Austin Comedy Film Festival

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The Austin Comedy Film Festival is a seasonal (Spring, Summer, Fall) on the Film Festival Circuit for comedy filmmakers, series creators and screenwriters from all over the world to showcase their creative works 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. The Austin Comedy Film Festival judges are searching for funny and engaging films to entertain a comedy loving audience. All types of comedy submissions are selected and screened including Funny Music Video, Series Episodes, Dark Comedy, Romantic Comedy, Mockumentary, TV Pilots, Commercials, Micro Films, Animated Comedy, Horror Comedy, Stand-up Comedy, Sketch Comedy, and any other type of Comedy that you can think of. We want our audience to laugh non-stop in a fun, fast paced program at a great venue. This event was formerly known as the Austin Comedy Short Film Festival, but we are evolving and plan to start screening and selecting Comedy Feature Films in the future.

Looking for a FilmFreeway Waiver Code Discounts or Promo Code Discounts?
https://filmfestivalcircuit.com/blog/filmfreeway-promo-codes

Our list of award categories

Best Acting Performance
Best Animated Comedy Film
Best Cinematography
Best Comedy Feature Film Screenplay
Best Comedy Micro Film
Best Comedy Film
Best Comedy Short Film Screenplay
Best Dark Comedy Feature Screenplay
Best Dark Comedy Film
Best Dark Comedy Short Screenplay
Best Director
Best Editing
Best Ensemble Cast
Best International Director
Best International Film
Best International Screenplay
Best Mockumentary Film
Best Romantic Comedy Feature Screenplay
Best Romantic Comedy Film
Best Romantic Comedy Short Screenplay
Best Teleplay
Best Texas Film
Best Texas Feature Screenplay
Best Texas Short Screenplay
Best Series Episode
Funniest Music Video
Most Original Concept

All films are eligible, regardless if they have distribution or not. All films are eligible even if they have been accepted to other film festivals. All films and videos are eligible, regardless of when or where they were produced. Even if your film or documentary series is publicly available on YouTube or Vimeo, it is still eligible for submission.

All film screening at the Austin Film Society Cinema require files to be delivered in DCP 2k or 4k format. If your film is not in DCP format, please reach out to our vendor AutoDCP.com for a quote. Film Festival submission fees and DCP conversion fees are separate. The cost of any potential conversions is not covered by our festival. Please budget accordingly.

The submission fee does not include an event ticket fee if selected. Submission fees and event ticket fees are separate. The cost of attending this event is $38 for the entire day. Every attendee must have a ticket. There are no filmmaker free passes. When the event organizers rent this space, all 260 seats and lobby access are pre-purchased by the event organizers. The ticket fees allow the event organizers to recoup a portion of the rental fee, insurance, a photographer, photo editing, award certificates and staff wages for this event.

The judges read and rate scripts for this specific competition only. Submitting to this film festival does not affect the ownership or copyright your screenplay or teleplay.

Overall Rating

Quality

Value

Communication

Hospitality

Networking

Phoebe Mattana

Awesome festival, with a lot of great online events for those who couldn't be there in person. Thanks for selecting THE NEST for this years program!

April 2023

Helpful
Pepper Filly Productions

A great and supportive venue for filmmakers of all stages (pro to no). Loads of fun, and opportunities to meet other filmmakers.

April 2023

Helpful
Azwan Badruzaman

Had an amazing time at Austin Comedy Film Festival! Great and receptive crowd for our short Farmer Ed. Mikel was once again an incredible master of ceremonies and the energy of the filmmakers was warm and friendly. Would come back in a heartbeat.

April 2023

Helpful
Christina Araujo

Great festival. Thank you for selecting I'm The Man!

April 2023

Helpful
Michael Beeler

A most delightful experience from the reception to the awards to the screenings. The enthusiastic film makers were an impressive mixed of age, race and gender. Friendly, excited and knowledgeable about the craft. They made a point of asking everyone who came, winner or not, up to the stage to discuss their thought about their film. And, everyone stayed and enjoyed the screenings. Well worth the drive from Oklahoma!

April 2023

Helpful

Add to List

Dates & Deadlines

May 14, 2023
Opening Date
May 31, 2023
First Deadline
June 30, 2023
Regular Deadline
July 31, 2023
Late Deadline
August 31, 2023
Final Deadline
September 10, 2023
Notification Date
October 22, 2023
Event Date

Categories & Fees

Animated Comedy Film
This category is reserved for funny cartoons, 2D animation, 3D animation, clay animation, sand animation, Anime, Computer Graphics, Puppetry Animation, Stop-Motion, Flip Book Animation, Experimental Animation and any form of animated films that may exist, but we haven't listed. Comedy Films that have a mixture of animated elements and live action characters are eligible for this category as well.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $55
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $60
Submit Now
Comedy Film
This category is reserved for films that make people laugh. The judges are looking for films that have funny moments, comedic situations, fun dialogue, humorous acting, and great characters. This event has screened great musicals, sketch comedy, stand-up comedy, family comedy, silent comedy, slapstick comedy, romantic comedy, action comedy, student comedy, fake commercials and more at our past events.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $55
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $60
Submit Now
Comedy Series Episode
This category is reserved for filmmakers that are presenting their creative comedy videos in a sitcom, web series, episodic format or pilot. Episodic content is written with a core of characters in a repeatable format that producers would like to market as an ongoing series for the web, television or streaming outlet. There will be 5 award nominations and an overall winner for the “Best Comedy Series Episode.” Perhaps a nomination or award on the Film Festival Circuit can give your episode recognition before you start pitching it to a television network or streaming service.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $55
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $60
Submit Now
Dark Comedy Film
This category is reserved for films that are on the darker side of the comedy genre. Sometimes referred to as “Black Comedy” these films have a sick sense of humor and may not be suitable for mainstream festivals. Often times these films end with the death of a character or have some strange gruesome scenes. Dark comedy films can make you laugh and cringe at the same time. If your audience laughs and then says “that’s messed up,” then you’ve probably produced something pretty dark. This event has screened dark comedy films that feature strange cruelty, or feature characters that are trying to get rid of a dead body, or they accidentally poison the wrong person, or even dream of murders, dark situations and revenge with strange dark comedic elements.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $55
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $60
Submit Now
Dark Comedy Series Episode
This category is reserved for an episode or pilot that is on the darker side of the comedy genre and is a part of an ongoing series. Sometimes referred to as “Black Comedy” these films have a sick sense of humor and may not be suitable for mainstream festivals. Oftentimes these stories end with the death of a character or have some strange gruesome scenes. Dark comedy shows can make you laugh and cringe at the same time. If your audience laughs and then says “that’s messed up,” then you’ve probably produced something pretty dark. This event has screened dark comedy episodes that feature strange cruelty, or feature characters that are trying to get rid of a dead body, or they accidentally poison the wrong person, or even dream of murders, dark situations and revenge with strange dark comedic elements.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $55
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $60
Submit Now
Found Footage (Film or Video)
This category features a fictional recording of events that is made to look like it was created from old video camera tape, phone recordings or film that was discovered. Mysteriously it isn’t always clear when or where the events happened to the characters involved. The point of view in the story sometimes comes from multiple characters that happened to be recording while action and events took place. The overall production is sometimes shaky, partially lit or out of focus to improve realism and build tension. Blockbuster films in this format have come from all genres like: The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield & Paranormal Activity. Archive 81 is a Netflix series that is about a character that is restoring found footage to solve a mystery. If you have created a found footage film of any genre, this is the right category for your film. The Atlanta After Dark Film Festival, Oregon Screams Horror Film Festival and Austin After Dark Film Festival have all added this category.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $55
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $60
Submit Now
Funny Music Video
This category is reserved for music videos that are meant to make the audience laugh. Do you have a funny concept, lyrics and story for your music video? Have you completed a fun parody of a popular song, film or person? The judges are impressed by good stories, great acting, excellent cinematography, and cool editing that sync really well with the music. If your music video is publicly available on Vimeo, Vevo or YouTube, your submission is qualified for entry. Official selections, nominations or awards on the Film Festival Circuit may help your video get exposure. The time limit for the Funny Music Video category is five minutes and fifty nine seconds (05:59) including all credits.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $35
Submit Now
Horror Comedy Film
This category is reserved for comedy series episodes in the horror film genre, that are full of jokes and humor. Is it a Slasher parody, is it a reality show about vegetarian Vampires or breakdancing Zombies? Is your film full of 80's era bad one-liners, full of nudity for no reason? Send it over. Fun times ahead.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $55
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $60
Submit Now
Micro Film (Less than 6 minutes)
Any film, video or series episode that is 6 minutes or less in the comedy genre: Animated, Comedy, Dark Comedy (Black Comedy), Horror Comedy, Mockumentary, Romantic Comedy, Sketch Comedy, Spoof Commercial, Stand-Up Comedy, Stop Motion or anything else that will make our audience laugh out loud.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $40
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $40
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $40
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $40
Submit Now
Mockumentary Film
This category is reserved for comedy films that are presented in a documentary or testimonial format. This is a fun category for our judges to review, which frequently has the most creative concepts. There are few film festivals in the world with a dedicated Mockumentary category, but this event has had one since the beginning.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $55
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $60
Submit Now
Proof of Concept (Film or Video)
Is your film or video a proof-of-concept for a feature length film or ongoing series? We give additional award consideration and public recognition to submissions that are created in a form that is 30 minutes or less, but are intended to show investors, distributors and production companies a sample of a larger project. Please understand, we are giving recognition to submissions that are a proof-of-concept, but this film festival is not your personal sales agent. We do not sell your work and negotiate business deals on your behalf.. You represent your own creative content at all times. Submitting to multiple categories is optional and makes your submission eligible for more awards.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $55
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $60
Submit Now
Romantic Comedy Film
This category is reserved for romantic comedy films with a storyline about relationships, love, dating or romantic situations. Romantic comedies have funny moments, but may have some dramatic elements to them as well. Strong acting, good stories and funny situations are what the judges are looking for.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $60
Submit Now
Romantic Comedy Series Episode
This category is reserved for a single romantic comedy episode with a storyline about relationships, love, dating or romantic situations. Romantic comedies have funny moments, but may have some dramatic elements to them as well. Strong acting, good stories and funny situations are what the judges are looking for. Submissions to this category must be a part of on ongoing episodic series, pilot or series in development.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $55
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $60
Submit Now
Sketch Comedy (Film or Video)
This category is usually performed live with funny scenes and situations referred to as sketches or skits. In this format, not every action spoken follows a script in the same way that cinematic productions are structured. There are plenty of ad libbing and performance adjustments that are made on the fly. Made popular by shows like Saturday Night Live, Mad TV and House of Buggin’, the sketches are improvised by actors and comedians in the form of a dramatized series of jokes and situations that are oftentimes related to current news events and cultural activities. The Portland Comedy Film Festival, Austin Comedy Film Festival, Houston Comedy Film Festival and Georgia Comedy Film Festival have all added this category.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $55
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $60
Submit Now
Screenplay: Comedy Feature (more than 60 pages)
This category is reserved for screenplays that are funny, engaging and make people laugh. The judges are looking for screenplays that have great character development, funny moments, comedic situations, smart dialogue, humorous personalities, and a storyline that is easy to follow. Most genres of comedy screenplays fit into this category. General comedy, musicals, sketch comedy, stand-up comedy, family comedy, slapstick comedy, action comedy, student comedy, and even mockumentary screenplays. Please note that we also have separate screenplay categories for Dark Comedy, Horror Comedy, Romantic Comedy and Comedy Series Teleplays. All feature length screenplays must be 60 or more pages in length, delivered in .pdf format.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $45
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $45
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $45
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $45
Submit Now
Screenplay: Comedy Short (1-60 pages)
This category is reserved for screenplays that are funny, engaging and make people laugh. The judges are looking for screenplays that have great character development, funny moments, comedic situations, smart dialogue, humorous personalities, and a storyline that is easy to follow. Most genres of comedy screenplays fit into this category. General comedy, musicals, sketch comedy, stand-up comedy, family comedy, slapstick comedy, action comedy, student comedy, fake commercials and even mockumentary screenplays. Please note that we also have separate screenplay categories for Dark Comedy, Horror Comedy, Romantic Comedy and Comedy Series or Television Episodes. The maximum number of pages allowed for our Short Screenplay categories is 60 pages delivered in .pdf format.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $35
Submit Now
Screenplay: Dark Comedy Feature (more than 60 pages)
This category is reserved for screenplays that are on the darker side of the comedy genre. Sometimes referred to as “Black Comedy” these films have a sick sense of humor and may not be suitable for mainstream festivals. Often times these stories end with the death of a character or have some strange gruesome scenes. Dark comedy films can make you laugh and cringe at the same time. If your audience laughs and then says “that’s messed up,” then you’ve probably written something pretty dark. This event has selected dark comedy screenplays that feature strange cruelty, or feature characters that are trying to get rid of a dead body, or they accidentally poison the wrong person, or even dream of murders, dark situations and revenge with strange dark comedic elements. All feature length screenplays must be 60 or more pages in length, delivered in .pdf format.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $45
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $45
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $45
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $45
Submit Now
Screenplay: Dark Comedy Short (1-60 pages)
This category is reserved for short screenplays that are on the darker side of the comedy genre. Sometimes referred to as “Black Comedy” these films have a sick sense of humor and may not be suitable for mainstream festivals. Often times these stories end with the death of a character or have some strange gruesome scenes. Dark comedy films can make you laugh and cringe at the same time. If your audience laughs and then says “that’s messed up,” then you’ve probably written something pretty dark. This event has selected dark comedy screenplays that feature strange cruelty, or feature characters that are trying to get rid of a dead body, or they accidentally poison the wrong person, or even dream of murders, dark situations and revenge with strange dark comedic elements. The maximum number of pages allowed for our Short Screenplay categories is 60 pages delivered in .pdf format.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $35
Submit Now
Screenplay: Horror Comedy Feature (more than 60 pages)
This category is reserved for comedy screenplays in the horror film genre, that are full of jokes? Is it a Slasher parody, is it a reality show about vegetarian Vampires or breakdancing Zombies? Is your film full of 80's era bad one-liners, evil blood oranges or face eating waffles? You know if your screenplay is a Horror Comedy screenplay, the question is, are you going to send it to us? All feature length screenplays must be 60 or more pages in length, delivered in .pdf format.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $45
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $45
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $45
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $45
Submit Now
Screenplay: Horror Comedy Short (1-60 pages)
This category is reserved for comedy screenplays in the horror film genre, that are full of jokes? Is it a Slasher parody, is it a reality show about vegetarian Vampires or breakdancing Zombies? Is your film full of 80's era bad one-liners, evil blood oranges or face eating waffles? You know if your screenplay is a Horror Comedy screenplay, the question is, are you going to send it to us? The maximum number of pages allowed for our Short Screenplay categories is 60 pages delivered in .pdf format.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $35
Submit Now
Screenplay: Romantic Comedy Short (1-60 pages)
This category is reserved for short romantic comedy screenplays with a storyline about relationships, love, dating or romantic situations. Romantic comedies have funny moments, but may have some dramatic elements to them as well. Well written characters, good stories and funny situations are what the judges are looking for. The maximum number of pages allowed for our Short Screenplay categories is 60 pages delivered in .pdf format.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $35
Submit Now
Screenplay: Romantic Comedy Feature (more than 60 pages)
This category is reserved for romantic comedy screenplays with a storyline about relationships, love, dating or romantic situations. Romantic comedies have funny moments, but may have some dramatic elements to them as well. Well written characters, good stories and funny situations are what the judges are looking for. All feature length screenplays must be 60 or more pages in length, delivered in .pdf format.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $45
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $45
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $45
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $45
Submit Now
Teleplay: Comedy Series Episode
Teleplay: Comedy Series Episode Category Description: This category is reserved for screenwriters that are presenting their creative comedy ideas in a sitcom, web series or episodic format. Screenwriters are able to submit an episode for an existing television series like Seinfeld, Big Bang Theory, Blackish, Portlandia etc ... Or you can submit something completely original. Well written characters, good stories and funny situations are what the judges are looking for. Submissions to the Teleplay: Comedy Series Episode category must be less than 60 pages in length.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $35
Submit Now
Teleplay: Dark Comedy Series Episode
This category is reserved for short teleplays that are on the darker side of the comedy genre. Sometimes referred to as “Black Comedy” these films have a sick sense of humor and may not be suitable for mainstream festivals. Often times these stories end with the death of a character or have some strange gruesome scenes. Dark comedy films can make you laugh and cringe at the same time. If your audience laughs and then says “that’s messed up,” then you’ve probably written something pretty dark. This event has selected dark comedy screenplays that feature strange cruelty, or feature characters that are trying to get rid of a dead body, or they accidentally poison the wrong person, or even dream of murders, dark situations and revenge with strange dark comedic elements. Submissions to the Dark Comedy Teleplay Episode category must be less than 60 pages in length.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $35
Submit Now
Teleplay: Horror Comedy Series Episode
This category is reserved for comedy series episodes in the horror film genre, that are full of jokes? Is it a Slasher parody? Is it a reality show about Vegetarian Vampires or cigar smoking Zombies? Is your series episode full of 80's era bad one-liners, full of nudity for no reason? Funny jokes and references to the Horror genre with funny situations and great characters are what the judges are looking for. The format should be written as a pilot or a part of an ongoing series. Please limit one episode per submission. Submissions to the Teleplay: Horror Comedy Series Episode category must be less than 60 pages in length.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $35
Submit Now
Teleplay: Romantic Comedy Series Episode
This category is reserved for romantic comedy teleplays with a storyline about relationships, love, dating or romantic situations. Romantic comedies have funny moments, but may have some dramatic elements to them as well. Well written characters, good stories and funny situations are what the judges are looking for. The format should be written as a pilot or a part of an ongoing series. Please limit one episode per submission. Submissions to the Teleplay: Romantic Comedy Series Episode category must be less than 60 pages in length.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $35
Submit Now

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Phoebe Mattana

Pepper Filly Productions

Azwan Badruzaman

Christina Araujo

Michael Beeler