2023 Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference has ended

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2023 Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference

Featured Speakers

Scott Alexander

2023 Recipient of The Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting

Cord Jefferson

2023 Recipient of the Writer's Writer Award

Larry Karaszewski

2023 Recipient of The Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting

Damon Lindelof

2023 Recipient of the Outstanding Television Writer Award

So Young Shelly Yo

2023 Recipient of The New Voice Award

James V. Hart

2023 Recipient of the Heart of Film Award

Lauren Shuler Donner

2023 Recipient of the Polly Platt Award for Producing

Speakers

Nadia Abass-Madden

Writer/executive story editor 9-1-1. Former 911 Dispatcher

Karen Joseph Adcock

writer on FX's The Bear and Showtimes' Yellowjackets

Chikodili Agwuna

writer Criminal Minds, Tuca & Bertie

Megan Alderson

Creative Development Executive, Pixar Animation Studios

Dean Alioto

writer/director The McPherson Tape, Portal, Alien Abduction: Incident...

Paul Alvarado-Dykstra

AFF Moderator

Miguel Alvarez

AFF Moderator

Megan Amram

writer The Good Place, The Simpsons, Transparent, Silicon Valley,...

Amy Aniobi

Founder of SuperSpecial; Writer/Executive Producer - Insecure;...

Michael Arndt

writer Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3

Sandra Avila

Partner/Manager, Inclusion Management

Casey Baron

AFF Moderator

Lenny Barszap

writer/producer HOME FREE, HOT TUB; Producer DEREK'S DEAD;...

Mitchell Bendersky

Manager, Gramercy Park Ent.

Katrin Benedikt

co-writer Olympus Has Fallen, The Expendables 3, London Has Fallen,...

Christian Bersani

Vice President of Film & TV, Josephson Entertainment

Shane Black

writer/director The Predator, The Nice Guys, Iron Man 3, Kiss Kiss...

Melissa Blake

writer/producer

Mike Blizzard

producer/director

Max Borenstein

creator/show-runner Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty;...

David Boxerbaum

Partner, Verve Talent & Literary Agency

Justin Boyd

Writer/Producer Fear the Walking Dead, Sweet Tooth, Reprisal, Channel...

VJ Boyd

writer/producer Justified: City Primeval, S.W.A.T., Justified

Craig Brewer

writer/director Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan, Footloose; director...

Alisha Brophy

co-writer Inside Job, License to Drive, United States of Fuckin'...

Bryan Brucks

Founder of 831 entertainment; producer/manager Scout’s Guide To The...

Dave Buckman

The Second City, Boom Chicago, American Crime

Stephan Bugaj

Stephan Bugaj Chief Creative Officer of Genvid Entertainment;...

Jim Burnstein

writer Renaissance Man, D3: The Mighty Ducks, Ruffian, Love and...

Ernie Bustamante

writer Alma’s Way, Border Patrol; Assistant Professor, LMU

Agustine Calderon

Vice President of Features, 3pas Studios; Producer Tetris, Mysteries...

Wendy Calhoun

writer/producer - The Rookie: Feds, Prodigal Son, Station 19, Empire,...

Joanna Calo

writer/director The Bear; writer Beef, BoJack Horseman, The...

Davia Carter

writer Tulsa King, Snowfall, Queen of the South

Greg Carter

AFF Moderator, writer/director/producer Hip-Hop Family Christmas...

Thomas Carter

Founder, Artillery Creative; Producer/Manager

Katie Cates

Manager, Artists First

Alfred Cervantes

Executive Director of the Houston Film Commission

Jill Chamberlain

Author The Nutshell Technique: Crack the Secret of Successful...

Kesila Childers

Independent Producer

Glenn Cockburn

President/Literary Agent, Meridian Artists

Daniel Cohan

Literary Manager, Brillstein Entertainment Partners

Bill Collage

screenwriter Emancipation, Divergent: Allegiant, Assassin’s Creed,...

Sean Collins-Smith

Story Editor Chicago PD, Staff Writer Michael Shur’s Field of Dreams

Alex Convery

writer Air

Courtney Cook

Education Manager, POV on PBS

Matt Cook

writer/co-producer Triple Nine, By Way of Helena; co-writer Patriots...

Kara Lee Corthron

writer/co-executive producer You; writer/co-executive producer Servant

Saeed Crumpler

writer Flatbush Misdemeanors; AFF'S 2023 Screenwriters to Watch

Mark Cunningham

AFF Moderator

Ryan Cunningham

manager/producer, Anonymous Content

Micah Cyrus

co-producer, All American

Jennifer DaRe

CEO/President, ATN Entertainment

Heath Davis

Colby Day

writer Spaceman, In the Blink of an Eye

Andrea Dimity

producer/literary manager

Lindsay Doran

executive in charge of production, This is Spinal Tap; producer Dead...

Amanda Drexton

co-writer/director, producer and co-star of SOUR PARTY

George Ducker

writer/executive producer Exeter

Rick Dugdale

producer The Intrigo Anthology, Recon, Zero Contact; President,...

Matt Dy

Script Consultant; Former Literary Manager, Lit Entertainment Group;...

Alison Eakle

Shondaland Chief Content Officer; Co-EP Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte:...

Carl Effenson

Producer Mudbound, Mending the Line, Hide Away, Burying the Ex, Bob...

Owen Egerton

Dan Erickson

creator Severance

Jessica Esteves

Staff Writer Vida; Story Editor Work in Progress; Executive Story...

Chad Feehan

showrunner Lawmen: Bass Reeves

Emerald Fennell

writer/director Saltburn

Alex Ferrari

host Indie Film Hustle, Bulletproof Screenwriting

Micah Fitzerman-Blue

writer/executive producer A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,...

Kelsi Fleming

Director of Development at Josephson Entertainment

Alison Flierl

writer/producer BoJack Horseman, School Of Rock, Random Tropical...

Ashley Flores

Fiction Labs Associate  

Joe Forte

writer Firewall; director The Man Who Saved Ben-Hur

Elissa Friedman

manager, producer

Michael Fry

writer/co-creator Over The Hedge; writer/illustrator How To Be A...

Brian Gannon

Director of the Austin Film Commission

Greg Garrett

AFF Moderator

Matt Geller

President at Josephson Entertainment

Lovinder S. Gill

AFF Moderator

Michelle Amor Gillie

writer Saving Brandon, PG County, The Honorable, Playin' for Love, Of...

Harrison Glaser

AFF Moderator

Carrye Glazar

Executive Producer ACCTV, Kings of Atlantis; Co-producer Game Change

Jill Goldsmith

writer/producer Law & Order, The Practice, Boston Legal, Ally McBeal,...

Dan Goor

co-creator/executive producer Killing It, Brooklyn Nine-Nine;...

Kristin Gore

writer The Beanie Bubble, Futurama, Foxcatcher, Her, Saturday Night...

Amelia Gray

writer/co-executive producer Gaslit, Mr Robot Immortality; author...

Matthew Gross

producer Across the Universe, Fired Up!, Joe Somebody; executive...

Ronnie Gunter

writer/director Exeter, Lighter, Solid Country Gold

Anna Halberg

Writer / Producer / Director, Six Foot Turkey Productions

Ryan P. Hall

AFF Moderator

Erin Hallagan

AFF Moderator

Kevin Hamedani

writer Darius the Great Is Not Okay, Infidel;...

Tate Hanyok

writer/producer Sex APPeal, Love and Baseball

Fabienne Harford

AFF Moderator

Noah Harpster

writer/executive producer A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,...

Noah Hawley

Creator, showrunner, writer, director of Fargo, Legion; director Lucy...

Phil Hay

co-writer/producer Destroyer, The Invitation, The Mysterious Benedict...

Lena Headey

writer/director The Trap; actress Game of Thrones, The White House...

Jason Headley

writer Lightyear, Onward; writer/director A Bad Idea Gone Wrong

Brian Helgeland

writer/director Finestkind, Legend, 42, A Knight’s Tale, Payback;...

Jodi Hildebrand

Producer of Scripted Film and Television, Conde Nast Entertainment

Laura Waters Hinson

co-director The Test (doc short screening at AFF 2023) director...

Candace Ho

writer/director Sorry Grandpa Hsiao, w(HO), Crosswinds

John Hoberg

writer Pixar's Elemental, Better Off Ted, Galavant, Downward Dog, My...

Christina Hodson

writer The Flash, Bumblebee, Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey

Erich Hoeber

writer RED, The Meg, My Spy, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Karol Hoeffner

AFF Moderator

Amy Louise Johnson

writer/co-EP Servant (seasons 3 and 4) and Orphan Black: Echoes

Michael Jones-Morales

writer/producer Punisher, S.W.A.T., Promised Land; writer Warehouse 13

Barry Josephson

AFF Moderator; Josephson Entertainment; Film - producer Enchanted,...

Dan Kavanagh

TV Coordinator Vertigo Entertainment

Liz Kelly

Creative Talent Development Executive, Disney

Aanch Khaneja

Head Of Film + TV SuperSpecial

Jacob Krueger

Writer The Matthew Shepard Story; WGA Paul Selvin Award Winner

Aimee Kuge

Director/Writer/Producer Cannibal Mukbang, Story Producer Teen Mom...

Karyn Kusama

director Girlfight, Jennifer's Body, The Invitation, Destroyer;...

Greg Kwedar

Writer / Director / Producer

Liz Lachman

writer/director Susan Feniger. FORKED

Kimberly LeBlanc

City of San Antonio’s Film & Music Commissioner

Westin Lee

writer, Unannounced Techland Project; Narrative Designer, Just Cause...

Meg LeFauve

writer My Father's Dragon, Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur; co-writer...

Samantha Levenshus

writer Orphan (Hulu), Neon Future (iss.1-6); producer Elevate...

Adam Levine

Partner, Verve Talent and Literary Agency

Samantha Levine

AFF Moderator

Sofya Levitsky-Weitz

screenwriter/playwright; writer The Bear, The Dropout, Gaslit

Niceole Levy

writer The Banker, The Recruit

Seckeita Lewis

Co-Founder Lewis Taylor Productions; Co-Writer/Director/Producer...

Kat Likkel

Writer, Pixar’s Elemental, Better Off Ted, Blackish, My Name is...

Weiko Lin

Author Crazy Screenwriting Secrets: How to Capture a Global Audience;...

Lois Lipman

co-writer/director/producer First We Bombed New Mexico

Jonathan Lisco

writer and showrunner Yellowjackets, Animal Kingdom, Halt and Catch...

Katie Lopez

Acquisitions, Bleecker Street

Paul Lopez

TV/Film Development Executive - Hola Papi, National Treasure,...

Jason Lubin

Literary Manager/Producer, First Story Entertainment

Monica Lund

Partner, MY Productions; producer Match Me If You Can

Ashley Lyle

co-creator/co-showrunner Yellowjackets; writer/producer Dispatches...

Damian Marcano

director Lawmen: Bass Reeves

Hannah Mason

AFF Young Filmmakers Program Director

Chayah Masters

Producer/Line Producer/Audio Producer

Isabella Mastrodicasa

Manager/Producer, Founder of Never Settle Media

Jono Matt

writer Captain Planet, Above the Line

Drew Mayer-Oaks

Film and creative industries commissioner at the El Paso Film &...

Johnny McAllister

AFF Moderator

Danielle McCarthy-Boles

Vice President, Publicity Magnolia Pictures; producer, BIG STAR:...

Cindy McCreery

The Honey Girls /Sony/Foundation Media (released Oct 2021), The...

Lorien McKenna

co-host The Screenwriting Life; writer/showrunner

Faith McQuinn

Founder and Director/Writer of Observer Pictures

John Merriman

AFF Moderator

Paul Merryman

Producer, Merryman Media

Vera Meyer

Director of Development, Scott Free Productions

Nicki Micheaux

writer/director Summer of Violence

Scott Miles

co-writer Inside Job, License to Drive, United States of Fuckin'...

Steve Mims

AFF Moderator

Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian

director/editor/producer/cinematographer GREENER PASTURES, SONNIE,...

Emily Mollenkopf

Development Executive, Pixar Animation Studios

Maurice Moore

The Color Purple, The Life of David Gale, The Place She Dwells, DejaVu

Barbara Morgan

Executive Director, Austin Film Festival; Moderator

Betsy Morris

writer Match Me If You Can, Ten Inch Hero, Guiding Emily, Kismet...

Scott Myers

host GoIntoTheStory.com; screenwriter K-9; author The Protagonist's...

Evan Narcisse

writer Rise of the Black Panther, Marvel's Black Panther: Wakanda...

Jason Neulander

writer/director Fugitive Dreams, The Intergalactic Nemesis

Bart Nickerson

co-creator/co-showrunner Yellowjackets; writer/producer Dispatches...

William Nix

executive producer The Prophet, This Is Ragtime: The Birth of...

Gavin O'Connor

co-writer/director/producer Warrior, Pride and Glory, Tumbleweeds;...

Susan O'Connor

Lead Writer Star Wars 1313, Far Cry 2; Writer Crystal Dynamics' Tomb...

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Matthew Odam

AFF Moderator

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Mark Olsen

AFF Moderator

Alexi Pappas

writer/director/actor Not an Artist

Jon Paquette

Narrative Director, Insomniac Games

Lina Patel

writer Cherish the Day, Krypton, Frequency; Lecturer of Playwriting,...

Maya Perez

writer/producer

Nicole Perlman

co-writer Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel, Detective Pikachu

Nic Pizzolatto

creator, writer, showrunner of HBO's True Detective, seasons 1-3....

Jakob Pollack

Coordinator, Film Vertigo Entertainment

Ashley Poprik

game writer; Modern Warfare III, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Marvel...

Larry Postel

writer The Main Event, 5000 Blankets, Flip Turn, High Holiday

Chris Provenzano

writer Justified: City Primeval, Justified, Silicon Valley, Archer,...

Julio Quintana

writer-director The Vessel, Blue Miracle, The Long Game

PJ Raval

documentary director/producer Call Her Ganda, Before You Know It,...

Bob Raymonda

Co-Founder, Rogue Dialogue Productions; co-creator Forgive Me! &...

Neal Reddy

writer/actor/producer Barely Breathing; actor The Righteous...

Paul Reiser

co-writer/actor Problem with People

Frank Reynolds

editor In The Bedroom, Match Me If You Can, Tromeo & Juliet, The Cat...

Pamela Ribon

writer My Year of Dicks, Moana, Nimona

Dan Robert

creator Excessive (Audible); writer The Baby-sitters Club (Netflix)

Ward Roberts

writer/director Little Big Top, Dust Up, Invaders from Proxima B,...

Brennan Robideaux

writer/filmmaker

Jovan Robinson

writer on For All Mankind, Marvel's Secret Invasion, Made For Love

Evan Romansky

Co-Creator, Executive Producer RATCHED

Dan Rosen

writer The Last Supper; Professor of Dramatic Writing, SCAD-Atlanta

Gary Ross

writer/director Pleasantville, Seabiscuit, The Hunger Games, The Free...

Ameni Rozsa

writer/EP Showtime's YELLOWJACKETS, co-EP Netflix's THE SANDMAN

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