The Screenplay Competition

Austin Film Festival 2002: October 10-17
Deadline for Submission: Postmarked by May 15, 2002

We are proud to announce the call for entries in our 9th Annual Austin Heart of Film Screenplay Competition. The Competition has established itself as a forerunner in connecting undiscovered, talented writers with the industry. Past success stories include Goodbye Lover, Excess Baggage, the independent film Natural Selection, and Disney's Miracle in Lane Two. Every year, invaluable connections are made through the Competition. Production company judges from the past years include Columbia, Gramercy Films, Universal, Carsey-Werner, Kopelson Entertainment, HBO New York, October Films and Artisan Entertainment, to name a few. The Competition can be the first step in a successful career, and with a little luck, maybe your screenplay will fall into the right producer's hands.

The June/July 2000 MovieMaker magazine ranks the Heart of Film Screenplay Competition among the top contests for prestige and industry recognition.

"I attended the 2000 Austin Screenwriter's Conference and applied everything I learned to my next screenplay, and then won in 2001!" Henderson Smith, The Ugly Princess, Adult/Family Winner 2001.

"A few weeks ago, we sold This Is Not A Toy to Miramax. And we just got hired to rewrite a script for Working Title. So we actually feel like screenwriters now. Hooray! Thanks so much for having such a classy screenwriting contest. It really helped launch my career." Cindy Davis Hewitt, Finalist

Screenplay Competition Awards

All awards will be presented October 12, 2002 during the Austin Film Festival Awards Luncheon. Anyone advancing to the semifinalist level or beyond will have the option to attend an exclusive Master Class hosted by a participating panelist. They will also be included in the Festival's Semifinalist Catalog, distributed to competition judges and other interested industry parties.

Prizes (1 winner per category)

Adult/Family Winner Receives: $5,000 cash; reimbursement of roundtrip airfare (up to $500); Hotel compensation at the Film Festival (up to $500); and the AFF bronze typewriter award.

Comedy Winner Receives: $5,000 cash; reimbursement of roundtrip airfare (up to $500); Hotel compensation at the Film Festival (up to $500); and the AFF bronze typewriter award.

All Finalists receive: one complimentary Producers Pass (value: $695) to the Film Festival and Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference.

All Semifinalists may purchase a Producers Pass at the discounted price of $100.

The winners will also have their screenplays read in Los Angeles at a staged reading with professional actors.