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Austin Film Festival (AFF) introduces two new contests to its slate of competitions for its 24th season, which takes place October 26 – November 2, 2017. The Playwriting Competitionwill be open to full-length stage plays and will provide aspiring playwrights exposure and access to a wide array of professionals within theater, film, and television. The Fiction Podcast Competition will accept scripts for an ongoing series intended for a purely acoustic medium with no visual component.
“We are thrilled to further expand our mission of championing storytellers by assisting writers for the stage and new media,” said Barbara Morgan, AFF Co-Founder and Executive Director. “The principles of drama began on the stage and evolved into the old school radio plays of the 1920s. Those forms of storytelling could not be more relevant today, especially with the rising popularity of fiction podcasts. We are proud to embrace the tradition of the stage and the reinvention of the radio drama.”
Regarded as the “Writers Festival,” AFF is the first festival to recognize the writer as the creator and has a long history of inclusiveness for all types of storytellers. Notable playwrights at AFF include Horton Foote, John Patrick Shanley, Beau Willimon, Melanie Marnich, and José Rivera, among others. AFF now adds stage plays and fiction podcasts to a variety of competitions that already accept screenplays, teleplays, digital series, and films in various categories.
Three finalists from the Playwriting Competition will have staged readings during the festival which will be performed in front of an audience including industry professionals already in attendance at the Conference. AFF will also program panels, roundtables, workshops, and networking events where attendees can refine their craft and make connections.
The winner of each competition will receive a $1000 cash prize, AFF’s Bronze Typewriter Award, and reimbursements of up to $500 for travel and up to $500 for lodging. AFF will announce judges and partnerships for the Playwriting and Fiction Podcast Competitions in the coming months.