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Austin Film Festival

  • Project Type: Industry
  • Pay Status: Paid
  • Location: Austin
  • Start Date: Thursday, April 1, 2021

Via the Austin Film Festival, currently seeking the following positions:

  • Film Competition Director
  • Short Film Programmer
  • Director of Script Competitions

The Austin Film Festival furthers the art and craft of filmmaking by inspiring and championing the work of screenwriters, filmmakers, and all artists who use the language of film to tell a story.

*Applicants must be located within Texas. Both positions are in-person. No remote opportunities available.

Film Competition Director - Statement of Purpose: The Austin Film Festival Film Competition Director is expected to contribute to programming efforts for year-round events, and the headline festival week. This role must also aid in efforts towards realizing the overall forward creative direction and evolution of the film department, including overall organizational goals intrinsically tied to the Austin Film Festival mission. An ideal candidate would be someone who can appeal to and fully encompass the mission directive of finding new voices within storytelling as a bedrock trait. The Film Competition Director will also work directly with the Creative Director and other creative department heads to construct overall organization vision and strategy.

Job Description: The Austin Film Festival Film Competition Director manages all film competitions from submissions to festival week exhibitions to filmmaker alumni relations.

Primary responsibilities include:

Competition Logistics:
Marketing and outreach to potential filmmakers for the competition and events
Manage key accounts and databases – FileMaker Pro, SQL, and FilmFreeway
Audit payment reports and submissions

Programming & Festival:
Manage department contract staff and interns
Program and assist with year-round screenings and events
Recruit and manage the Film Selection Committee
Screen films submitted to the competition
Work with Senior Film Program Director and Executive Director to select films for competition
Communication with filmmakers and organize filmmaker opportunities during the festival week
Schedule and orchestrate film premieres, screenings, and Q&As

Department Logistics & Administrative:
Maintain all financial aspects of the film department, including creating budgets and keeping them in check
Continually monitor technology
Manage overall budget – income and expenses – and be accurately aware of staying in the black
Work closely with programmers and production team to accommodate all necessary technical preparations, and tracking tech trends in the festival market
Oversee all venue and equipment rentals and contractual obligations
Manage income projection for competition, film pass sales, individual ticket sales, and filmmaker badge sales
Sustain an active role in obtaining sponsorships and grants
Assist in auditing
Work with Development Director on sponsorship initiatives and be sure to always output correct sponsorship language to fulfill contractual obligations
Manage technology planning, execution and crisis management
Responsible for travel and transportation coordination for headliner films
Maintain communication for Festival PR and Marketing, including red carpet coordination
Oversee manpower during Festival

Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree in relevant field
Database management experience
Customer service experience

Required Skills:
Technical aptitude
Excellent organizational skills
Writing experience and general copywriting knowledge
Experience working with, communicating, and a leading a team

 

Please fill out job application on the Austin Film Festival website. 
All submissions must include a resume, cover letter, and at least three references.

To Apply for Film Competition Director

Short Film Programmer - Statement of Purpose: The Austin Film Festival Short Film Programmer is expected to contribute to programming efforts for the headline festival week. This role must also aid in efforts towards realizing the overall forward creative direction and evolution of the film department, including overall organizational goals intrinsically tied to the Austin Film Festival mission. An ideal candidate would be someone who can appeal to and fully encompass the mission directive of finding new voices within storytelling as a bedrock trait.

Job Description: The Austin Film Festival’s Short Film Programmer assists with AFF’s Film Competition by managing the shortlist of competition films and contributing to the selection process. The Short Film Programmer will also oversee coordinating logistics and scheduling of the Festival in October.

Primary responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Responsibilities:
Watch and prioritize shortlisted films
Contribute to marketing efforts for film competition overall, specific to competition categories, festival events, and headline fall event
Research potential programming
Oversee Film Selection Committee, including attending and facilitating Screener Team Meetings and coaching screeners through the process
Conduct research for screener outreach
Recruiting and training qualified new screeners to join Film Selection Committee
Maintain and update Programming Database for selection and research purposes
Assist in creating, organizing and editing content for Program Book, Pocket Guide, online schedule, and other AFF publications
Use metrics and past festival data to determine optimal time and place to screen each programmed film
Work with Film Competition Director in building Festival Schedule
Work with filmmakers to ensure they’re prepared for festival with appropriate paperwork and data.
Work with Creative Director, and Film Competition Director to select filmmakers that may be a good fit for Indie Film Track Panels during the Conference

Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree in relevant field, ex: humanities, media studies, fine arts.
Experience in filmmaking – directing, writing, producing – in a primary role
Writing experience within the realm of professional and/or creative writing, and critical analysis.
Database management
Customer service skills
Experience critically evaluating materials.

Required Skills:
A self-motivated, self-starter adept at juggling multiple projects
High common sense and good discretion; trustworthy and responsible communicator
A forward-thinking problem solver
Passionate about film and stories
Critical eye for writing and storytelling with an ability to communicate strengths and weaknesses of written projects
Experience and passion for working with a team
Confidence and the ability to complete tasks through fulfillment stage.

Please fill out job application on the Austin Film Festival website. 
All submissions must include a resume, cover letter, and at least three references.

To Apply for Short Film Programmer

Director of Script Competitions: 

Job Description:

The Director of Script Competitions is primarily responsible for upholding the reputation and managing all operations of the AFF Script Competition. This involves initiating all marketing plans for the department, overseeing the selection process of scripts, programming panels and opportunities for attending writers at the annual Conference, representing AFF during the Conference and at other events throughout the year, and managing the process for reviewing and preparing readers’ notes to be sent to all competition entrants.  The Director of Script Competitions will also work in collaboration with the Script Competitions Manager, who will provide administrative and technical support to execute all projects and initiatives throughout the entire year.

Primary responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Responsibilities:

Oversee and manage all script competitions including the Screenplay & Teleplay Competition, Short Screenplay Competition, Scripted Digital Series Competition, Playwriting Competition, and Fiction Podcast Competition
Respond to many e-mail inquiries on a daily basis
Collaborate with Script Competitions Manager on all projects within the department
Analyze data of competition entrants on a regular basis for marketing purposes
Communicate the status of the department to the Executive Director and staff during weekly meetings
Read approximately 300+ scripts (over 450 hours of reading required) – time management is a must.
Oversee reading progress to ensure reading goals are met and all scripts are completed on time.
Work closely with Script Competition Manager to determine which tasks/projects interns should focus on week over week
Recruit and manage 400+ readers to review 10,000+ scripts in the First and Second Rounds of the competition
Coordinate and attend various events to promote the competition (writers’ groups, mixers, events in LA, etc.)
Recruit (and build/maintain relationships with) industry judges to evaluate scripts for the Semifinalist and Finalist Rounds
Manage the production of the Producer’s Book which contains loglines and contact info for the year’s top scripts
Manage and execute process for sending e-mail and postal mail notifications to all entrants
Manage and execute process for reviewing and sending Reader Comments to all 10,000+ entrants after the Festival
Work with Conference Director to program panels for entrants who advanced in the competition
Tasked with overseeing marketing plan for promoting Conference to Second Rounders, Semifinalists, and Finalists
Oversee Pitch Competition Coordinator on preparing for annual Pitch Competition during the Conference
Moderate and speak on panels and serve as host to all attending competition writers during the Conference
Manage and execute Coverage Program including marketing and reviewing coverage notes before sending them
Process coverage requests submitted to the Coverage Program and assign scripts to coverage readers
Review Reader Comments before sending them to all entrants after the Festival

Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree
Professional experience in film, screenwriting, and other relevant fields

Required Skills:
Highly organized and detail oriented.
Experience with database management
Expert with Microsoft Excel
Very strong analytical and critical thinking skills
Time management and proven ability to meet deadlines and goals.
Both a team player and able to work independently without much supervision.
Keen managerial ability
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Strong ability to build and maintain relationships
Can multi-task effectively.
Strong problem-solving ability
Able to handle high volume of stress
Marketing experience is a plus

Required Skills:
You have a passion for screenwriting and want to help writers
You are a systematic thinker and creative problem-solver
You have an ability to learn and adapt quickly
You have a strong ability to manage and execute a complex timeline

Please fill out job application on the Austin Film Festival website. 
All submissions must include a resume, cover letter, and at least three references.

To Apply for Director of Script Competitions

As with any workplace, the film and television industries can present a wide range of potential occupational health and safety hazards to workers. The Texas Film Commission expects all productions, regardless of budget to employ best practices such as establishing a workplace harassment prevention policy as well as maintaining overall industry safety standards in order to encourage and accomplish safety on set. Please visit the Safety On Set page for additional industry safety resources as well as information about employee rights and laws in Texas.

Project posted February 24, 2021