Austin Film Festival Posts Conference Schedule

The Austin Film Festival (AFF) has recently announced the panel schedule for the 16th annual film festival and conference to be held October 22-29. The lineup of over 80 panels and roundtable discussions includes an all-star cast of actors, screenwriters, producers, and many others who have contributed to films, television shows and new media including Lethal Weapon, Mad Men, Lost, Freaks and Geeks, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Watchmen.

Featured panelists include Damon Lindelof (Star Trek, Lost), Matthew Weiner (Mad Men, The Sopranos), Melissa Rosenberg (Twilight), Shane Black (Lethal Weapon), William Broyles Jr. (Cast Away, Apollo 13), Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks, The Office), Michael Green (Kings, Heroes), Peter Hedges (About a Boy, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape), and many more.

The selection of panels features television, screenwriting and filmmaking panels, roundtables, meet-and-greets with conference speakers, roundtables, and more including the seventh annual AFF Pitch Competition. There are a few interesting running series with various speakers throughout the conference, including "Write What You Know," "Breaking into Business," "Script to Screen Series" and "Should Movies Reflect the Real World?"

 I am most looking forward so far to attending the "Write What You Know: Comedy" session with Paul Feig, creator and writer of my old favorite Freaks and Geeks and director of The Office as well as "Write What You Know: Fantasy Sci Fi" from Michael Green (Heroes, Everwood, Smallville) and David Hayter (Watchmen, X2, The Scorpion King, X-Men). Mike White, producer of Gentlemen Broncos and creator of another personal favorite, The School of Rock, will also be part of this series.

Other panels of personal interest range from local to women in film, including:

• Austin writer/director Richard Linklater (A Scanner Darkly, Before Sunset, Waking Life)  -- "The Art of Storytelling and the Craft of Screenwriting"
• Actor Tom Skerritt (Alien, A River Runs Through It, Steel Magnolias, Top Gun) -- "The Art of Storytelling and the Craft of Screenwriting"
• Melissa Rosenberg (Twilight, New Moon, Dexter) -- "Write What You Know: Fantasy/Sci-Fi," "Write What You Know: Love Stories/ Romantic Comedies"
• Kirsten Smith (The Ugly Truth, Legally Blonde) - "Script to Screen: The Ugly Truth," "Write What You Know: Love Stories/ Romantic Comedies"

A comprehensive list of panelists and schedule is now available. Discounted prices for AFF badges end on September 30, so get them soon here.

The Austin Film Festival (AFF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television and new media.