Volunteer AFF Film Competition Screener

What We Do:

Austin Film Festival hosts a robust Film Competition, averaging 6,000 submissions from around the world. With a variety of categories to submit in, our goal is to support and uplift emerging storytellers, while helping new voices break into the industry. As competition screeners, our job is to conduct a thorough evaluation and give thoughtful notes to help elevate AFF's 2026 film slate.

About Us:

For 33 years as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Austin Film Festival has furthered the art and craft of storytelling by inspiring and championing the work of writers, filmmakers, and all artists who use written and visual language to tell a story. As a non-profit we’re able to do this work because of the generous gift of time our dedicated screeners have provided throughout the years and whose support has helped storytellers realize their dream of working in the industry.

Screener Program:
The ideal candidate for the Screener Program is a voracious film watcher who is well-versed in the basics of filmmaking and has a keen sense for analyzing a story. At AFF, storytelling is our focus! So, testing helps us determine the strength of a screener’s eye for strong storytelling and quality.

All screeners must provide a current resume and complete a thorough application and testing process before being considered as a screener.

Screeners who are accepted are required to join our Onboarding Screener Call prior to receiving film assignments. Screeners may request films at any time and are required to watch and analyze those films within two weeks of receiving them. Screeners will be asked to assess the film in the following categories:
Storytelling & Plot, Originality & Concept, Characters, Direction & Structure, and General Impressions. Feedback is required for all categories.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we recognize the time and commitment of our screeners by providing Festival badges based on hours screened.

Each year our screeners help identify the top films within each category, to usher in emerging talent, and uplift fresh perspectives. Through their competition placement, filmmakers have gone on to secure representation and work with industry heavyweights such as HBO, Netflix, Hulu, AMC, and more.

Screening for AFF is a big commitment and we’re looking for the very best screeners to help maintain the quality of work that advances in our competition. Whether you’re passionate about screening and uplifting storytellers, or a filmmaker breaking into the industry yourself, joining our screener team will allow you the opportunity to grow as a filmmaker, storyteller, producer, or media-consumer.

Please Email fil for more information.