CREATOR OF “THE WIRE” AND “TREME,” WRITER/PRODUCER OF “HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET” WILL LEAD THIS YEAR’S STELLAR LINEUP OF TELEVISION WRITERS & SHOW CREATORS AT THE CONFERENCE
AUSTIN, TX – The Austin Film Festival (AFF) proudly announced today this year’s recipient of the 2010 Outstanding Television Writer award will be David Simon, creator of HBO’s “Treme” and “The Wire.” Simon will accept the award at the Festival’s annual Award Luncheon held on Saturday, October 23, 2010, at the Austin Club. In addition, Simon will speak on panels during the Conference.
David Simon is perhaps best known for his work on the HBO series “The Wire,” where he served as creator, executive producer, head writer and show runner for the duration of the series.
He also worked as a journalist for The Baltimore Sun for many years and wrote the narrative non-fiction book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-wrote The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood. The NBC series “Homicide: Life on the Street” was based on the former, and Simon adapted the latter into a mini-series for HBO called “The Corner.”
He also adapted the non-fiction book Generation Kill, chronicling the experience of a battalion of Marines in Iraq during the 2003 invasion, into an HBO miniseries under the same name, where he also served as show runner.
The Austin Film Festival annually recognizes outstanding filmmakers and screenwriters for their accomplished bodies of work and contributions to filmmaking. Previous recipients of the Outstanding Television Writer Award include Mitchell Hurwitz (“Arrested Development”), Greg Daniels (“The Office”), David Milch (“Deadwood”), Garry Shandling (“The Larry Sanders Show”), David Chase (“The Sopranos”), Tom Fontana (“Oz”), Darren Star (“Sex and the City”), and Mike Judge (“King of the Hill”), among others.
The Festival offers some of the best panelists and speakers from television and film during the Conference, and several of those already scheduled this year include Allan Loeb (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps), Peter Murrieta ( “Wizards of Waverly Place”), Jon Lucas & Scott Moore (The Hangover), John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side), Phil Hay (Clash of the Titans I & II), Larry Doyle (“The Simpsons” ), John August (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Randall Wallace (Braveheart), and many more.
Since 1994, AFF has been dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers while recognizing their contributions to film, television and new media. Last year, Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award recipient Ron Howard presented a special retrospective screening event of Apollo 13 with archival footage from NASA and a panel discussion that followed featuring cast and crew.
Danny Boyle was named the 2008 Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award recipient and he premiered critically-acclaimed Slumdog Millionaire at the Festival. AFF prides itself on bringing great movies from independent writers and directors to Austin, Texas. Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman (writer and director, respectively) of the break-out film Juno attended the festival in 2007, and Reitman returned in 2009 to premiere Up in the Air.
The AFF’s Screenwriters Conference offers over 65 panels, craft sessions and roundtable discussions led by more than 100 industry professionals. Focusing on the art and commerce of film and television writing and production, it provides registrants unparalleled access to the best writers in the field.
Past participants include Damon Lindelof (Star Trek, “Lost”), Matthew Weiner (“Mad Men”), Harold Ramis (Groundhog Day), Wes Anderson & Owen Wilson (Rushmore), John Milius (Apocalypse Now), Sydney Pollack (Tootsie), Robert Altman (Nashville), Joel & Ethan Cohen (Fargo), Russell Crowe (Gladiator), Bryan Singer (X-Men), and Oliver Stone (Platoon).
Already confirmed screenwriter and filmmaker speakers, schedules permitting, for the 2010 Screenwriters Conference include:
• John August, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Big Fish, Charlie’s Angels
• Shane Black, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Last Boyscout
• Michael Brandt & Derek Haas, Wanted, 3:10 to Yuma, 2 Fast 2 Furious
• Larry Doyle, I Love You, Beth Cooper, “The Simpsons,” “Beavis and Butt-Head”
• John Lee Hancock, The Blind Side, A Perfect World, The Rookie
• Phil Hay, Clash of the Titans 2, Clash of the Titans, AEon Flux
• Peter Hedges, About a Boy, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Pieces of April
• Allan Loeb, Cheaters, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, The Switch
• Jeff Lowell, Over Her Dead Body, John Tucker Must Die, “Just Shoot Me,” “Spin City”
• Jon Lucas & Scott Moore, The Hangover, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Four Christmases
• Craig Mazin, The Hangover 2, Scary Movie 4, Scary Movie 3
• Peter Murrieta, “Hope and Faith,” “Wizards of Waverly Place”
• Dan Petrie, Jr., Beverly Hills Cop, The Big Easy, Shoot to Kill
• Alvaro Rodriguez, Machete, Shorts, From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter
• Tim Talbott, “South Park”
• John Turman, Hulk, Fantastic Four II: Rise of the Silver Surfer
• Randall Wallace, Secretariat, The Man in the Iron Mask, Braveheart
• Jorge Zamacona, “Wanted”, “Homicide: Life on the Street”, “The Unusuals”
The Conference will also include representatives from Pixar Animation Studios, Paramount Pictures, Touchstone/ABC, Josephson Entertainment, Disney Animation Studios, di Bonaventura Pictures, Fortis Films, Focus Features, UTA, WME, APA, Inc., Mosaic Media, Depth of Field, 20th Century Fox and many more.
Complete list available at www.austinfilmfestival.com or upon request. Film screenings, more panelists and special events will be announced shortly. Attendance of Conference speakers is schedule permitting and subject to change without notice.
Awards Luncheon tickets are $45 each and are available for purchase by Conference and Producers Badge holders only. For additional information on the 17th Annual Austin Film Festival, panels and film screenings, and how to purchase everything from a Producers Badge to a Film Pass, visit the official website at www.austinfilmfestival.com or call 1-800-310-FEST (3378).
About Austin Film Festival
The Austin Film Festival (AFF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television and new media. The AFF champions the work of aspiring and established writers and filmmakers by providing unique cultural events and services, enhancing public awareness and participation and encouraging dynamic and long-lasting community partnerships.
The Austin Film Festival is funded and supported in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.
Special support is provided to the Austin Film Festival by Continental Airlines, KVUE and Dos Equis.
