Video Contests, Film Festivals, and Awards

Austin Film Festival 2004: October 14-21 2004

By staff
posted Mar 18, 2004, 01:23

Film Competition 2004

Celebrate the Visions
From Script to Screen

The Austin Film Festival is an 8-day celebration of narrative and documentary film and filmmakers who, through creativity, dedication and tenacity, have realized their visions from script to screen. At the Festival, you will meet distributors and producers' reps in the casual, friendly atmosphere that the Festival provides. Additionally, Austin film audiences are some of the most savvy and supportive found anywhere. In the last six years, all of the Festival's Feature Film Audience Award winners have received distribution as a result of their Festival screenings. 

Each year over 100 feature-length and short films screen at the Festival.  In 2003, the regional and world premieres of critically acclaimed films included: "Pieces of April" with Peter Hedges, "Bukowski: Born Into This", "Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin", "Greendale" with Neil Young, "Elf", "Girl with A Pearl Earring", "In America", "I Am David" with Paul Feig, and "Off the Map" with Sam Elliott in attendance. Films from previous years include "Donnie Darko", "Waking Life", "Before Night Falls", "Billy Elliott", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and many more.

This past year the AFF expanded documentary programming to independent films submitted for consideration. The result was a wonderful program of independent documentary films from Rick McKay's "Broadway: The Golden Age" to Dan Akiba's "My Brother's Wedding. Also screened were films from the IDA InFact Documentary Showcase, TX Documentaries and a showcase of Green Festival films. In 2004, the AFF created a new competition for documentary feature, shorts and student shorts.

Past attendees include Robert Altman, Wes Anderson, James L. Brooks, Sandra Bullock, David Chase, Joel & Ethan Coen, Wes Craven, Russell Crowe, Gary David Goldberg, Buck Henry, Tobe Hooper, Dennis Hopper, Mike Judge, Lawrence Kasdan, John Landis, Lyle Lovett, Paul Mazursky, Matthew McConaughey, Chris McQuarrie, Alexander Payne, Frank Pierson, Polly Platt, Robert Rodriguez, Gary Ross, Eric Roth, David O. Russell, Paul Schrader, Bryan Singer, Whit Stillman, Oliver Stone, Ted Tally, Jim Taylor, Robert Towne, Robert Townsend, Andrew Kevin Walker, Fred Williamson, Owen Wilson, Neil Young, and Steven Zaillian. 

Past Film Judges include representatives from: 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, Debra Hill Productions, FilmThreat, HBO, Hypnotic, ICM, IFilm, MTV Films, New Market, Sony Pictures Classics, The Sundance Channel, Tri-Mark Pictures, and William Morris. 

PRIZES (1 winner per category):

All Competition Filmmakers receive: 
• two screenings of their film October 14-21; 
• five complimentary tickets for the film's screenings; 
• the film featured in the 2004 AFF Program Book;
• two complimentary All-Access Producers Passes to the 2004

Austin Film Festival, which provide admission to all panels, October 14-17, all films October 14-21, invitations to the Opening Night Premiere and Reception at the historic Paramount Theatre, invitations to the Filmmakers Happy Hour, and invitations to the Texas Film Commission Party. 

Narrative short films screened in competition at the Austin Film Festival are eligible to be nominated for an Academy Award.

Narrative Films
1st Place Winners receive: a cash prize of $1,000 (Feature Category) or $500 (Short and Student Short Categories); reimbursement (up to $500) of one round-trip airfare to Austin to attend the 2004 AFF; hotel accommodations at an AFF hotel (up to $500); a special Winners Screening at the Festival; and the AFF Bronze Typewriter Award.

Documentary Films
1st Place Winners receive: reimbursement (up to $500) of one round-trip airfare to Austin to attend the 2004 AFF, hotel compensation at the Festival (up to $500) and a special Wnnners Screening at the Festival.

www.austinfilmfestival.com