COVID-19 Impact

Another marquee Austin festival goes virtual due to ongoing pandemic

Austin filmmaker Jeff Nichols is a frequent guest at the festival.

Photo courtesy of Austin Film Festival

Austin Film Festival is going virtual for the first time in its 27-year history. On July 28, the homegrown event announced it is joining the ever-growing list of local festivals forced to pivot due to health concerns.

Known officially as the Austin Film Festival and Writers Conference, the eight-day event runs October 22-29, and includes both online screenings and virtual panels with Hollywood heavyweights.

AFF's film lineup will be released at a later date, but the release says it will be a mix of "marquee premieres and selected films from this year’s competition."

"Viewers will have the opportunity to tune in live to experience the exciting atmosphere of film premieres or alternatively to enjoy films on demand and on their own schedule," AFF notes. Badge holders can also tune into filmmaker Q&As, among other perks.

This year, organizers are using the virtual format to add another full day of programming to the writers' conference. (Bonus? No waiting in lines to get in.)

Attendees can participate in panels with industry insiders such as Lindsay Doran (producer, Sense and Sensibility); Scott Frank (writer, Get Shorty); Kevin Willmott (cowriter, Da 5 Bloods); and Tracey Scott Wilson (writer, Respect). Guests will speak on topics ranging from current affairs to how to turn your passion into a full-time career. Like the film lineup, the full schedule of panels and roundtables is slated to be released at a later date.

The annual Austin Film Festival Pitch Competition and Roundtable — a conference favorite — will also return. Despite its new virtual format, AFF says organizers are working hard to maintain the spirit of the competition, keeping it "immersive and interactive."

Badges are on sale now, and begin at $30 for the Virtual Film Pass, which grants access to both movies and the Q&As with filmmakers. The Virtual Badge, priced at $175, includes films, filmmaker Q&As, panel discussions, roundtables, and film premieres. Attendees can also tack on the Austin Film Festival Pitch Competition and Roundtable for an additional $25 each. Students may access the Virtual Badge at a discounted rate of $150.

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Reexamining Don Draper

Jon Hamm, Henry Winkler, and more headed to Austin for TV festival

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Jon Hamm is coming to Austin to talk about Don Draper.

From May 29 to June 1, 2025, the ATX TV Festival will take over downtown Austin, and this year Jon Hamm will be joining the festival for the first time.

Hamm will be here for an event called A Mad Men Retrospective, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the show's finale. In this panel (the moderator of which is not yet announced), Hamm will reflect on his Emmy-winning performance as Mad Men's Don Draper, the uniqueness of the character in the TV canon, and the show's influence 10 years after it ended.

Jon Hamm may be best known as Draper, but he's also given celebrated performances in several movies and other shows like Fargo, Black Mirror, and — fun fact! — Gilmore Girls.

Celebrating TV is what the ATX TV Festival is all about. This annual summer event is put on by ATX TV and consists of screenings, Q&As, and panel conversations; plus all sorts of parties, live music, happy hours, and other events. It's known for reunions of classic series and cult hits, and according to the website, it's like "TV camp for grownups."

Jon Hamm isn't the only heavy-hitter in this year's lineup.

Programming also includes an acting class and Q&A with Henry Winkler himself, a live script reading of classic episodes from The Golden Girls and Designing Women (guest actors to be announced), a reunion of the creatives and cast of the HBO hit series The Leftovers, a live recording of the podcast Sidebar: A Suits Watch Podcast with Suits stars and co-hosts Sarah Rafferty and Patrick J. Adams, and much more.

Additionally, the festival's annual Pitch Competition is still accepting open pitch submissions through January 17. This gives creatives in Austin a chance to pitch their show idea in front of some of the industry's biggest showrunners and executives. Those in the top 10 will receive a year of support to make the next steps in their TV careers.

Festival badges and passes ($150-535) are on sale now.

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