Austin Film Festival Announces Winners of 2016 Film & Screenplay Competitions & More

AFF, the premier Festival to recognize the writer's contribution to film, announces its 2016 Jury Award winners, Hiscox Audience and Courage Award Winners.

The following film Jury Award winners were selected by category:

Narrative Feature presented by Seed&Spark: Boys in the Trees, written by Nicholas Verso
Documentary Feature presented by POV: Santoalla, directed by Andrew Becker and Daniel Mehrer
Comedy Vanguard Feature: Hot Air, written by Jeremy M. Goldstein and Derek Sieg
Dark Matters Feature: The Cliff, written by Natxo Lopez, Andres Martorell, Helena Taberna
Narrative Short: Lucy in My Eyes, written by Megan Park
Narrative Student Short: The Art of Not Appearing, written by Pernille Rivedal Hellevik
Documentary Short presented by IDA: Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405, directed by Frank Stiefel
Animated Short: Hugo Bumfeldt, written by Eva Katinka Bognaar
Scripted Digital Series presented by New Form Digital: Guest Appearances, created by Elizabeth Guest

The Hiscox Audience Award winners are:

Narrative Feature: Blood Stripe, written by Remy Auberjonois and Kate Nowlin
Documentary Feature: Berlin Rebel High School, directed by Alexander Kleider
Dark Matters Feature: Found Footage 3D, written by Steven DeGennaro
Comedy Vanguard Feature: Brave New Jersey, written by Michael Dowling and Jody Lambert
Narrative Short: Killing Thyme, written by Natalie Malla
Documentary Short: Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405, directed by Frank Stiefel
Animated Short: Moon of a Sleepless Night, written by Takeshi Yashiro
Narrative Student Short: Red Apples, written by Ophelia Harutyunyan
Scripted Digital Series: The Listening Box, written by Westin Ray
Heart of Film: American Wrestler: The Wizard, written by Brian Rudnick
Stories From Abroad: My Mother's Wound, written by Ozan Aciktan, Ozan Guven, Fethi Kantarci, Uygar Sirin, Mehmet Turgut, Funda Cetin
Texas Independent: Homestate, written by David Hickey and Blaise Miller
Marquee Feature: Lion, written by Luke Davies

One film was selected to receive the Hiscox Courage Award. Voted on by the audience, the Hiscox Courage Award is presented to the film that best embodies the virtue of courage and to the filmmaker who embraced the risk to share the story. The 2016 Courage Award went to Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405.

The following Screenplay Competition winners are:

Drama Screenplay Award presented by the Writers Guild of America, East: Static by Henry Jones
Comedy Screenplay Award presented by Sony Pictures Animation: Dinner with Friends by Geeta Malik
Sci-Fi Screenplay Award: Static by Henry Jones
Enderby Entertainment Award: Static by Henry Jones
Vertigo Entertainment Horror Award: Rock Point Draw by Jeremy David Lee
AMC One-Hour Pilot Award: The Devil and the Deep by Kyle Bugg
Sitcom Pilot Award: Losing It by Louise Rozett
Short Screenplay Award: Futurehealth by Sarah Polhaus
Scripted Digital Series Award presented by New Form Digital: Main Stream by JC Conklin
One-Hour Spec Award: Fargo: THE HUNT for the Cobra King by Sarah Beckett
Sitcom Spec Award: Broad City: Short Term Effort by Greg Wayne

ABOUT AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL: Widely known as "The Writers Festival," Austin Film Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft, and business of filmmakers and screenwriters. AFF is funded and supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts, City of Austin Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office/Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin's future.

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