Jim Sheridan (Distinguished Screenwriter Award), Matthew Weiner (Outstanding Television Writer Award), and Edward Zwick (Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award) Credit: photo by Andrea Turner

At Saturday’s awards luncheon, the Austin Film Festival celebrated the best of the fest in both its film and screenplay competitions. AFF also honored this year’s three lifetime achievement award recipients, Matthew Weiner, Edward Zwick, and Jim Sheridan.

Jim Sheridan (Distinguished Screenwriter Award), Matthew Weiner (Outstanding Television Writer Award), and Edward Zwick (Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award) Credit: photo by Andrea Turner

Other honorees included:

Narrative Feature Jury Award: The Kings Surrender (D: Philipp Leinemann)

Documentary Feature Jury Award: Once Upon a Crime: The Borelli-Davis Conspiracy (D: Sheldon Wilson)

Inaugural Comedy Vanguard Feature Jury Award: Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero (D: Jonathan Kesselman)

Young Filmmakers Program Competition Grand Prize: “Special Is Just a Word” (D: Abby Thompson)

Narrative Student Short Jury Prize: “Luke” (D: Conor Hamill)

Documentary Shorts Jury Award: “The Next Part” (D: Erin Sanger)

Animated Short Award: “Between Times” (D: Ru Kuwahata and Max Porter)

Narrative Short Jury Award: “Skunk” (D: Annie Silverstein)

One Eyed Girl

Dark Matters Feature Jury Award: One Eyed Girl (D: Nick Matthews)

Narrative Feature Honorable Mention: Skin Deep (D: Monica Zanetti)

Drama Screenplay Award: Dead River Girl by Morris Long

Comedy Screenplay Award: Three Months by Jared Frieder

Enderby Entertainment Award: Suicide Boy by Laura Hainke

Fade To Black Award: I Fucked James Bond by Josh Hallman

Darkwoods Productions Horror Award: The 700 Year Itch by Molly Stein & Moon Unit Zappa

Darkwoods Productions Sci-fi Award: The Incomparable Donald Strange by Zach Cannon & James Fant

AMC One-Hour Teleplay Pilot: Ascension by Wes Brown

Sitcom Teleplay Pilot: Great Points Park by Danny Sullivan

One-Hour Teleplay Spec: The Americans: “Barium Meals” by Adam Turner

Sitcom Teleplay Spec: Bob’s Burger: “Mr. Whiskers” by Damir Konjicija & Dario Konjicija

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A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley has written about film, books, and pop culture for The Austin Chronicle since 2000. She was named Editor of the Chronicle in 2016; she previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor, Screens Editor, Books Editor, and proofreader. Her work has been awarded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for excellence in arts criticism, team reporting, and special section (Best of Austin). The Austin Alliance for Women...