Confirmed Panelists for 2006

You may download an overview of our panel schedule here (PDF).

Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking: SYDNEY POLLACK

Distinguished Screenwriter Award: SHANE BLACK

Outstanding Television Writer Award: DAVID MILCH

Panelists

Mike Akel (writer/director Chalk)

John August (writer Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Go, Big Fish, Titan A.E., Charlie’s Angels and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle)

Josh Baran, Baran Communications (Who Killed the Electric Car? An Inconvenient Truth, Fast Food Nation)

Michael Barlow, First Look Pictures

Greg Beal, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ®, Nicholl Fellowships Program Coordinator

Jessica Bendinger (Stick It, The Truth About Charlie, Bring it On, “Sex & the City”)

Karen Bernstein, producer/director (Troop 1500, Are the Kids Alright?, Atomic Ed & The Black Hole)

Richard Bever, Rough House Media

Maggie Biggar, Fortis Films

Michael Ian Black, actor/writer/director (Stella, The Pleasure of Your Company,Viva Variety, MTV’s The State)

Jeff Bowden (director DIRT)

David Boxerbaum, APA

Mark Bristol, Edge of Reality

Amnon Buchbinder (author The Way of the Screenwriter, writer/director A Whole New Thing)

Curtis Burch, Latitude Productions

Greg Carter, filmmaker (Mike Jones: American Dream, Fifth Ward, My Big Phat Hip Hop Family, Resurrection: The J.R. Richard Story)

Mark Coffey, Film Editor (Antone’s: Home of the Blues, Levelland, The Journeyman, Natural Selection)

Steve Collins (writer/director Gretchen, Gretchen & the Night Danger, Lonelyland)

John Contrubis, BAT Entertainment

Joe Conway (Paradise, Texas, Undertow)

Tom Copeland, Texas State University

Sean Covel, producer (Napoleon Dynamite)

Mike Curtis, HDForIndies.com, Digital Media Production

Katy Daiger, Animation & Game Industries Liaison, Texas Film Commission

Blair Dancy, Texas Accountants Lawyers for the Arts

Jim Dauterive (“King of the Hill”)

Marten Davies, iTechVentures

Aaron de Orive (Video game writing credits include Anarchy Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Tabula Rasa, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption)

Bob Dolman (writer/director How to Eat Fried Worms, The Banger Sisters, writer Willow, “SCTV”)

Channing Dungey, Touchstone TV

Jay Edwards (writer/director Stomp! Shout! Scream!, producer “Aqua Teen Hunger Force”)

Brent Emery, Maverick Films

Warren Etheredge, The Warren Report, Lockspring Pictures

Steve Faber (We’re the Millers ’07, Wedding Crashers)

Juliana Farrell, Groundswell Productions

Bob Fisher (We’re the Millers ’07, Wedding Crashers)

Jeff Fraley, Trinity Films

Dianne Fraser, Industry Entertainment

Dan French (“Dennis Miller”, “The Late Late Show”, “The Best Damn Sports Show Period”)

Russell Gewirtz (Inside Man)

Marc Gordon, The Firm

Sindy Gordon, BAT Entertainment

Susannah Grant (writer/director Catch and Release ’06, “Party of Five”, writer Charlotte’s Web ’06, In Her Shoes, Erin Brockovich, 28 Days, Ever After)

Matt Gross, Gross Entertainment

Zach Gutin, Script Magazine

John Lee Hancock (writer A Perfect World, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, The Alamo, director The Alamo, The Rookie)

Stephen Harrigan (The Last of His Tribe, Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder, King of Texas, The Colt)

James V. Hart (August Rush, The Snow Goose, Sahara, Tuck Everlasting, Contact, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Hook)

Brian Helgeland (Mystic River, Man on Fire, A Knight’s Tale, L.A. Confidential)

Chris Hyams, Bside Entertainment

Peter Hyams, writer/director (End of Days, The Relic, Timecop, Capricorn One, 2010)

Shannon Jimenez, 2004 Disney Writing Fellow, 2000 Texas Film Institute’s screenwriting competition winner

Kristin Jones, Miramax

Barry Josephson, Josephson Entertainment

Stuart Kelban, screenwriter, Professor at UT Radio-Television-Film Department

Troy Lanier, Documentary Filmmaker, Filmmaking Teacher at St. Stephens Episcopal High School

Jack Leslie, The Donners’ Company

Richard Lewis, Director of UT Film Institute Conservatory, documentary filmmaker Chimp Rescue

Richard Linklater (writer/director Fast Food Nation, A Scanner Darkly, Before Sunset, Before Sunrise, Dazed and Confused)

Harry Lynch, Trinity Films

Glynis Lynn, Phantom Four Films

Blake Masters, creator Brotherhood, writer The Ninth Man, The Divide

Brendan McDonald, Blazeland Entertainment

Patrick McKenna, writer/director, Second City Chicago

Christopher McQuarrie (Logan’s Run ‘07, The Way of the Gun, The Usual Suspects)

Clay Nichols, Playwright and Screenwriter, Filmmaking Teacher at St. Stephens Episcopal High School

William Nix, Chairman & CEO, Lone Star Entertainment Ventures

Susan O’Connor, videogame writer (Gears of War and Bioshock)

Bonnie Orr, Pitching Palace

Page Ostrow, Ostrow and Company

Terry Parmer, 2006 Writers Ranch, 2005 AFF Screenplay Competition Semi-Finalist

Sandy Petersen, game designer, Ensemble Studios

Turk Pipkin, director Nobelity, actor Waiting for Guffman, The Sopranos, the Alamo

David Ranes, WhiteLight Entertainment

Anne Rapp (Dr. T & the Women, Cookie’s Fortune)

PJ Raval (filmmaker/cinematographer The Cassidy Kids, Gretchen, Wake, Lead Role: Father)

Frank J. Reynolds, film editor (In the Bedroom, Cape of Good Hope)

Scott Rice (My Monster ’07, Perils in Nude Modeling, Partners)

Mike Rich (Nativity ’06, Radio, Finding Forrester, The Rookie)

Brant Rose, Brant Rose Agency

Gregg Rounds, screenwriter and television writer

Crickett Rumley, New York Film Academy

Jake Sawyer, filmmaker

Andrew Shea, Filmmaker (The Corndog Man, Santa Fe), Associate Professor UT Radio-Television-Film Department

Michael Showalter actor/writer/director (writer/director The Baxter, Comedy Central’s Stella)

Bud Shrake (journalist, sportswriter, biographer, screenwriter and novelist, Blessed McGill, The Borderland, Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf)

Alex Smith, Creative Director UTFI (writer/director The Slaughter Rule, Son of the Gun)

Al Staehely, Entertainment Attorney, Texas Association of Lawyers for the Arts

Joseph Staten (writer/director Halo, Halo 2, Halo 3)

Paul Stekler (documentary filmmaker, George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire, Last Man Standing)

Clay Smith, Literary Director, Texas Book Festival

Kevin Smith, writer/director (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma)

Bob Soderstrom, screenwriter, 2002 AFF Screenplay Competition Winner

Fred M. Strype, Professor of Screenwriting at Sarah Lawrence College

Keith Sweitzer, Fort Hill Productions

Amy Talkington (writer/director Night of the White Pants)

Bill True III (Runaway, winner of the Best Narrative Feature Award at the 2005 Austin Film Festival)

Kriss Turner (Something New, “Everybody Hates Chris”, “Living Single”)

Christopher Vogler (Story Consultant, Producer, author The Writer’s Journey)

Jeremy Wadzinski, 2006 Writers Ranch, 2005 AFF Screenplay Competition Finalist

David Wain (writer/director Wet Hot American Summer, MTV’s “The State”, Comedy Central’s “Stella”)

Anne Walker, Texas Avenue Films

Gary Walker, TexFX

Jake Wade Wall (Amusement ’07, The Hitcher ’07, When a Stranger Calls)

Tom Williams, Gran Via

Larry Wilmore (“The Office”, “The Bernie Mac Show”, “The PJs”, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, “In Living Color”)

Bill Wittliff (The Perfect Storm, Legends of the Fall, Lonesome Dove, The Black Stallion)

Alex Young, Josephson Entertainment