Christine Vachon has got a killer résumé – and no, that’s not just because it’s the name of her production company.
Indie powerhouse Killer Films (run with producing partner Pamela Koffler) has brought to screen Todd Haynes’ entire filmography from Poison to last year’s May December, as well as landmark arthouse films like Kids, I Shot Andy Warhol, Boys Don’t Cry, Happiness, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and recent Oscar nominees First Reformed, Past Lives, and A Different Man.
“Producing is tough. There’s a reason when you see a movie and there’s a dozen producer credits on it – that actually one or two, usually about two, of those people listed there actually really sweated blood to get that thing on the screen. And the rest of them got credits because somebody insisted they had to or that was part of the deal or whatever,” Vachon told the Chronicle’s Marjorie Baumgarten in 2005. “But that said, I sometimes do have to remind myself it’s an amazing job. We get to make these incredible films, we get to work with extraordinary people. It’s a wonderful way to make a living. I really can’t complain.”
Vachon, and that incredible body of work, will be celebrated come October when the Austin Film Festival honors her with the Polly Platt Award for Producing, named in memory of the producer of Say Anything…, Bottle Rocket, and War of the Roses, who was an early supporter of AFF. Past recipients have included Sarah Green, Lauren Shuler Donner, and Kathleen Kennedy.
The Austin Film Festival also announced today the recipient of its Outstanding Television Writer Award. Another trailblazer in her field, Yvette Lee Bowser created the FOX comedy Living Single when she was just 27 years old, making her the first and youngest Black woman to create and run her own television series. Bowser also helped launch ABC hit comedy black-ish and served as EP and showrunner on Netflix series Dear White People and Starz series Run the World. Bowser joins previous honorees including Ronald D. Moore, Damon Lindelof, Matthew Weiner, and Norman Lear.
Vachon and Bowser will both speak at AFF’s upcoming Writers Conference and be recognized at an awards luncheon on October 25. Also feted at that event will be the winners of this year’s script competition, with a number of fellowships and awards up for grabs, including an AMC One Hour Pilot Award, Big Indie Pictures Screenplay and Film Fellowships, and an Enderby Entertainment Filmmaking Fellowship and Enderby Entertainment Screenwriting Award.
The 2025 Austin Film Festival and Writers Conference returns October 23-30. Want to vie for one of those writing awards? Type fast: The early bird deadline to enter the screenplay, teleplay, playwriting, and podcast competitions is March 25.
This article appears in February 21 • 2025.
