Entries for StudioFest Austin – film and screenplay competition are open until August 3, 2020. There will be two winners, one director and one screenwriter, who will be given the opportunity to partner with StudioFest to create the winners’ debut feature film.

StudioFest is a new kind of festival for the DIY filmmakers of today, looking for individuals who can work with a micro-budget of $50K to make their first (debut) feature on a one year timeline.

Taking place every year in a different city in the USA, StudioFest is now at its 3rd edition which will be held in Austin, Texas.

Only directors and screenwriters at their first feature film are eligible for competition. For directors, short film submissions must be under 30 minutes in length. For screenwriters, feature-length screenplay submissions must be between 60 and 120 pages in length (which haven’t been yet produced). All films must be in English or have English subtitles at the time submitted. All screenplays must be in English.

Submitted films and screenplays can be of any genre, but the director and screenwriter must be confident working within the $50K budget range for a feature film.

Five directors and five screenwriters will be selected to attend the festival for a weekend of film screenings, script readings, and mingling with like-minded creatives and industry professionals. At the end of the weekend, one filmmaker and one screenwriter will be given the opportunity to partner with StudioFest to create their debut micro-budget feature film. Finalists’ room and board while at StudioFest Austin will be fully covered and travel costs will be reimbursed up to $300 USD.

The same person can apply for both categories, but in the end might be selected to participate in only one of them, because the two winners (director and screenwriter) will collaborate together on the same project.

The festival wishes to support emerging filmmakers in producing their first feature film, while proving that films can be made on limited budgets, and that these limitations can be used to the advantage of the production. Also, the winners will be paid a stipend during their time working on the film so they can be fully focused on the production.

Entries are open until August 3, 2020, and winners will be announced on August 23, 2020.

The festival will take place between September 18-20, 2020 in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit the StudioFest website. For submissions, go to the StudioFest FilmFreeway page.

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Melissa Antonescu

Writer, photographer and videographer. For Films in Frame she writes news about the latest happenings in the film world and brings to the readers' attention the productions that can be seen at the cinema. When she's not writing articles, she's photographing people in a small studio or searching for new cake recipes.