Founded in 2006, Big Indie is a film, television, and documentary production company based in New York that is predominantly known for its work in independent film on projects like Still Alice, Manchester by the Sea, and Captain Fantastic. Big Indie has an extensive production services arm that has partnered on recent projects like Swarm, Daisy Jones and the Six, Underground Railroad, Being the Ricardos and many others. Big Indie also recently produced Michael Shannon’s directorial debut Eric LaRue.
The winner of the Narrative Feature Award also receives the Big Indie Pictures Film Fellowship, which gives the winner industry guidance to help develop and potentially produce a feature.
- The Fellowship will take place between January 2025 through June 2025 during which the winner works on their next feature film
- Assist in creating/editing pitch deck and practicing their pitch for Big Indie Pictures team
- Meet with members of Big Indie Pictures to learn behind-the-scenes practices of developing and workshopping original ideas, IP, and
- Specific film to be determined by Big Indie Pictures and Winner
- Specific Dates to be determined between Winner and Big Indie Picture
- Conversations during the program may include, but not limited to:
- Insight on pitfalls to avoid and methods to constantly stay active and involved in the industry.
- Tips on career guidance
- Best practices
- Opportunity to continue work with Big Indie Pictures after Fellowship per the discretion of both parties
Entry Requirements:
- Any narrative work of fiction with a running time of 41 minutes or longer.
- Feature films must be at least a Texas Premiere, but US and World Premieres are always preferred.
Entry Requirements:
- Any narrative work of fiction with a running time of 40 minutes or less.
- Shorts must be Austin premieres, although Texas Premieres are preferred.
Entry Requirements:
- Any student narrative work of fiction with a running time of 40 minutes or less.
- The film’s credited writer or director must be a current student or completed the film during the time the filmmaker was a student.
- Student Shorts must be non-animated, narrative works only. Documentary and Animated Shorts should be entered in their respective category.
- Shorts must be Austin Premieres, but Texas Premieres are preferred.
- Entrant must provide proof of enrollment in the form of an official transcript or signed letter from faculty on official letterhead. This can be sent to programming@austinfilmfestival.com.
Entry Requirements:
- Any animated narrative work of fiction with a running time of 40 minutes or less.
- Open to any form of animation. Animated Shorts must be narrative works only–no experimental pieces.
- Shorts must be Austin premieres, although Texas Premieres are preferred.
Entry Requirements:
- Any non-fiction film with a running time of 41 minutes or longer.
- Feature films must be at least a Texas Premiere, but US and World Premieres are always preferred.
- AFF specifically looks for documentaries that tell compelling and well-structured stories.
Entry Requirements:
- Any non-fiction work of film with a running time of 40 minutes or less.
- Shorts must be Austin premieres, although Texas Premieres are preferred.
- AFF prefers films with compelling and well-structured stories.
Narrative films with a running time of 41 minutes or longer and with a story easily identified as belonging to the horror or thriller genre and embodying dark themes, unconventional subject matter, or suspenseful sensibilities are eligible for the Dark Matters Features presented by Vertigo Entertainment category. The winner of the Dark Matters Feature presented by Vertigo Entertainment will be granted a 6-month Filmmaker Fellowship under Co-founder and producer Roy Lee and executives, which includes but is not limited to one monthly meeting / virtual call with Vertigo executives and associates focused on career guidance and providing insight to the filmmaker. The Fellow receives:
- One (1) monthly virtual call (if filmmaker does not reside in the greater Los Angeles area)
- Advice on career guidance including workshopping ideas, networking, insight into the Hollywood studio system
- Opportunity to discuss future scripts/films with Roy Lee and receive advice and guidance
- The option to bring filmmaker onto projects with Vertigo Entertainment or any of its subsidiaries
- Opportunity to meet with Vertigo Entertainment contacts & partners, such as managers, agents, and executives, per the discretion of Vertigo Entertainment
Consideration for the Fellowship does not require additional fees.
Entry Requirements
- Any narrative work of fiction with a running time of 41 minutes or longer and with a story that is easily identified as belonging to the horror or thriller genre and that embodies dark themes, unconventional subject matter, or suspenseful sensibilities.
- Films must be at least a Texas Premiere, but US and World Premieres are always preferred.
Entry Requirements
- Films must be feature-length, 41 minutes or longer.
- Must be original narrative films that encompass any and all forms of the comedy genre, where the only thing that outweighs the humor is the story.
- Films must be at least a Texas Premiere, but US and World Premieres are always preferred.
The Enderby Entertainment Filmmaking Fellowship is open to short films entered under the Narrative Short and Narrative Student Short categories. Founded by Daniel Petrie, Jr. (Beverly Hills Cop, The Big Easy) and Rick Dugdale, the production company will provide airfare and hotel accommodations for a week-long trip to Enderby’s Los Angeles offices, guidance, and the opportunity to shadow executives and filmmakers on-site.
- Consideration requires an additional $25 submission fee.
- The expenses of the writer(s) and the director(s) will be covered under the fellowship (at most 2 people). If only one writer/director, only one person will be covered.
We are proud to be partnering with Aduro Studios & Film for a second year and joined by Shorthand Camera for the 2024 Texas Short Film Award, which aims at continuing to celebrate emerging talent and promote the cultural importance of regional filmmaking in and around Texas.
Award Criteria:
The Texas Short Film Award is presented to a Texas-affiliated short film submitted for competition under one of the “Texas Short Film” categories. The short may fit into the following categories: Narrative, Animated, Documentary, or Student.
To qualify: The short film must have been filmed in Texas, and/or the writer/director lives in Texas.
This year’s edition of the Texas Short Film Award will include prize packages for a winning filmmaker courtesy of Aduro Studios & Film and Shorthand Camera! The winning filmmaker will be selected by a jury of esteemed writers, producers, and studio executives with ties to Texas. Previous jurors include Alex Williams, Carly Wray, and Ya’Ke Smith.
The winning filmmaker will receive:
- A $2,000 “Gear Grant” toward any rental or purchase at Aduro Studios & Film.
- 12 hours in the large 2100 square-foot studio space with 14-ft tall Cyc Wall, sound treated walls, and an overhead lighting grid.
- A $2,000 “Gear Grant” toward any rental or purchase at Shorthand Camera
If you would like to be considered for this award in addition to your competition category, you can opt-in on our FilmFreeway or our official website submission page.
Entry Requirements
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- Any narrative serial content designed for digital platforms with a total runtime of no more than 30 minutes.
- Submissions may either be a proof-of-concept pilot or the pilot with the subsequent 1-3 episodes of the FIRST season.
- Entrants that advance to the Semifinalist level will be asked to provide a treatment of their vision for the series and how subsequent episodes will unfold.
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The Jury Advisory Program will facilitate opportunities for entrants across all nine of AFF’s film competition categories sourced from selected in-competition films.
Each Jury Winner per competition category will have the opportunity to participate in advisory sessions with a member of the AFF jury.
Members of the 2023 jury included representatives from notable companies such as Walt Disney Animation, Participant, Vertigo Entertainment, 20th Century, and Amazon MGM Studios.
Eligibility for the Advisory Program are as follows:
- Only in-competition selected filmmakers are eligible for this program. If writer and director are separate individuals, the writer will be selected to participate in the Program.
- The Jury winner of each competition is guaranteed access to the Advisory Program
Please Note: Austin Film Festival does not waive entry fees. AFF believes waiving entry fees hurts the integrity of the competition. The same rules and entry fees should apply to all applicants so no one film is favored over another. In a similar respect, AFF does not invite films to be in competition. Only films that are submitted will be considered for competition.
Questions?
For general questions our FAQ can be read here and our Rules can be viewed here.
Still in need of assistance? The AFF Film Department is happy to help! Email at programming@austinfilmfestival.com or call at 512-478-4795.