UT at the 2026 Austin Film Festival

Screening Times

• Sunday, November 1, 2026
  12:50–3:10 p.m., Galaxy Theatre: Screen 6
• Wednesday, November 4, 2026
  3:30–5:50 p.m., Galaxy Theatre: Screen 6

Boxed In

Writer/Director: Eliza Sommers (B.S. ‘26 RTF)
Producer: Kate Hernandez Duran (B.S. ‘26 RTF)

In a robbery turned accidental kidnapping, a fearful 22-year-old and her father must find a way to escape the back of a moving truck. (USA, 13 min.)

Screening Times

• Sunday, November 1, 2026
   9 - 11:04 p.m., State Theatre
• Thursday, November 5, 2026
  5:45 - 8:19 p.m., Texas Spirit Theatre

Anaimia

Writer/Director: Drew Saplin (B.S. RTF ‘10 & Student Production Coordinator, RTF)

A pregnant woman selling her home is haunted by bizarre cravings. After a night of binge eating, the Seller must hide herself, and a half-eaten bag of mulch, as a Realtor takes a terminally ill Buyer on a tour of The House. (USA, 13 min.)
 

Hitchhiker

Director: Scott Rice (MFA Production ‘03 & Associate Professor of Practice, RTF) 
Writer: Samantha Walker (B.S. RTF ‘06)

A woman traveling alone on a highway at night crosses paths with two men who change her life, one a lonely gas station attendant, and the other, a man on the run. (USA, 10 min.)

Piojo

Writer/Director: Miguel Alvarez (MFA Production ‘09 & Assistant Professor and Area Head for Media Production, RTF) 

In the near future, a father must confront his spirituality when the authorities use a new technology to take his son from him. (USA, 16 min.)

Ryan Darbonne

(Current student: MFA Production) - Filmmaker; festival director, Black Auteur Film Festival

• Speaker, Six Square Industry Roundtable: The Art, Craft, and Business of Writing as a Career, Saturday, Oct. 31, 3-4:15 p.m., Houston-Tillotson University Student Union

Shana Feste

(MFA Screenwriting) - Writer/director: "Country Strong," "Boundaries, "Run Sweetheart Run," "Heartland"

• Speaker, Industry Roundtable: The Art, Craft and Business of Film & Television, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2:45-4 p.m., St. David’s Episcopal Church Crail BC
• Speaker, Elevating Your Craft Across Mediums, Friday, Oct. 30, 2:45-4 p.m., Omni Austin Downtown Hotel Lamar Room
• Speaker, Second Rounders and Above Roundtable: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film & Television, Saturday, Oct. 31,12:30-1:45 p.m., St. David's Episcopal Church Sumners

James Fino

(B.S. RTF & Advertising ‘88) - Co-founder/co-owner, Starburns Industries

• Speaker, Filmmakers, Semifinalists and Above Roundtable: The Art, Craft and Business of Film & Television, Friday, Oct. 30, 1-2:15 p.m., St. David’s Episcopal Church Sumners
• Speaker, Second Rounders and Above Roundtable: The Art, Craft and Business of Film & Television, Saturday, Oct. 31, 4:45-6 p.m., St. David’s Episcopal Church Sumners

Michael Fry

(B.A. History ‘82) - Co-creator "Over the Hedge"; writer/illustrator "How to Be a Supervillain," "Odd Squad," "Naughty List"; writer "Ghosted"; upcoming graphic novel "Los Lobos Fantasma"

• Speaker, Industry Roundtable: The Art, Craft and Business of Film & Television, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2:45-4 p.m., St. David’s Episcopal Church Crail BC
• Speaker, Industry Roundtable: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film & Television, Friday, Oct. 30, 10:45 a.m.-12 p.m.., St. David's Episcopal Church Crail BC
• Speaker, Industry Roundtable: The Art, Craft and Business of Film & Television, Saturday, Oct. 31, 4:45-6 p.m., St. David’s Episcopal Church Crail BC

Shannon Ingles

(MFA ‘09 Michener Center for Writers/RTF) - Writer: "Judas," "Marvel's Midnight Suns," "God of War: Ragnarök," "Batman: The Enemy Within," "Batman: A Telltale Series" 

• Speaker, Mock Game Writers Room, Friday, Oct. 30, 10:45 a.m.-12 p.m., Central Presbyterian Church Smoot Hall
• Speaker, Industry Roundtable: The Art, Craft, and Business of Writing for Video Games, Friday, Oct. 30, 2:45-4 p.m., St. David’s Episcopal Church Sumners
• Speaker, Game Writer in Production, Saturday, Oct. 31, 9-10:15 a.m., Omni Austin Downtown Hotel Lamar Room

Samantha Levine

(B.A. Theatre and Dance, Concentration in RTF ‘09) - Moderator, Austin Film Festival

• Moderator, From Playwright to Screenwriter, Saturday, Oct. 31, 9-10:15 a.m., The Stephen F. Austin Royal Sonesta Assembly Room

Andrew Logan

(B.S. RTF‘04) - Co-writer "Chappaquiddick"; producer for 6 Years; journalist Texas Monthly, Texas Observer 

• Speaker, Industry Roundtable: The Art, Craft and Business of Film & Television, Friday, Oct. 30, 9-10:15 a.m., St. David's Episcopal Church Crail BC
• Speaker, Industry Roundtable: The Art, Craft and Business of Film & Television, Saturday, Oct. 31, 9-10:15 a.m., St. David's Episcopal Church Crail BC

Cindy McCreery

(Chair of UT Department of Radio-Television-Film) - "I’ll Be There," "Queens of Summer," "The Honey Girls," "The Blondes," "Fifty," "Parker," "The Seventh Day," "Ugle," "Haven," "Free Willy," "Soccer Mom," "Rising Star," "Unplugged," "Powder Puff," "Maria Pepe." Disney Feature Writing Fellow in 2004.

• Moderator, Dissecting Late Night Comedy, Friday, Oct. 30, 1-2:45 p.m., Omni Austin Downtown Hotel Mansfield Room
• Speaker, Second Rounders and Above Roundtable: The Art, Craft and Business of Film & Television, Saturday, Oct. 31, 4:45-6 p.m., St. David’s Episcopal Church Sumners

Paul Merryman

(B.S. RTF ‘06) - Producer, Capitol Film Company

• Speaker, Industry Roundtable: The Art, Craft and Business of Film & Television, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2:45-4 p.m., St. David’s Episcopal Church Crail BC
• Speaker, Industry Roundtable: The Art, Craft and Business of Film & Television, Saturday, Oct. 31, 3-4:15 p.m., St. David’s Episcopal Church Crail BC

Maya Perez

(RTF Area Head for Screenwriting, MFA Michener Center for Writers/RTF) - Executive story editor, "American Rust"

• Speaker, Industry Roundtable: The Art, Craft and Business of Film & Television, Saturday, Oct. 31, 9-10:15 a.m., St. David’s Episcopal Church Crail BC
• Speaker, Industry Roundtable: The Art, Craft and Business of Film & Television, Saturday, Oct. 31, 4:45-6 p.m., St. David’s Episcopal Church Crail BC

Ashley Poprik

(B.S. RTF '21) - Senior writer, Destiny 2; writer, Skullgirls, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III; narrative associate, Marvel's Spider-Man

• Speaker, Industry Roundtable: The Art, Craft, and Business of Writing for Video Games, Friday, Oct. 30, 2:45-4 p.m., St. David's Episcopal Church Sumners
• Speaker, Game Writer in Production, Saturday, Oct. 31, 9-10:15 a.m., Omni Austin Downtown Hotel Lamar Room

Trey Selman

(BBA ‘04, McCombs) - AFF Moderator

• Moderator, Second Rounders and Above: Competition to Career, Friday, Oct. 30, 9-10:15 a.m., St. David's Episcopal Church Bethel Hall
• Moderator, The Art of Adaptation, Friday, Oct. 30, 10:45 a.m.-12 p.m., Omni Austin Downtown Hotel Mansfield Room
• Moderator, From Page to Performance: Attaching Star Power to Your Script, Saturday, Oct. 31, 9- 10:15 a.m., Omni Austin Downtown Hotel Mansfield Room

Pamela Ribon

(BFA Drama '97) - Writer/creator "My Year of Dicks," writer "Moana," "Nimona," "Ralph Breaks the Internet"

• Speaker, Personal Pitch Workshop, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2:45-4 p.m., Omni Austin Downtown Hotel Lamar Room
• Speaker, What Keeps Us Coming Back?, Friday, Oct. 30, 10:45 a.m.-12 p.m., St. David's Episcopal Church Historic Sanctuary
• Speaker, Pitch Competition #10, Saturday, Oct. 31, 12:30-1:45 p.m., St. David's Episcopal Church Vestry
• Speaker, Your First General, Saturday, Oct. 31, 3-4:15 p.m., Omni Austin Downtown Hotel Mansfield Room

Alvaro Rodriguez

(B.A. English '92) - Writer/creator "Seis Manos"; writer "Machete," "Last Rampage"

• Speaker, How to Work the Conference, Thursday, Oct. 29, 1-2:15 p.m., The Austin Club
• Speaker, Second Rounders and Above Roundtable: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film & Television, Thursday. Oct. 29, 2:45-4 p.m., St. David's Episcopal Church Sumners
• Speaker, Filmmakers, Semifinalists and Above Roundtable: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film and Television, Saturday, Oct. 31, 3-4:15 p.m., St. David's Episcopal Church Sumners

Lindsey Villarreal

(B.S. RTF & Advertising '07) - Writer "La Máquina," "Tales of the Walking Dead," "Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches," "George and Tammy," "Resident Evil," "Vida," "The Purge"

• Speaker, Industry Roundtable: The Art, Craft and Business of Film & Television, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2:45-4 p.m., St. David’s Episcopal Church Crail BC
• Speaker, Industry Roundtable: The Art, Craft and Business of Film & Television, Saturday, Oct. 31, 9-10:15 a.m., St. David’s Episcopal Church Crail BC