AUSTIN, TX (November 10, 2026) — Building on more than three decades of championing screenwriters and shaping the next generation of storytelling talent, Austin Film Festival (AFF) is looking ahead to its 34th annual Festival & Writers Conference, returning October 14–21, 2027. With its renowned Film and Script Competitions opening for submissions December 7, 2026, AFF is also celebrating the close of another successful year, unveiling the 2026 Audience Award winners following eight days of screenings, premieres and industry programming that brought together filmmakers, writers and audiences from around the world.
The 2026 Festival drew more than 35,000 attendees and showcased 199 films from 24 countries, including 25 feature film world premieres. The Writers Conference featured over 200 panels, workshops, roundtables, and pitch competition sessions.
This year’s Audience Awards recognized standout storytelling across feature films, shorts and digital series, with winners selected through more than 26,000 ballots cast by festivalgoers. Among the honorees, Bruton, starring Theo Rossi, Aya Cash, Tammy Blanchard and Tony Hale, earned the Marquee Feature Audience Award; Chopin, from writer/director Vincent Lin, won Narrative Feature; and Cradled by Grace, an Austin-produced documentary following acclaimed jazz trumpeter Ephraim Owens, took Documentary Feature honors.
Notably, two projects earned recognition from both festival audiences and industry jurors. Documentary short Buried Under Years of Dust and produced digital series Matched received Audience Awards after previously winning their respective categories in AFF’s juried Film Competition. To see previously announced 2026 Script and Film Competition juried award winners, see here.
Several of this year’s Audience Award winners are also reaching audiences beyond the Festival. Comedy Vanguard Feature winner Christmas Pop-Up is set for a limited theatrical release in select cities, followed by a streaming debut beginning November 27. Documentary Short winner Buried Under Years of Dust will air nationwide on PBS’s Independent Lens on January 11, 2027, at 9 p.m. ET, and will be available to stream for free on PBS.org for three months following the broadcast. Documentary Feature winner Cradled by Grace will receive nationwide distribution through American Public Television, bringing the film to PBS stations beginning February 1, 2027.
2026 Audience Award WINNERS
MARQUEE FEATURE
Bruton (US)
US Premiere
Writer/Director: Vincent Grashaw
Cast: Theo Rossi, Aya Cash, Tammy Blanchard, Tony Hale
A tragic accident leads Bryan Bruton on a wild and unforgettable experience within the Florida prison system.
“Getting to bring Bruton to Austin, a place I’ve frequented in my film career many times, and share it with an audience there was a real highlight. Having Bryan with us, seeing his story up on the screen and being part of this recognition, made the whole thing especially meaningful. We also had a big group of cast and crew come out, so it turned into a pretty great reunion… I’ve always loved this town for all the stories and memories I’ve left with. Thanks to the Austin Film Festival team for programming Bruton and giving us the chance to share it for our domestic festival premiere.”
– Vincent Grashaw, Writer/Director
NARRATIVE FEATURE
Chopin (US)
World Premiere
Writer/Director: Vincent Lin
Cast: Eddie Liu, Violett Beane, Leon Dai, Min Wu
A second-generation Taiwanese American returns to his small American hometown to reconnect with the workaholic father he barely knows.
“Presenting Chopin at Austin Film Festival was incredibly rewarding. We had the opportunity to experience the film alongside a sold-out, diverse audience who connected emotionally with a deeply personal multi-generational immigrant story. It was a reminder that despite our differences, so much of the human experience is universal.”
– Vincent Lin, Writer/Director
NARRATIVE FEATURE – SPECIAL RECOGNITION:
The Narrative Feature category also recognized Petunia with a Special Recognition Audience Award as the category’s runner-up.
Petunia (US)
World Premiere
Writer/Director: Alec C. Cohen
Cast: Charlie McDermott, Vanessa Marano, John Ross Bowie, Devon Werkheiser
When their kitten falls ill, an impulsive photographer and his overworked girlfriend scramble through a chaotic night of dead-end vet visits, financial roadblocks, and emotional clashes as they fight to save their pet and their relationship.
“After four years of making Petunia and facing so much rejection along the way, sharing our world premiere with two sold-out audiences at Austin Film Festival meant everything.”
– Alec C. Cohen, Writer/Director
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Cradled by Grace (US)
World Premiere
Director: Vanessa Reiser
Cast: Ephraim Owens, Peter Bay, Sam Lipman, Giveton Gelin
As iconic Austin trumpeter Ephraim Owens and composer Sam Lipman undertake an ambitious collaboration uniting Ephraim’s jazz style with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, a health challenge requires them to confront new realities and limits.
“We are incredibly honored that audiences embraced this film and recognized Ephraim Owens’s story with the Documentary Feature Audience Award. Ephraim’s willingness to share such a personal and challenging chapter of his life reminds us that beneath the extraordinary talent of an artist is a human being whose struggles, courage, and resilience can connect us all.”
– Vanessa Reiser, Director/Producer
COMEDY VANGUARD FEATURE
Christmas Pop-Up (US)
World Premiere
Writer: Geena Pietromonaco
Director: Molly Muse
Cast: Geena Pietromonaco, Zach Gilford, Mano Agapion, Ayanna Berkshire
Desperate for a fresh start, an unlucky-in-love set decorator takes a job designing a Christmas Eve pop-up for a jaded celebrity chef, hoping to escape her current hell, living with her ex and his new girlfriend, before he proposes on New Year’s Eve.
“Honestly, I still can’t really believe any of this is happening!! My imposter syndrome was in full swing going into the festival, but it was immediately quelled when we were met with such kind and supportive energy from fellow attendees. This is the most hopeful I’ve ever felt about my career!”
– Geena Pietromonaco, Writer/Cast Member
DARK MATTERS FEATURE
Frank Stein M.D. (Canada)
World Premiere
Writers: Rowen Kahn & Aidan Kahn
Director: Rowen Kahn
Cast: Rick Worthy, Rowen Kahn, Sarah Jeffery, Peter Kelamis
After a freak accident, a brilliant young neurosurgeon must do the unthinkable: Bring his estranged, mad-scientist father back to life. From the Kahn Brothers comes a brainy comedy about fathers and sons, science and madness, and second chances.
“We had a blast at the festival, where we saw great films, attended great panels and events, and forged new relationships not only with other filmmakers but also with people who can help take our film to the next level. The platform AFF provided is already generating buzz and opening doors. We’re stoked for the world to ‘See Stein!’”
– Aidan Kahn, Writer
ANIMATED SHORT
A Little Death (Denmark)
Writer: Jonathan Rockefeller
Directors: Leto Meade, Jonathan Rockefeller
Cast: Nami Annette Gillet, John Sparkes
Death’s patience is tested as his sweet and gentle apprentice appears incapable of the task, leading him to seek professional help from the most unlikely of places.
“Of all the honors a film can receive, there’s something special about a hand-drawn film about death finding life with its audience. Thank you to everyone who came out and spent a little time with A Little Death.”
– Jonathan Rockefeller, Writer/Director & Leto Meade, Director
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Buried Under Years of Dust (US)
Writer: Emily Grodin
Director: Sophie Sartain
Cast: Emily Grodin, Valerie Gilpeer, Tom Grodin, Marta Amaya
How does someone go from not communicating for 25 years to narrating her life story? Buried Under Years of Dust traces the remarkable journey of Emily Grodin, a woman silenced by autism, who finally finds her voice…and has a lot to say.
“We’re thrilled that audiences connected with Emily’s story and the way she powerfully advocates for the importance of communication as a fundamental need for all of us, including those with autism who, like her, overcome tremendous challenges to be understood and have their voices heard.”
– Sophie Sartain, Director
NARRATIVE SHORT
The 65th (US)
Writers: Lesley Paterson, Brian Bloom, Oscar Torres
Director: Anthony Nardolillo
Cast: Anthony Ramos, Ismael Cruz Cordova, JR Villareal, Luke Mitchell
Korea, 1952. A Puerto Rican soldier and his brothers must defend a vital hill against overwhelming forces, fighting not only for survival, but to prove they belong to the country they are willing to die for.
“I loved having the opportunity to share The 65th with the Austin Film Festival audience. I was pleasantly surprised by the incredible Puerto Rican turnout, while equally excited to introduce our story to such a diverse community of filmmakers and moviegoers. Austin has this incredible energy, almost like its own little corner of Hollywood.”
– Anthony Nardolillo, Director
STUDENT SHORT
Pressure Points (US)
Writer/Director: Janelle Lee Austin
Cast: Joan Deschamps, Norma Jean, Hung Nguyen, Bill Karnovsky
When two lifelong friends discover the spark in their marriages has faded, their sex lives are unexpectedly reignited by an unassuming elder with “magic hands” who unlocks desire and proves that sexuality has no expiration date.
“Winning the Audience Award validates that the stories I’m writing are really resonating with people of all demographics. Showing mature women in ways that Hollywood doesn’t necessarily make is important to me, and AFF was the very avenue needed to get the message out.”
– Janelle Lee Austin, Writer/Director
PRODUCED DIGITAL SERIES
Matched (US)
Writer: Dominique Salerno
Director: Elvira Ibragimova
Cast: Dominique Salerno, Jason Veasey, Michelle Hurd, Jason Kravits
An elite matchmaker creates a secret ‘dating ring’ pairing her wealthy clients with out-of-work actors.
“Hearing a packed theatre erupt in laughter at a joke you wrote is such a transcendent experience. There is really nothing else quite like it! I can’t thank the Austin Film Festival enough for including Matched in its programming. After the blood, sweat, and tears it took to bring this project into the world, sharing it with such a positive audience response at Austin Film Festival was a dream come true!”
– Dominique Salerno, Writer/Cast Member
Recent AFF Audience Award winners include The Boy From St. Croix (Scott Duncan) and Valentina (Tatti Ribeiro), both recognized in 2025, with Ribeiro going on to win the Someone to Watch Award at the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards; and I Am Ready, Warden (Smriti Mundhra), a 2024 winner that earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short. Other past winners include American Fiction (Cord Jefferson), which earned five Oscar nominations and won Best Adapted Screenplay; Juno (Jason Reitman, Diablo Cody), which received four nominations and won Best Original Screenplay; Up in the Air (Jason Reitman), nominated for six Academy Awards; and Mudbound (Dee Rees, Virgil Williams), nominated for four. Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405 (Frank Stiefel) also qualified for Oscar consideration through AFF’s Documentary Short Jury Award and went on to win Best Documentary Short.
Following a landmark year of exceptional storytelling, preparation is already underway for the next Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference. Dates for the 34th annual festival have been officially set for October 14-21, 2027, with Film and Script Competitions opening for submissions on December 7, 2026.
For more information about AFF and its year-round programming and initiatives supporting writers and filmmakers, please visit www.austinfilmfestival.com.
