The Austin Film Festival is dedicated to championing the work of aspiring and established filmmakers, defined as screenwriters, directors, editors, producers, actors and all those artists who use the language of film to tell a story. The AFF furthers the art, craft and business of filmmaking by providing unique cultural events and services, enhancing public awareness and participation, and encouraging dynamic and long-lasting community partnerships.

The Austin Film Festival is a not for profit 501c3 corporation.

Sacha Gervasi

Born in London in 1966, Sacha Gervasi was educated at Westminster School, and then read modern history at King's College London.

Gervasi's first position was to work for the Poet Laureate of England, Ted Hughes at The Arvon Writing Foundation, the charity Hughes started with his first wife, Sylvia Plath.

He subsequently worked for John Calder of the Samuel Beckett archive helping to arrange a sale of Beckett’s vast personal papers at Sotheby’s in 1989, including Beckett’s own annotated version of Waiting for Godot which sold to Trinity College, Dublin.

Gervasi moved to Los Angeles in 1995 to attend the graduate screenwriting program at UCLA Film School, where he twice won the BAFTA/LA scholarship. While in the program, he supported himself by working as a journalist, writing for newspapers and magazines, including The Sunday Times, The Observer and Punch.

Gervasi got his film writing start with The Big Tease, which he co-wrote with Craig Ferguson. He went on to pen The Terminal, made into a film in 2004 directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks. 

In 2005, Gervasi contacted Anvil band members Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner who he roadied for as a teenager.  Between 2006 and 2008 he documented the band's continuing struggle for success as they embarked on a European tour and set out to record their thirteenth album.  As a result the of the film's success, Anvil has opened for AC/DC at 50,000+ seat stadiums and early next year will begin a 30-city tour of "The Anvil Experience", combining a screening of the film with a performance by the band.

In 2009, he was appointed to the Hunter/Zakin screenwriting chair at UCLA.  He is writing and will produce Henry's Crime which begins production in New York next month, starring Keanu Reeves, James Caan and Vera Farmiga.

In 2010, he will direct a biopic of actor Herve Villechaize from his own screenplay.  The film is being produced by Oscar-winning Schindler's List scribe Steven Zaillian.