EXCLUSIVE: The Austin Film Festival has announced its 2025 Script and Film Competition Award winners. The 32nd annual fete recognized a new class of storytellers in 33 categories, who received AFF’s signature Bronze Typewriter Award at the Awards Luncheon held Oct. 25.
Founded in 1994 on the principle of honoring the screenplay, AFF’s yearly Writers Conference and competitions serve as a launchpad, identifying and connecting emerging talent with established industry leaders via mentorship and career development. Selected from a pool of more than 17,000 submissions across 112 countries, 35 writers and filmmakers were recognized this year for their outstanding work.
“For over three decades, our competitions have served to highlight emerging creatives and recognize original storytelling,” said Barbara Morgan, executive director of AFF, in a statement. “At a time when the industry is in flux, we’re proud to be partnering with so many industry leaders to identify the next generation of screenwriters and create real opportunities.”
Awarded writers and filmmakers received accolades from industry partners including AMC Networks, Enderby Entertainment, Josephson Entertainment and the Writers Guild of America East. Additionally, winners in the Narrative, Documentary and Animated Shorts competitions are eligible for Academy Award consideration.
Through its 2025 Script Competitions, AFF also partnered with Wonder Project to identify writers whose scripts embody humor, heart and hope. The inaugural Wonder Project | Stand Together Fellowship was awarded to Christopher Holt for his script 27 Cows. Holt will participate in a one-year screenwriting fellowship overseen by former Marvel executive and producer Jeremy Latcham, during which he will develop stories with the Wonder Project | Stand Together teams and be paid a union-comparable rate. Additional fellowship partners this year include Big Indie Pictures, The Donners’ Company, Starburns Industries and YMH Studios.
“To win the Wonder Project | Stand Together Fellowship is unbelievable,” Holt said. “I’m over the moon, and I just want to do the best job I possibly can. This kind of thing has not happened to me before, so I’m very, very pleased and grateful.” This year’s recipients join a lineage of AFF alumni including Clint Bentley, Zarna Garg, Greg Kwedar, Ashley Lyle, LaToya Morgan, Megan Park and Oren Uziel.
Winning projects were selected by a panel of industry vets whose credits include The Bear, BoJack Horseman, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hacks, The Sex Lives of College Girls, South Park, Ted Lasso and Top Gun: Maverick, among others.
Read on for the full list of awardees:
2025 SCRIPT COMPETITION AWARD & FELLOWSHIP WINNERS The 2025 Austin Film Festival Script Competition featured 22 categories.
Drama Screenplay Award Presented by Writers Guild of America East – The Other Side of 25, Becca Hurd Comedy Screenplay Award – Lauren Lindsay Can Go To Hell, Kate Beacom & Lacey Jeka Big Indie Pictures Fellowship – Roots of Conflict, Ari Mostow The Donners’ Company Award – Believe/Bерим, Ryan Werner Enderby Entertainment Award – The Other Side of 25, Becca Hurd Josephson Entertainment Screenwriting Award – Black Silk, Patrick Michael Horror Screenplay Award – SHIFT, Danny Salemme Sci-fi Screenplay Award – On the Other Side, Lanre Olabisi Wonder Project | Stand Together Fellowship – 27 Cows, Christopher Holt YMH Studios Fellowship – Follow The Money, Patrick Franklin Drama Teleplay Pilot – Dr. Nash, Cassidy Nash Davis AMC One-Hour Pilot Award – Courier Girl, Anna Zabel Comedy Teleplay Pilot – CRAPSHOOT, Drew McInturff Adult Comedy Animated Series Fellowship Presented by Starburns Industries – Time Traveling Cum Cops, Austin Schauer Josephson Entertainment Teleplay Award – Lady Em, Cristina Pippa TV Comedy Fellowship Sponsored by the Nickelodeon Writing Program – Medusa: An Animated Series, Ruby Mainieri Drama Teleplay Spec – Yellowjackets: Thicker than Water, Cynthia He Comedy Teleplay Spec – Abbott Elementary: Skip Skampi’s, Scott Olsen Short Screenplay – Did You Have a Good Time?, Kevin Talley Stage Play – Shepherd, Gregory Paul Scripted Digital Series – String City, Suemedha Sood Fiction Podcast – Dial it Up, Philip Thorne & Oystein Brager 2025 FILM COMPETITION AWARD & FELLOWSHIP WINNERS The 2025 Austin Film Festival Film Jury Competition featured eleven categories of competition.
Narrative Feature Presented by Big Indie Pictures – A Man Walks Down the Street, written and directed by Yuval Hadadi Documentary Feature – Winner: Searching for Satyrus, written and directed by Rena Effendi Honorable mention: Bite to Bite, directed by Kelly Lipscomb Comedy Vanguard Feature – Theatre People, written and directed by Michael B. Breen Dark Matters Feature – Cruel Hands, written by Al & Matthew Kalyk, directed by Al Kalyk Narrative Short – Foxhole, written and directed by Nick Dugan Student Short – Recess, written and directed by Jan Saczek Documentary Short – We’re Fine, directed by Misha Karpenko Animated Short – Beyond Measure, written and directed by David Ferrier Produced Digital Series – Bliss Talent, written by Rachel Ravel & Elvira Ibragimova, directed by Elvira Ibragimova Enderby Entertainment Filmmaking Fellowship Award – My Only Friend is a Robot Named Beans, written and directed by Anika Kan Grevstad
More than three decades in, Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference is a nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television, theater and new media. It’s supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of The City of Austin Economic Development Department and Texas Commission on the Arts. The 32nd edition runs from Oct. 23-30.
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