As a local Austinite, I can be a bit biased toward festivals in my own backyard. Still, even with that in mind, the Austin Film Festival is a top festival on the circuit thanks in part to its deep roster and diverse range of film premieres and screenings, as well as its screenwriting-focused panels, conversations, and events.
Known as one of the world's top screenwriting festivals and networking spots, the 33rd annual Festival has unveiled its full schedule, running October 29th through November 4th, and revealed everything included in its Writers Conference, taking place concurrently from October 29th through November 1st.
Let’s check out some of the highlights.
The Austin Film Festival 2026 Schedule
Set to include almost 200 films from 24 countries, plus a strong lineup of Writers Conference programming, the Austin Film Festival returns for its 33rd edition with its usual mix of award-ready screenings, big names, and insightful events and conversations.
The festival will open with The Debut, written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg and starring Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti. And Behemoth!, directed by Tony Gilroy and starring Pedro Pascal, will serve as the Festival’s Centerpiece selection.
Some other top films we’re interested in checking out include:
CLUB KID (US, A24)
- Texas Premiere
- Writer/Director: Jordan Firstman
- Cast: Jordan Firstman, Reggie Absolom, Diego Calva, Cara Delevingne, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Colleen Camp, Vicki Pepperdine, Nigil Whyte, Eldar Isgandarov, Saturn Risin9, Miss Benny, Alaska Riley
THE STALEMATE (US)
- World Premiere
- Writer/Director: Nicholas Arioli
- Cast: Ben Foster, Manny Jacinto, Fiona Shaw, Jeremy Bobb, Anthony Carrigan, Paul Sparks, Shea Whigham, Giorgia Whigham, Tony Hale
- Out of bullets and far from town, a robber and a sheriff must negotiate their way out of an absurd, unending chase in the Old West. A comedy. Sort of.
THIS IS THE ONE THEY'LL REMEMBER ME BY (US)
- World Premiere
- Writers: Alex Mechanik, Samy Burch
- Director: Alex Mechanik
- Cast: O-Lan Jones, Max Jenkins, Molly Gordon, Dave Foley
- Actress Robin Beck is thrown into a downward spiral when she hears rumors of the upcoming remake for the film that made her a star, PLACES! (dir. Bert Hayley, 1983).
- In Attendance: Alex Mechanik, Samy Burch
And some retrospective screenings including:
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006) - 20th Anniversary Screening
- Presented by writer Michael Arndt
- Writer: Michael Arndt
- Directors: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
- A family determined to get their young daughter to the finals of a beauty pageant embarks on a cross-country journey in their battered Volkswagen bus.
PAPER MOON (1973)
- Presented by Frank Marshall
- Writer: Alvin Sargent
- Director: Peter Bogdanovich
- A traveling Bible salesman is tasked with taking an orphaned girl to live with her relatives. The two have more in common than they first realize, and after becoming a successful pair of con artists, neither is eager to part ways.
THE STRAIGHT STORY (1999)
- Presented by Mary Sweeney
- Writers: John Roach, Mary Sweeney
- Director: David Lynch
- Oscar® nominee Richard Farnsworth stars as a septuagenarian who drives his lawn mower hundreds of miles across the Midwest to visit his estranged, dying brother.
Full Schedule for the Writers Conference
Credit: Austin FIlm Festival
Happening concurrently with the Film Festival is AFF’s Writers Conference, which will include an equally interesting mix of panels and conversations, including A Conversation with Jim Downey, Inside the Making of Friday Night Lights, Inside the Making of Lanterns, Inside the Writers Room: Family Guy, On Crafting Enduring Characters in a Sitcom World, and Script to Screen: The Town with Peter Craig.
For more info on the Festival and to view the full schedule, visit the AFF website here.
