Austin Film Festival Reveals First Wave of Screenings Set for 27th Anniversary & First Virtual Line-Up, Including Multiple World & North American Premieres

Austin Film Festival (AFF), the premier film festival recognizing writers’ and filmmakers’ contributions to film, television, and new media, has announced the first wave of screenings to be included in their 2020 film slate, taking place virtually October 22-29.

AFF will feature world premiere screenings including vaunted writer/director Anne Rapp’s latest film Horton Foote: The Road to Home, chronicling the life and work of the legendary Academy Award winning writer of To Kill a Mockingbird. Also screening at AFF are premieres from second-round writers through the Festival’s Screenplay competitions, including the world premieres of THE CATCH by first-time director Matthew Ya-Hsiung Balzer, as well as the directorial debut of writer/director Paul Kowalski with Paper Tiger. Rounding out the Screenplay Competition alums is writer/director Khaled Ridgeway’s film with the Texas Premiere of his title Death of a Telemarketer starring Lamorne Morris, Haley Joel Osment, and Jackie Earle Haley.

AFF will spotlight Texas filmmakers and productions with this year’s North-American premiere of Blinders, directed by former Terrence Malickcollaborator Tyler Savage and written by Savage & Dash Hawkins, along with the US Premiere of Fugitive Dreams, written and directed by Jason Neulander and The Get Together directed by Will Bakke and starring Johanna Braddy and Alejandro Rose-Garcia (Shakey Graves).

The Festival is also excited to announce the World Premiere of the delightful comedy Reboot Camp written and directed by Ivo Raza featuring David Lipper, Ed Begley Jr, and Ja Rule. Lastly, AFF will offer World Premieres for alumnus & writer/director Aldo Miyashiro’s Wake Show and the directorial debut of Open Field by Kathy Kuras.

The 2020 Writers Conference will welcome a strong roundup of prominent screenwriters in film and television including Tanya Barfield (writer Ms. America), Paul Feig (director Bridesmaids), Scott Frank (writer Get Shorty), John Logan (creator Penny Dreadful), Gina Prince-Bythewood (writer/director The Old Guard), Kevin Willmott (co-writer BlacKkKlansman), and Tracey Scott Wilson (writer Respect). AFF’s Writers Conference will feature over 30 virtual panels on the art, craft, and business of screenwriting.

The complete list of programming, including over 100 films as well as this year’s panels, will be announced in late September.

For new announcements and information on how to attend, visit www.austinfilmfestival.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.