AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL DEBUTS FIRST WAVE OF WORLD PREMIERES, STAR-STUDDED TEXAS PREMIERES, AND 2025 WRITER’S WRITER AWARD HONOREES CLINT BENTLEY AND GREG KWEDAR
Featuring ETERNITY, HEDDA, TRAIN DREAMS, and WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY
Austin, TX (AUGUST 26, 2025) – AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL (AFF) announced today the first wave of film premieres for its 32nd annual Festival, taking place October 23-30, alongside its renowned Writers Conference (October 23-26), which together celebrate the art of storytelling on screen and on the page. This year’s slate features high-profile world premieres, A-list ensembles, and highly anticipated Texas premieres from award-winning filmmakers. Additionally, writing and filmmaking partners Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar will receive the 2025 Writer’s Writer Award, presented alongside the Texas premiere of their latest film, Train Dreams.
AFF’s Annual Film Competition is a cornerstone of the festival, designed to identify, empower, and celebrate top emerging filmmakers. Awards are presented across categories including Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Dark Matters, Comedy Vanguard, and Texas Independent Feature. World premieres submitted to AFF via competition include:
World Premieres
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You’re Dating a Narcissist – a romantic comedy starring Marisa Tomei, written/directed by AFF alum Ann Marie Allison.
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Signing Tony Raymond – a sports comedy drama starring Mira Sorvino, Rob Morgan, and NFL star Marshawn Lynch, written and directed by Glen Owen.
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The Boy From St. Croix – a documentary portrait of NBA legend Tim Duncan, directed by his brother Scott Duncan.
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Rhythm Is A Dancer – a coming of age comedy drama written, directed, and starring Lauren Caster, with Amy Aquino and Tate Donovan.
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Miles Away – a modern comedy drama feature from Jackie Quinones, co-starring Luis Guzmán.
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Crystal Cross – a darkly comedic road trip feature starring Rubyrose Hill, Lukas Haas, and Luke Baines.
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Spite – an atmospheric horror feature starring Masha Cima, written and directed by Carolynn Cecilia.
In addition to world premieres, AFF will host Texas premieres of some of the year’s most anticipated titles:
Texas Premieres
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Eternity (A24) – Directed by David Freyne, co-written with Pat Cunnane, starring Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, Callum Turner, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
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Hedda (Amazon MGM Studios) – From writer director Nia DaCosta, starring Tessa Thompson, Imogen Poots, Nina Hoss, Nicholas Pinnock
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Train Dreams (Netflix) – Adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella directed by Clint Bentley, co-written by Bentley and Greg Kwedar, starring Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon and William H. Macy.
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Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix) – Written/directed by Rian Johnson, starring Daniel Craig with Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington and more.
This year’s Writer’s Writer Award will be presented to longtime festival alumni Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar at the Awards Luncheon on Saturday, October 25 in recognition of their career-spanning achievements and latest film Train Dreams, a visually stunning and emotionally resonant adaptation of Denis Johnson’s beloved novella. Their last collaboration Sing Sing went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar said, “We’re so honored to receive the Writer’s Writer Award. AFF has been such an important part of our creative lives as writers since our earliest short films. Through the festival we’ve found connection to a community of writers and have been endlessly inspired. AFF truly has helped shape us as storytellers. We’re excited to reunite with friends and celebrate in October.”
AFF first began championing the duo’s work in 2015 by premiering their short film Dakota, and continued to do so with their feature Jockey. “We are thrilled to celebrate AFF alumni Clint and Greg, and their remarkably heartfelt film Train Dreams at this year’s Festival,” said AFF’s Executive Director, Barbara Morgan. “Ten years ago, their distinct voices stood out to us amongst thousands of submissions, and today, they continue to cut through the noise with their singular point of view and exceptional craft. We have been delighted to champion their careers throughout the last ten years, and to welcome them back to the Festival as this year’s incredibly deserving recipients of the Writer’s Writer Award.”
Previous Writer’s Writer Award recipients include Cord Jefferson, who went on to win the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay after premiering his film American Fiction at AFF, and Justin Marks to celebrate the monumental achievement of FX’s record-shattering series Shōgun, which earned 18 Emmys and four Golden Globes.
Running October 23–30, 2025, the Austin Film Festival’s film program features eight days of screenings showcasing over 180 films, including world and U.S. premieres, independent features, and advance screenings of studio releases. Badges and passes are available at www.austinfilmfestival.com.
2025 AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL FIRST WAVE:
TRAIN DREAMS (US, Netflix)
Texas Premiere
Directed by: Clint Bentley
Co-written by: Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
Cast: Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Nathaniel Arcand, Clifton Collins Jr., John Diehl, Paul Schneider, with Kerry Condon and William H. Macy. Narrated by Will Patton.
Synopsis: Based on the beloved novella by Denis Johnson, Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier (Golden Globe-nominee Joel Edgerton), whose life unfolds during an era of unprecedented change in early 20th century America. Orphaned at a young age, Robert grows into adulthood among the towering forests of the Pacific Northwest, where he helps expand the nation’s railroad empire alongside men as unforgettable as the landscapes they inhabit. After a tender courtship, he marries Gladys (Academy Award-nominee Felicity Jones) and they build a home together, though his work often takes him far from her and their young daughter. When his life takes an unexpected turn, Robert finds beauty, brutality and newfound meaning for the forests and trees he has felled.
ETERNITY (US, A24)
Texas Premiere
Directed by: David Freyne
Co-written by: David Freyne & Pat Cunnane
Cast: Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner, John Early, Olga Merediz,
and Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Synopsis: In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with (Miles Teller) and her first love (Callum Turner), who died young and has waited decades for her to arrive.
HEDDA (UK, Amazon MGM Studios)
Texas Premiere
Written/directed by: Nia DaCosta
Cast: Tessa Thompson, Imogen Poots, Nina Hoss, Nicholas Pinnock
Synopsis: From writer/director Nia DaCosta comes a provocative, modern reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s classic play. HEDDA (Tessa Thompson) finds herself torn between the lingering ache of a past love and the quiet suffocation of her present life. Over the course of one charged night, long-repressed desires and hidden tensions erupt—pulling her and everyone around her into a spiral of manipulation, passion, and betrayal.
WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (US, Netflix)
Texas Premiere
Written/directed by: Rian Johnson
Cast: Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Thomas Haden Church
Synopsis: Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) faces his most dangerous mystery yet in the latest entry in Rian Johnson’s beloved Knives Out series.
YOU’RE DATING A NARCISSIST
World Premiere
Directed by: Ann Marie Allison
Written by: Ann Marie Allison & Jenna Milly
Cast: Marisa Tomei, Sherry Cola, Ciara Bravo, Marco Pigossi, José María Yazpik
Synopsis: An outspoken psychologist rushes to Los Angeles with her best friend to stop her lovesick daughter’s wedding, fearing the groom is a narcissist.
SIGNING TONY RAYMOND
World Premiere
Written/Directed by: Glen Owen
Cast: Michael Mosley, Mira Sorvino, Rob Morgan, Marshawn Lynch, Brian Bosworth
Synopsis: A young college football coach is sent to rural Alabama to try and sign the nation’s top high school defensive end and soon finds himself trying to outflank rival recruiters, fight off grifting townsfolk and win over the player’s wildly dysfunctional family.
THE BOY FROM ST. CROIX
World Premiere
Directed by: Scott Duncan
Cast: Tim Duncan
Synopsis: After keeping the world at arm’s length for decades, basketball legend Tim Duncan reveals himself in an intimate portrait directed by his brother Scott, reflecting on the game, his career, and his enduring connection to his native island of St. Croix.
RHYTHM IS A DANCER
World Premiere
Written/Directed by: Lauren Caster
Cast: Lauren Caster, Amy Aquino, Tate Donovan, Marianne Muellerleile, Robert Costanzo, Beau Billingslea
Synopsis: Ro, a young woman with a dwindling dance career who returns home after many years to meet her biological father (Tate Donovan) for the first time.
Born to Susan (Amy Aquino), a lesbian who opted for insemination, Ro grapples with the complexities of her unconventional family dynamic and soon forms a bond at her new job with three spirited octogenarians, who help her reconnect with her family, her roots and herself.
MILES AWAY
World Premiere
Written/Directed by: Jackie Quinones
Cast: Jackie Quinones, Luis Guzman, Andre Royo, Salina EsTitties, Jessica Pacheco, Jennifer Bartels, Alberto Frezza, Henri Esteve, Jessica Sarah Flaum, Eddie Martinez, Cass Clark
Synopsis: A dreamer making ends meet as a rideshare driver is on a collision course with reality as she struggles with the hardships of poverty, bad decisions and a difficult family.
CRYSTAL CROSS
World Premiere
Written/Directed by: Richie James Follin
Cast: Rubyrose Hill, Richie James Follin, Lukas Haas, Luke Baines, Missi Pyle, Samantha Robinson
Synopsis: Crystal Cross is the story of Dotty, a Christian singer in trouble, intent on reversing her fate. When she eyes James, who looks a whole lot like Jesus, that’s her sign from God — her ride out of town. Only James is no Jesus. After a string of failed suicides to stop the pain of losing his daughter, he’s driving cross-country to California to get the last one right. This is the odd-couple love story of DOTTY and JAMES: two desperate people with opposite personalities, on opposite journeys, traveling down the same road.
SPITE
World Premiere
Written/Directed by: Carolynn Cecilia
Cast: Masha King
Synopsis: When social worker Johanna returns to her childhood home after the death of her estranged mother, she must confront the abuse she experienced as a child, battling a force within the house that thinks Joanna is still in need of discipline.
ABOUT AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL & WRITERS CONFERENCE Entering its 32nd year, Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television, theater, and new media. AFF champions the work of aspiring and established storytellers by providing unique cultural events and services, enhancing public awareness and participation, and encouraging dynamic and long-lasting community partnerships. This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of The City of Austin Economic Development Department and Texas Commission on the Arts. The 32nd Annual Austin Film Festival will take place October 23 – 30, 2025. All attendees and events are based on permitting schedules and are subject to change and/or cancellation without notice. Badges and passes are available for purchase online at www.austinfilmfestival.com or by phone at 512-478-4795.
ABOUT WRITER’S WRITER AWARD Introduced in 2023, Austin Film Festival’s Writer’s Writer Award honors a singular talent already recognized within the industry and by their peers, whose latest project has illustrated their versatility across mediums and elevated the trajectory of their career.