

Films must be in English or have English subtitles and are submitted online via FilmFreeway or the festival's entry form with a streaming screener. For 2026, films must be completed after 1 January 2025. Films with US distribution, or produced, financed or initiated by a major studio or television network, are not eligible for competition but may be considered for special screenings. Feature films must be at least Texas premieres; short films must not have screened publicly in Austin before the festival, and shorts publicly available online are not eligible for Jury Awards. Entry fees are not waived and the festival does not invite films into competition. Films are screened as digital files.

Contacts

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