Dark Hero Studios to Judge Austin Film Festival Sci-Fi Competition
Sci-Fi Heavyweights Preside Over Screenplay Competition at Festival Focused on Discovering New Talent
AUSTIN, Texas – May 19, 2009 - “Watchmen” & "X-Men" co-writer David Hayter and producer Benedict Carver’s Dark Hero Studios will judge the 2009 Austin Film Festival (AFF) Sci-Fi Competition. The Sci-Fi Competition is a sub-category of the Screenplay Competition and includes science fiction, horror, supernatural thriller and fantasy genres. For sixteen years AFF has provided emerging writers with exposure to and dialogue with industry professionals. As one of the most respected festivals in the country, AFF supports participating writers by providing unique networking opportunities during the Festival and Conference, which will be held Oct. 22-29, 2009. Screenplay and Teleplay Competition deadlines have been extended to May 22, with a late deadline of June 8, 2009.
“This is a coup for the AFF Screenplay Competition and our entrants,” said Alex McPhail, AFF Screenplay Competition Director. “David Hayter and Benedict Carver are two of the biggest names in Sci-fi and they will lend an enormous amount of expertise to the judging. Finalists will have bragging rights not just for making it to the finals, but for having had a script read by major industry influencers.”
About Dark Hero Studios
David Hayter and Benedict Carver’s newly formed Dark Hero Studios will produce feature films, television programming, Internet content, graphic novels and videogames. Hayter is preparing to make his directorial debut on his thriller script “Wolves,” which Carver is producing. Hayter’s previous screenwriting credits include “Watchmen,” “X-Men,” “X2,” and “The Scorpion King.” Carver has produced “Doomsday” and “Tekken” among other films. He previously was senior vice president of acquisitions and co-productions at Screen Gems, and he has also been a film reporter with Daily Variety. Dark Hero Studios’ focus on action, sci-fi and horror genres makes them an ideal partner for judging this year’s AFF Sci-Fi Competition.
About the Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition
One of the most respected competitions in the country, the AFF Screenplay Competition provides emerging writers the means to expose their work to major players in the entertainment industry. Past entrants have signed with Artisan Entertainment, Creative Artists Agency, Metropolitan Talent Agency,
The Screenplay Competition has two categories: Drama and Comedy. Prizes are $5,000 for each category, reimbursement for airfare (up to $500) and hotel (up to $500) for attendance to the Festival, and the bronze AFF Typewriter Award. The Competition also features two sub-categories with prizes of their own: the Sci-Fi Award (science fiction, horror, supernatural thriller, fantasy, etc.) and the Latitude Productions Award (open to adult character driven drama or comedy scripts with an estimated budget of $10 million dollars or less). In order to be considered for these prizes, a script must be entered in either the Drama or Comedy Screenplay categories. The prizes for these are $2,500 each, reimbursement for airfare (up to $500) and hotel (up to $500) for attendance to the Festival, and the bronze AFF Typewriter Award.
The Teleplay Competition is open to any spec script from a currently airing network or cable TV show. The two categories are Drama and Comedy, and the prizes are $1,000 each, reimbursement for airfare (up to $500) and hotel (up to $500) for attendance to the festival, and the bronze AFF Typewriter Award.
The extended early Screenplay Competition deadline is May 22 with a $40 entry fee, and the extended late deadline is June 8 with a $50 entry fee. The Sci-Fi Competition and Latitude Competition entry fees are an additional $20 each. The extended Teleplay deadline is June 8 and the entry fee is $30.
The AFF Film Competition continues to encourage and advocate the work for new and talented filmmakers. Categories include: Narrative Feature, Narrative Short, Narrative Student Short, Animated Short, Documentary Feature, and Documentary Short. The film competition has an early postmark deadline of June 3 ($45) and a late deadline of July 3 ($50).
Winners of the competitions will be announced in
2 comments:
Austin Film Festival rocks!
Very informative
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