Austin Film Festival Announces 2023 Jury & Audience Award Winners

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Photo from the Premiere of ‘I’ll Be There’ Courtesy of The Austin Film Festival and Jack Plunkett.

This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the movies being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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Anyone who had the distinct honor of attending the 30th Austin Film Festival, is undoubtedly still reeling from the experience. After all, it was a week filled to the brim with incredible premieres, and moving features, and of course… so many attendees made new friends and new connections and left with their hearts full of what the love the most, great storytelling.

For there were just some incredible stories on display, the kind that were indeed up for awards and now… a few days after the festival, the time has come to announce the winners. For the 2023 Jury and Audience Award Winners are in and well… since you’re undoubtedly curious as to who went home with great honors, here are those selections to close out one incredible celebration of storytelling.

‘Going on 30 years, Austin Film Festival (AFF) is the premier Festival to recognize the writer’s contribution to film, television, theatre, and new media, is thrilled to announce the 2023 Film Competition Jury and Audience Award winners alongside the Screenplay Competition winners. This year, there were 11 Jury Award winners, 11 Audience Award winners, and 17 Script Competition winners. The competitions received over 6,000 film submissions and over 11,500 script submissions.  

THE FOLLOWING FILM JURY AWARDS WERE SELECTED BY CATEGORY 
 
Narrative Feature - Sunlight, written by Ailbhe Keogan, directed by Claire Dix 

Documentary Feature - First We Bombed New Mexico, written by Lois Lipman and Joel Marcus, directed by Lois Lipman 

Comedy Vanguard Feature - Egghead & Twinkie, written/directed by Sarah Kambe Holland 
 
Dark Matters Feature presented by Vertigo Entertainment - Inhabitants, written/directed by Matt McClung 
 
Narrative Short - Arman & Elisa, written/directed by Kiyan Agadjani  
 
Student Short - Seraphim, written by Joanna Fernandez, directed by Oscar Ramos 
 
Documentary Short - Safe Place, directed by Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian 
 
Animated Short – Curiosa, written by Matthew Dicky and TessaMoult-Milewska, directed by Tessa Moult-Milewska 

Produced Digital Series - Thanatos, written/directed by Andrew C. Fisher 

Enderby Entertainment Filmmaking Fellowship Award - English Tutor, written/directed by Jaho Koo
 
Texas Short Filmmaker Award presented by Aduro Studios and Film - 40Hands, written/directed by Craig Robert Elrod 
 
Film Jury winners were selected by jurors including Roy Lee (Barbarian, It, The Ring),Katie Silberman (Booksmart, Set It Up), Ashley Lyle (Yellowjackets), Jade-Addon Hall (20th Century), Carly Wray (Watchmen) and Kemp Powers (Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse). 
 
Following each screening, audience members cast their votes for the Audience Awards, recognizing the audience’s Festival favorites among the 2023 film slate. 
 
THE FOLLOWING FILM AUDIENCE AWARDS WERE SELECTED BY CATEGORY 
 
Marquee Film: American Fiction, written/directed by Cord Jefferson 
 
Narrative Feature: Autumn, written/directed by António Sequeira 
 
Documentary Feature: Born To Fly, directed by Brennan Robideaux 
 
Dark Matters Feature: Wild Eyed and Wicked, written/directed by Gordon Shoemaker Foxwood 
 
Comedy Vanguard Feature: For When You Get Lost, written by Jennifer Sorenson, directed by Michelle Steffes 
 
Texas Independent Feature: I’ll Be There, written by Cindy McCreery, directed by Andrew Shea 
 
Narrative Short: Barely Breathing, written by Neal Reddy, directed by Derek Evans 
 
Narrative Student Short: A Conspiracy Man, written by Valerio Ferrara, Alessandro Logli, Matteo Petecca, directed by Valerio Ferrara 
 
Documentary Short: Safe Place, directed by Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian 
 
Animated Short: Starling, written/directed by Mitra Shahidi 
 
Produced Digital Series:
Restorage, created by Caleb Davis, E’an Verdugo, directed by E’an Verdugo 
 
 
The 2023 Script Competition winners were chosen from a record field of 11,500 scripts entered in the Screenplay, Digital Series, Playwriting, and Fiction Podcast Competitions. The winners were selected by a distinguished panel of industry judges including, Tatiana Suarez-Pico (Hunters, Penny Dreadful, Iron Fist, Snowfall), Christina Hodson (Bumblebee, Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, The Flash), Tripper Clancy (Stuber, I Am Not Okay With This, Die Hart), & Herschel Weingrod (Trading Places, Kindergarten Cop). 
 
THE FOLLOWING SCREENPLAY AWARDS WERE SELECTED BY CATEGORY 
 
Drama Feature Screenplay Award presented by The Writers Guild of America, East -  
T-Minus Zero by Troy Anthony Miller and J.R Smith 
 
Drama Teleplay Pilot Award - State of the Art by Austin Elliott 
 
Drama Teleplay Spec Award - The Great: “Death Becomes Him” by Marguerite Spellman 
 
Comedy Feature Screenplay Award - A Forest Through The Trees By Ryan Ederer 
 
Comedy Teleplay Pilot Award - Arthur and Lancelot by Victoria Zeutzius 
 
Comedy Teleplay Spec Award - What We Do in the Shadows: “The Chupacabra” by Jordan Obey 
 
Scripted Digital Series Award - Psychic by Aiden Moretti 
 
Fiction Podcast Award  - The Crime at Camp Ashwood by Laura Hunter Drago 
 
Short Screenplay Award - Good Evening, Marshall (Good Evening, Geraldine) by Jessica Mosher 
 
Playwriting Award - The Housing Situation on Neptune by Nijae Draine 
 
Horror Screenplay Award presented by Vertigo Entertainment - Paradise by Daniel Byers 
 
Sci-Fi Screenplay Award - ROY G. BIV by Sebastian Davis 
 
Rooster Teeth Fellowship Awards, BIPOC category - Turn the Heat Up by Helen K Thomas  

Rooster Teeth Fellowship Awards, Women & Animation category - Ulster by Allison Mick 
 
Enderby Entertainment Award - Black Mouth Cur by Kai Kido 
 
AMC One-Hour Pilot Award - Blind Mice by Aaron Milus 
 
Josephson Entertainment Screenwriting Fellowships - Black Waters by Kate Imy (Feature Film) and The Hellmouth by Francesco Staluppi (TV) 
 
The Austin Film Festival ran from October 26 to November 2, 2023 offering Film Festival and Writers Conference programming in-person at various venues around Austin. Next year’s Austin Film Festival and Writers Conference will be held from October 24 to 31, 2024.  For more information about the Austin Film Festival and its programming, please visit www.austinfilmfestival.com. 
 
ABOUT AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL & WRITERS CONFERENCE: 
 
Now in its thirtieth year, Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television, theater, and new media. AFF champions the work of aspiring and established storytellers by providing unique cultural events and services, enhancing public awareness and participation, and encouraging dynamic and long-lasting community partnerships. AFF is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department and the Texas Commission on the Arts.’

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