Austin After Dark Film Festival Official Website

What Is The Austin After Dark Film Festival?

The Austin After Dark Film Festival is an annual event on the Film Festival Circuit that screens international independent films for a mature audience in Texas. This event was founded by author and retired filmmaker Mikel Fair who worked on location in the Film and Television industry from 1999-2015. Multiple short films are screened in a "back to back" format in HD 1080p at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Lakeline. The Austin After Dark Film Festival judges are searching for films with "dark" subject matter in multiple genres. Horror Films, Dark Comedy,  Dark Animation Films, Dark Drama and even Dark Science Fiction. This is the wrong festival to send your fun family G Rated films and screenplays too. The audience for this event wants a good variety of mature content that is not intended for viewers younger than 18. Enjoy a great slate of films on a massive theater screen with large cushioned chairs. You can order appetizers, meals, desert and a full bar menu from your seat and still get the full theater experience while you watch films. Austin is a great independent film town and this event is a lot of fun, as well as, a great opportunity to network with filmmakers, screenwriters, crew, actors and industry professionals at our Awards and Filmmaker's Networking Mixer event.

Would you like to meet a Film Festival Director?

Please join me, Mikel Fair, on Facebook Live every Tuesday at 12pm US Pacific Standard Time / 2pm US Central Standard Time. Have questions about?

• Film Festival Judging
• Film Festival Submission Tips
• Film Festival Topics in general

If you have questions about the Film Festival Circuit, Film Festival Judging or any info that is Film Festival related, please don't be afraid to ask. We would love your questions and topic suggestions. Visit the Facebook Live Event Page and type your question by clicking on the "Discussion" Tab and select "Add A Post." If you'd like to hang out and listen, that's fine too. Thank you. 

Connect With The Austin After Dark Film Festival On Social Media

• Facebook @AustinAfterDarkFilmFestival
• Instagram @AustinAfterDarkFilmFest
• Twitter #AustinAfterDarkFilmFestival

Austin After Dark Film Festival Submissions Are Now Open!

Do you have a film or screenplay that you are submitting to festivals, that contains content that may be more appropriate for a mature audience? Have you written a screenplay with a darker sense of humor, dramatic sequences, scary situations, evil villains, creepy concepts or dark futuristic science fiction? Our judges can't wait to watch your films and read your stories. Please read our Film Festival Judging Guides (LINK) if you'd like to understand our judging principles, as well as, how we rate and select films. We make the process as fair and objective as possible. No politics here, we're just looking for well produced, dark content to entertain our audience. You can submit to the Austin After Dark Film Festival via FilmFreeway. Have more questions about the rules and regulations for Austin After Dark Film Festival submissions? Please visit the Film Festival Circuit FAQ Frequently Asked Questions LINK

Austin After Dark Film Festival List Of Submission Categories

1. Action Film
2. Animated Film
3. Comedy Film
4. Dark Comedy Film
5. Drama Film
6. Dark Drama Film
7. Dark Science Fiction Film
8. Documentary Film
9. Experimental Film
10. Experimental Music Video
11. Fantasy Film
12. Horror Film
13. Horror Comedy Film
14. Mockumentary Film
15. Music Video
16. Comedy Screenplay
17. Dark Comedy Screenplay
18. Drama Screenplay
19. Dark Drama Screenplay
20. Dark Science Fiction Screenplay
21. Horror Screenplay
22. Horror Comedy Screenplay

Austin After Dark Film Festival List Of Award Categories

The official selections represent the top 25% of submissions rated by the judges on a scale of 1-10. From the pool of official selections, up to 5 finalists per Award Category are announced as 'finalists' and are eligible to win an award. In some cases, less than five finalists may be nominated for a specific category, if there weren't enough films or screenplays that finished in the top 25% of official selections in that specific category. For example, we may have 20 experimental music video submissions, but only 4 were rated in the top 25% of the official selections, therefore, only 4 award finalists are announced as finalists for the "Experimental Music Video" Award.

32 Award Categories For Films And Videos

1. Best Action Film
2. Best Action Micro Film
3. Best Actor
4. Best Actress
5. Best Animated Film
6. Best Cinematography
7. Best Comedy Film
8. Best Comedy Micro Film*
9. Best Dark Comedy Film
10. Best Dark Comedy Micro Film*
11. Best Documentary Film
12. Best Drama Film
13. Best Drama Micro Film*
14. Best Director
15. Best Editing
16. Best Ensemble Cast
17. Best Experimental Film
18. Best Horror Film
19. Best Horror Micro Film
20. Best Horror Comedy Film
21. Best Horror Comedy Micro Film
22. Best International Director
23. Best International Micro Film*
24. Best International Film
25. Best Mockumentary Film
26. Best Music Video
27. Best Science Fiction Film
28. Best Science Fiction Micro Film
29. Best TV Episode
30. Best Texas Film
31. Best Texas Micro Film*
32. Most Original Concept

20 Award Categories For Screenplays

1. Best Comedy Feature Length Screenplay
2. Best Comedy Short Screenplay**
3. Best Dark Comedy Feature Length Screenplay
4. Best Dark Comedy Short Screenplay**
5. Best Drama Feature Length Screenplay
6. Best Drama Short Screenplay**
7. Best Dark Drama Feature Length Screenplay
8. Best Dark Drama Short Screenplay**
9. Best Horror Feature Screenplay
10. Best Horror Short Screenplay**
11. Best Horror Comedy Feature Length Screenplay
12. Best Horror Comedy Short Screenplay**
13. Best International Feature Length Screenplay
14. Best International Short Screenplay**
15. Best Science Fiction Feature Length Screenplay
16. Best Science Fiction Short Screenplay**
17. Best Texas Feature Length Screenplay
18. Best Texas Short Screenplay**
19. Best Comedy Series Full Length Episode
20. Best Comedy Series Short Episode**

**40 pages or less

Austin After Dark Film Festival Event List

• Austin After Dark Film Festival 2020
• Austin After Dark Film Festival 2019

Films That Have Screened At The Austin After Dark Film Festival

Some of the filmmakers from our previous events, have since made their films public on YouTube and Vimeo. Check them out!

My name is Mikel Fair and I have written this 30 page ebook to help filmmakers strengthen their submission when submitting to Film Festivals. This guide is based on my experience, starting in 2008 as a Film Festival Director that has watched, rated and reviewed more than 5000+ submissions of all genres from over 100 countries. There are several mistakes that filmmakers are making on a daily basis that I can help you avoid. I explain in detail, about how the packaging and editing of your submission can have a direct effect on how many festivals that your film is accepted to. Priced under $10 US, I have made this book affordable for everyone and will email you any new versions that we release until January 2021. Please read the first chapter for free!

• Chapter 1: Does Packaging Really Matter? - Free Chapter!
• Chapter 2: Are Your Contact Details Accurate? A Daily Common Mistake
• Chapter 3: Does The Name Of Your Film Stand Out? Or Will It Be Lost In The Shuffle?
• Chapter 4: Tips For Creating The Right Tagline And Synopsis
• Chapter 5: Do You Know That A Director’s Bio And Resume Are Two Different Things?
• Chapter 6: How To Write A Compelling Director’s Statement That Tells A Story.
• Chapter 7: The First Impression Of Your Film Is It’s Official Poster.
• Chapter 8: Without A Trailer, Your Film Might Become An Afterthought.
• Chapter 9: Why Do Film Festivals Love Submissions With A Social Media Presence?
• Chapter 10: Your Film’s Website, Is Its History And Point Of Contact
• Chapter 11: Final Cut Or Festival Cut? Don’t Submit The Wrong One.
• Chapter 12: Stretch Your Submissions Budget. Use Promo Codes. Get Discounts.
• Conclusion