AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL (AFF) announced today the Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting will be given to celebrated writer-director Rian Johnson, during the 2025 Writers Conference happening October 23 – 26, 2025. The festival will also screen Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the highly anticipated third installment of Johnson’s acclaimed Knives Out franchise following Knives Out and Glass Onion, for which he received two Academy Award nominations and WGA nominations for his screenplays.
With this third installment, Johnson re-teams with Daniel Craig as famed private detective Benoit Blanc in his most dangerous case yet with a colorful new cast of suspects. The all-star ensemble includes Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church. With Johnson at the helm, each actor finds space to shine, contributing to the film’s dynamic character interplay and tonal precision. The film will release on Netflix December 12.
Produced by Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T-Street, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery exemplifies Johnson’s singular approach to storytelling and unrivaled ability to weave narrative and emotional complexity into his work. With sharp observational humor and mysteries at every turn, Johnson honors the genre’s traditions while boldly reimagining them through his distinctive creative vision.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rian Johnson back to Austin Film Festival as this year’s recipient of the Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting,” said AFF’s co-founder and Executive Director, Barbara Morgan. “Rian is an incredibly gifted screenwriter and visionary filmmaker whose body of work and generosity to the next generation of storytellers exemplifies this award. His latest installment in the Knives Out Mystery canon, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, solidifies his singular talent for combining intricate plotting, sharp comedic sense, and character-driven emotional impact to deliver an always unexpected, wildly entertaining story. Our audience will be delighted to experience this twisting, turning, captivating caper on the silver screen this October.”
Johnson will be recognized at AFF’s Awards Luncheon alongside producing awardee Christine Vachon and television writer awardee Yvette Lee Bowser. The Awards Luncheon takes place on Saturday, October 25 and features awardees honored for their career achievements, AFF’s script and film competition winners, and the recipients of industry-sponsored fellowships.
“I’m honored to be receiving the Bill Wittliff award from the Austin Film Festival,” said Johnson. “I love the AFF and its support of established and emerging writers, and attending will be both a pleasure and a welcomed excuse to procrastinate on my own writing.”
Austin Film Festival’s Writers Conference, happening October 23 – 26, 2025, will again present over 150 panels on the art, craft, and business of storytelling, featuring a slate of prominent industry professionals working in film, television, and new media. Badges and Passes are available now at www.austinfilmfestival.com.
ABOUT AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL & WRITERS CONFERENCE Entering its 32nd year, Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television, theater, and new media. AFF champions the work of aspiring and established storytellers by providing unique cultural events and services, enhancing public awareness and participation, and encouraging dynamic and long-lasting community partnerships. This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of The City of Austin Economic Development Department and Texas Commission on the Arts. The 32nd Annual Austin Film Festival will take place October 23 – 26, 2025. All attendees and events are based on permitting schedules and are subject to change and/or cancellation without notice. Badges and passes are available for purchase online at www.austinfilmfestival.com or by phone at 512-478-4795.
ABOUT BILL WITTLIFF AWARD FOR SCREENWRITING:
Introduced in 1995, Austin Film Festival’s Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting has honored the leading storytellers of film, television, and new media. Past award recipients include Buck Henry (1997), Lawrence Kasdan (2001), Nancy Meyers (2016), Kenneth Lonergan (2017), Tony Gilroy (2018) and James Gray (2022).
