Why the Austin Film Festival Is #1 for Screenwriters (and Could Texas Be #1 for Film Production?)
"You could get a coursework over a weekend at the Austin Film Festival."
'Dead Man's Wire'
In this episode of the No Film School Podcast, NFS founder Ryan Koo sits down with contributor and fellow Austinite Jourdan Aldredge to recap the highlights and insights from the 32nd annual Austin Film Festival. Known as "The Writers Festival," AFF has emerged as a critical space for screenwriters, writer-directors, and filmmakers to connect, learn, and showcase their work.
Ryan and Jourdan discuss how the festival nurtures emerging talent, supports the craft of screenwriting, and uniquely prioritizes writers. They also dig into the implications of Texas's new film incentive, SB 22, and what it means for the future of production in the Lone Star State.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Why the Austin Film Festival is considered the top screenwriting festival
- The unique setup of AFF, with its focus on panels and Q&As over red carpets
- Highlights from panels with Michael Arndt, Celine Song, Christine Vachon, and Rian Johnson
- Screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker's brutally honest take on breaking in
- The inspiring breakout story of writer Austin Kolodny and Dead Man’s Wire
- The economics of the film industry and why 90–97% of films don’t make money
- True stories as a strong route into the industry for aspiring screenwriters
- Texas's new $1.5 billion film incentive and how it could change U.S. production hubs
- Concerns about creative censorship tied to discretionary state grants
- The continued power of writing on spec, especially in genres like horror and action
Want more from the Austin Film Festival? Check out this episode in which GG Hawkins hosts a roundtable discussion with microbudget filmmakers at last year's AFF.
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This episode of The No Film School Podcast was produced by Ryan Koo.
