Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference (AFF), the premier film festival recognizing the writers’ contributions to film, television, and new media, announced today the full schedule of films and panels for the 25th Anniversary festival, this October 25-November 1. AFF’s feature film slate includes 23 World, North American, and US Premieres, a robust retrospective series, and highly anticipated marquee titles, including Steve McQueen’s and Gillian Flynn’s modern-day thrillerWidows, Peter Farrelly’s dramedy period piece Green Book starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, Mike Leigh’s period piece Peterloo, Mickey Rourke-starring boxing drama Tiger, Paul Dano’s Wildlife starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan, and Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges family drama Ben is Back bowing as AFF’s Centerpiece selection, with writer/director Peter Hedges in attendance.
AFF also announced its 2018 television program. Included this year is comedy series Friends From College, launching on Netflix in 2019. Creators Francesca Delbanco and Nicholas Stoller will present a special preview screening of the Season 2 premiere episode. Creator Justin Marks and executive producer Jordan Horowitz will also be at hand at the Festival to present the season 2 premiere of their espionage spy thriller Counterpart, starring Academy Award® winner J.K. Simmons, premiering on Starz later this year. AFF will also showcase independent original series as part of its Scripted Digital Series competition.
A staple of the Festival, AFF’s retrospective series this year will feature Tony Gilroy presenting his 1995 film Dolores Claiborne based on Stephen King’s novel, Graham Yost presenting his 1994 action classic Speed, and writer Mick Garris in attendance for a special Halloween presentation of Hocus Pocus.
Other World Premieres include The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova (a comedy about estranged siblings traveling to Poland to track down the remains of the their grandmother’s childhood dog), F/11 and Be There (a documentary about famed photographer Burke Uzzle), The Amaranth (a thriller about a mysterious retirement community), A Girl Named C (Emily Kassie’s documentary about a family grappling with the discovery that their 11-year-old daughter was raped), and Waiting for the Miracle to Come (Lian Lunson’s whimsical drama starring Willie Nelson and Charlotte Rampling).
Austin Film Festival also revealed today their full Writers Conference schedule, which will take place the first four days of the Festival, October 25-28. The Conference features a roster of prominent screenwriters in film and television, including Roger Corman, Tony Gilroy, Larry Wilmore, Megan Amram, John August, Wendy Calhoun, Nicole Holofcener, Ali LeRoi, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Nicole Perlman, Ed Solomon, Linda Woolverton, Graham Yost, and many more.
The full Film and Conference schedule can be found at www.austinfilmfestival.com.
Austin Film Festival’s 2018 slate:
Marquee Features
And Breathe Normally
Writer/Director: Isold Uggadottir
Ben is Back
Writer/Director: Peter Hedges
Boy Erased
Writer/Director: Joel Edgerton
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Writers: Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty
Director: Marielle Heller
El Chicano
Writers: Ben Hernandez Bray, Joe Carnahan
Director: Ben Hernandez Bray
Everybody Knows
Writer/Director: Asghar Farhadi
The Favourite
Writers: Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
The Front Runner
Writers: Matt Bai, Jay Carson, Jason Reitman
Director: Jason Reitman
Fullsterkur
Director: Todd Sansom
Green Book
Writers: Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly
Director: Peter Farrelly
Happy as Lazarro
Writer/Director: Alice Rohrwacher
Little Woods
Writer/Director: Nia DaCosta
The Long Dumb Road
Writers: Hannah Fidell, Carson Mell
Director: Hannah Fidell
Peterloo
Writer/Director: Mike Leigh
Shoplifters
Writer/Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Tiger
Writers: Michael Pugliese, Prem Singh
Director: Alister Grierson
Widows
Writers: Gillian Flynn & Steve McQueen
Director: Steve McQueen
Wildlife
Writers: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan
Director: Paul Dano
Worlds of Ursula K. LeGuin
Writer/Director: Arwen Curry
Marquee Televison
Counterpart Season 2 Episode 1 Premiere
Creator: Justin Marks
Executive Producer: Jordan Horowitz
Friends from College Season 2 Episode 1 Premiere
Creators: Francesca Delbanco & Nicholas Stoller
Narrative Features
Above the Clouds
Writer: Simon Lord
Director: Leon Chambers
Clara
Writers: Akash Sherman, James Ewasiuk
Director: Akash Sherman
The Comet
Writer: Torben Bech
Director: Bård Røssevold
Delia & Sammy
Writer/ Director: Therese Cayaba
Fishbowl
Writers: Stephen Kinigopoulos, Piero Iberti
Director: Stephen Kinigopoulos, Alexa Kinigopoulos
Last Summer
Writer/Director: Jon Jones
Laugh or Die
Writers: Heikki Kujanpää, Mikko Reitala
Director: Heikki Kujnapää
Love Goes Through Your Mind
Writers: Shruti Swaminathan, Ronak Shah
Director: Ronak Shah
Major Arcana
Writer/Director: Josh Melrod
Speaking in Tongues
Writers: Nathan Deming, Lawrie Doran
Director: Nathan Deming
Undercliffe
Writer: Bruce McLeod
Director: Lisa Mulcahy
Comedy Vanguard Features
Antiquities
Writers: Daniel Campbell, Graham Gordy
Director: Daniel Campbell
The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova
Writer: Michael Whatling
Director: Zack Bernbaum
In Reality
Writers: Ann Lupo, Esteban Pedraza, Aaron Pryka
Director: Ann Lupo
Lost & Found
Writer/Director: Liam O Mochain
Original Sin (Pecado Original)
Writers: Jean Lee, Maia Nikiphoroff
Director: Jean Lee
Simple Wedding
Writers: Sara Zandieh, Stephanie Wu
Director: Sara Zandieh
Dark Matters Features
Alive.
Writers: Jules Vincent, Chuck McCue
Director: Rob Grant
The Amaranth
Writer: Eileen Shields
Director: Albert Chi
Beyond the Night
Writer/Director: Jason Noto
The Black String
Writers: Brian Hanson, Richard Handley
Director: Brian Hanson
The Dark Red
Writers: Dan Bush, Conal Byrne
Director: Dan Bush
Empathy, Inc.
Writer: Mark Leidner
Director: Yedidya Gorestman
Ghost Light
Writer: John Stimpson, Geoffrey Taylor
Director: John Stimpson
The Lake Vampire
Writer/Director: Carl Zitelmann
Documentary Feature
A Girl Named C
Director: Emily Kassie
Care to Laugh
Director: Julie Getz
F/11 and Be There
Director: Jethro Waters
Fathers of Football
Director: Bradley Beesley
For The Birds
Director: Richard Miron
Ghosthunter
Director: Ben Lawrence
The Interpreters
Directors: Andres Caballero, Sofian Khan
Long Time Coming: A 1955 Baseball Story
Writers: Jon Strong, Ted Haddock, John King, Mike Quinn Jr.
Director: Jon Strong
The Money Stone
Director: Stuart Harmon
Surviving Bokator
Writers: Mark Bochsler, Kevin Schjerning, Fernanda Rossi
Director: Mark Bochsler
Turning Point
Director: James Keach
Texas Independent Features
Also Starring Austin
Writer: Mike Blizzard, Laura Colwell, Lala Morgan
Director: Mike Blizzard
The Iron Orchard
Writer: Gerry De Leon
Director: Ty Roberts
Jules of Light and Dark
Writer/Director: Daniel Laabs
Texas Cotton
Writers: Tyler Russell, Jameel Khaja
Director: Tyler Russell
Waiting for the Miracle to Come
Writer/Director: Lian Lunson
