Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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Jonathan Demme and Susan Sarandon at the 2013 Austin Film Festival luncheon, where both accepted awards. A script reading of Vince Gilligan's 2 Face with Thomas Haden Church, Will Ferrell, and Linda Cardellini during the 2013 Austin Film Festival. right: The film festival has attracted some of the most esteemed directors working today, including Ron Howard. photography by Jack plunkett (Sarandon, ferrell); courte Sy andrea turner and au Stin film fe Stival, inc. 2014 (weiner); courte Sy au Stin film fe Stival (howard) Now entering its third decade, the Austin Film Festival might be one of the most highly regarded writers' festivals in the country, but it feels com- pletely organic to this laid-back city. At what other event can you eat barbecue next to Ron Howard on the lawn of the French Legation, have lunch with (or near) Johnny Depp, sit next to James Franco at a panel, and watch huge stars like Will Ferrell read from a script written by Vince Gilligan of Breaking Bad? The 21st annual festival is a celebration of, in many cases, the unsung hero of television and film: the writer. Over the weeklong course of panels, screenings, and parties, film lovers and aspiring writers alike can commingle with their heroes of the written word. It's where writers like Gilligan, Callie Khouri (Nashville, Thelma & Louise), and David Chase (The Sopranos) get the same fan treat- ment their actors typically receive. One of those writers this year will be Matthew Weiner of Mad Men, who is being honored with the Outstanding Television Writer award at the fest's awards luncheon, which is always a sellout. This will mark a return trip for Weiner, who screened his show at the Alamo Drafthouse and sat on panels when he came to the fest during the third season of his critically acclaimed AMC series. "We are thrilled to MAKING THE SCENE AT THE 21ST ANNUAL AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL , THE WRITERS ARE THE REAL CELEBRITIES. BY KATHY BLACKWELL ENJOY THE FEST ALL YEAR LONG In addition to the week in October, the Austin Film Festival hosts special screenings and conversations with filmmakers throughout the year. And the best of its panels and screenings can be found in On Story, a podcast and PBS-affiliated TV series; there's also a book, released at last year's film festival, On Story: Screenwriters and Their Craft. onstory.tv CONTINUED ON PAGE 64 62 AUSTINWAY.COM CULTURE Festivalia Matthew Weiner will receive the Outstanding Television Writer award at this year's festival for his work on Mad Men.