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 filmfreeway promo codes or waiver codes?

https://www.filmfestivalcircuit.com/en-us/filmfreeway-waiver-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 $35 for the entire day. Every attendee must have a ticket. There are no filmmaker free passes. When the event organizers rent this space, all 160 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

Lessie Philpot

This was my first Film Festival ever and it was a blast. I enjoyed ever minute of it. They communicate everything well while leading up to the event date. Everything ran on time. I have NO complaints. This is a dope a#s film festival.

August 2022

Helpful
Patrick Norman

Austin (ACFF) is always a GRREAT Festival! You can never go wrong and I encourage others to give it a go! I was humbled to win a small award this year and look forward to this cutting-edge Film Festival again next year. Cheers to Mikel and crew at ACFF!

July 2022

Helpful
Derek Toombs

I had an absolute blast at this festival. Mike is an attentive host and his love for what he does really shows and ensures things run smooth and that you're well taken care of. The AFS theater is. a terrific venue and it was great to grab drinks and talk to all the other filmmakers in the lobby. I'd definitely submit to and attend this festival again.

July 2022

Helpful
Rachael Berman & Chuck Alley

Fantastic communication and great feedback. We are honored to be chosen as a finalist! Thanks to all the hard working people behind the scenes...

June 2022

Helpful
Tina Gandhi

Great festival! Smooth and easy :)

June 2022

Helpful

Add to List

Dates & Deadlines

August 17, 2022
Opening Date
August 31, 2022
First Deadline
September 30, 2022
Earlybird Deadline
October 31, 2022
Regular Deadline
November 30, 2022
Late Deadline
December 31, 2022
Final Deadline
January 12, 2023
Notification Date
March 12, 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: $60
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $61
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $62
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $63
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $65
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: $60
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $61
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $62
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $63
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $65
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: $60
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $61
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $62
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $63
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $65
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: $60
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $61
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $62
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $63
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $65
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: $60
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $61
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $62
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $63
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $65
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
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $36
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $37
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $38
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $40
Submit Now
Horror Comedy Film
This category is reserved for comedy films 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, full of nudity for no reason? You know if your film is a Horror Comedy Film, the question is, are you going to send it to us?
- First Deadline
- Standard: $60
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $61
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $62
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $63
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $65
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: $60
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $61
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $62
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $63
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $65
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: $60
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $61
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $62
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $63
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $65
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
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $61
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $62
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $63
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $65
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: $50
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $52
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $53
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $54
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $57.50
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
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $47
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $48
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $49
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $50
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
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $37
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $38
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $39
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $40
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
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $47
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $48
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $49
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $50
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
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $37
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $38
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $39
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $40
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
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $47
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $48
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $49
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $50
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
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $37
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $38
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $39
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $40
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
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $47
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $48
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $49
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $50
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
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $37
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $38
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $39
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $40
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
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $37
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $38
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $39
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $40
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
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $37
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $38
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $39
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $40
Submit Now
Teleplay: Horror Comedy Series Episode
Teleplay: Horror Comedy Series Episode Category Description: This category is reserved for comedy teleplays 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? The format should be written as a pilot or a part of an ongoing series. Please limit one episode per submission.
- First Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $37
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $38
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $39
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $40
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
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $37
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $38
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $39
- Final Deadline
- Standard: $40
Submit Now

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Other Festivals You May Like

Sponsored

CANNES INDIE SHORTS AWARDS
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Lessie Philpot

Patrick Norman

Derek Toombs

Rachael Berman & Chuck Alley

Tina Gandhi