Austin After Dark Film Festival

This category is reserved for films with intense action, fighting, chase scenes, driving sequences, acrobatics, gun fights, martial arts, or some element that fuels the audience with adrenaline. The judges are looking for tense moments, strong editing and good sound design. The duration of videos submitted to the Action Film category is between six minutes and thirty minutes in length including all credits. (6:00 - 30:00)

This category is reserved for films with intense action, fighting, chase scenes, driving sequences, acrobatics, gun fights, martial arts, or some element that fuels the audience with adrenaline. The judges are looking for tense moments, strong editing and good sound design. The time limit for the Action Micro Film category is five minutes and fifty nine seconds (05:59) including all credits.

This category is reserved for cartoons, 2D animation, 3D animation, clay animation, sand animation, Anime, Computer Graphics, Puppetry Animation, Stop-Motion, Flip Book Animation, Experimental Animation and any form of animated films that may exist, but we haven't listed. Films that have a mixture of animated elements and live action characters are eligible for this category as well. The duration of videos submitted to the Animated Film category is between six minutes and thirty minutes in length including all credits. (6:00 - 30:00)

This category is reserved for cartoons, 2D animation, 3D animation, clay animation, sand animation, Anime, Computer Graphics, Puppetry Animation, Stop-Motion, Flip Book Animation, Experimental Animation and any form of animated films that may exist. Films that have a mixture of animated elements and live action characters are eligible for this category as well. The time limit for the Animated Micro Film category is five minutes and fifty nine seconds (05:59) including all credits.

This category is reserved for films that make people laugh. The judges are looking for films that have funny moments, comedic situations, fun dialogue, humorous acting, and great characters. This event has screened great musicals, sketch comedy, stand-up comedy, family comedy, silent comedy, slapstick comedy, romantic comedy, action comedy, student comedy, mockumentary, web series episodes, comedy TV pilots, fake commercials and more at our past events. The duration of videos submitted to the Comedy Film category is between six minutes and thirty minutes in length including all credits. (6:00 - 30:00)

This category is reserved for films that make people laugh. The judges are looking for films that have funny moments, comedic situations, fun dialogue, humorous acting, and great characters. This event has screened great musicals, sketch comedy, stand-up comedy, family comedy, silent comedy, slapstick comedy, romantic comedy, action comedy, student comedy, mockumentary, web series episodes, comedy TV pilots, fake commercials and more at our past events. The time limit for the Comedy Micro Short Film category is five minutes and fifty nine seconds (05:59) including all credits.

This category is reserved for films that are on the darker side of the comedy genre. Sometimes referred to as “Black Comedy” these films have a sick sense of humor and may not be suitable for mainstream festivals. Often times these films end with the death of a character or have some strange gruesome scenes. Dark comedy films can make you laugh and cringe at the same time. If your audience laughs and then says “that’s messed up,” then you’ve probably produced something pretty dark. This event has screened dark comedy films that feature strange cruelty, or feature characters that are trying to get rid of a dead body, or they accidentally poison the wrong person, or even dream of murders, dark situations and revenge with strange dark comedic elements.

This category is reserved for films that are on the darker side of the comedy genre. Sometimes referred to as “Black Comedy” these films have a sick sense of humor and may not be suitable for mainstream festivals. Often times these films end with the death of a character or have some strange gruesome scenes. Dark comedy films can make you laugh and cringe at the same time. If your audience laughs and then says “that’s messed up,” then you’ve probably produced something pretty dark. This event has screened dark comedy films that feature strange cruelty, or feature characters that are trying to get rid of a dead body, or they accidentally poison the wrong person, or even dream of murders, dark situations and revenge with strange dark comedic elements. The time limit for the Dark Comedy Micro Short Film category is five minutes and fifty nine seconds (05:59) including all credits.

This category is reserved for films with real-life stories, people and situations of a more serious nature. Films that have strong acting and great writing. Films that bring out emotions in the audience are what the judges are looking for. Strong drama films deal with everything from romance and family relationships to post traumatic stress disorder, depression and loss of life. Medical dramas, stories about overcoming adversity, period dramas, sports stories, immigration issues, poverty, coming of age stories, have all screened at this event in the past. Beautiful cinematography, good production value and great music are viewed favorably by our judges, especially in the drama category.

This category is reserved for films with real-life stories, people and situations of a more serious nature. Films that have strong acting and great writing. Films that bring out emotions in the audience are what the judges are looking for. Strong drama films deal with everything from romance and family relationships to post traumatic stress disorder, depression and loss of life. Medical dramas, stories about overcoming adversity, period dramas, sports stories, immigration issues, poverty, coming of age stories, have all screened at this event in the past. Beautiful cinematography, good production value and great music are viewed favorably by our judges, especially in the drama category. The time limit for the Drama Micro Short Film category is five minutes and fifty nine seconds (05:59) including all credits.

This category is reserved for a drama film that is intended for a mature audience. Films that could deal with a variety of darker topics like murder, death, abuse, suicide, depression, hallucinations, shootings, police investigations, gang violence, kidnapping, riots, uncomfortable risky situations, verbal abuse, war, PTSD, flashbacks, psychological breakdowns, or some other topic that fits into a serious drama category and not necessarily in the Horror Film Category. The duration of videos submitted to the Dark Drama Film category is between six minutes and thirty minutes in length including all credits. (6:00 - 30:00)

This category is reserved for a drama film that is intended for a mature audience. Films that could deal with a variety of darker topics like murder, death, abuse, suicide, depression, hallucinations, shootings, police investigations, gang violence, kidnapping, riots, uncomfortable risky situations, verbal abuse, war, PTSD, flashbacks, psychological breakdowns, or some other topic that fits into a serious drama category and not necessarily in the Horror Film Category. The time limit for the Dark Drama Micro Short Film category is five minutes and fifty nine seconds (05:59) including all credits.

This category is reserved for films that are exploring the future, time travel, space, disease outbreaks, experiments, aliens, or any other concept that involves technology that may not exist yet? Great sound design, musical score, cinematography, visual effects or special effects are appreciated by the judges. When surveyed, our audience loves dark science fiction films like the original "Terminator" and first "Alien" film. The duration of videos submitted to the Dark Science Fiction Film category is between six minutes and thirty minutes in length including all credits. (6:00 - 30:00)

This category is reserved for films that are exploring the future, time travel, space, disease outbreaks, experiments, aliens, or any other concept that involves technology that may not exist yet? Great sound design, musical score, cinematography, visual effects or special effects are appreciated by the judges. When surveyed, our audience loves dark science fiction films like the original "Terminator" and first "Alien" film. The time limit for the Science Fiction Micro Short Film category is five minutes and fifty nine seconds (05:59) including all credits.

This category is reserved for documentary films with thought provoking short stories about real life, interesting people, great stories, historical research, medical issues, sports stories, coming of age stories, political issues, war stories, racism, gender issues, LGBTQ stories, social justice issues, artists, musicians, actors, professionals, technologies, or some kind of non-fiction story. All flavors of well documented films and stories are eligible from anywhere in the world, and in any language (with English subtitles or voice-over.)

This category is reserved for documentary films with thought provoking short stories about real life, interesting people, great stories, historical research, medical issues, sports stories, coming of age stories, political issues, war stories, racism, gender issues, LGBTQ stories, social justice issues, artists, musicians, actors, professionals, technologies, or some kind of non-fiction story. All flavors of well documented films and stories are eligible from anywhere in the world, and in any language (with English subtitles or voice-over). The time limit for the Documentary Micro Film category is five minutes and fifty nine seconds (05:59) including all credits.

This category is reserved for films that are outside of the Hollywood mainstream. Creative works that some would consider odd, strange, artistic, weird, innovative, fresh, enlightening, inspirational, confusing, mysterious, futuristic, retro, or difficult to classify. Experimental films must have some element that has something truly unique about it.

This category is reserved for films that are outside of the Hollywood mainstream. Creative works that some would consider odd, strange, artistic, weird, innovative, fresh, enlightening, inspirational, confusing, mysterious, futuristic, retro, or difficult to classify. Experimental films must have some element that has something truly unique about it. The time limit for the Experimental Micro Film category is five minutes and fifty nine seconds (05:59) including all credits.

This category is reserved for music videos of all musical genres. The judges are impressed by good stories, great acting, excellent cinematography, and cool editing that syncs really well with the music. To be considered apart of this category, the video submitted should be odd, strange, artistic, weird, innovative, fresh, enlightening, inspirational, confusing, mysterious, futuristic, retro or difficult to classify. It is not a requirement that the musician is seen on screen. The focus should be on some aspect of your video that is very unique beyond the artist performing the music. If your music video is publicly available on Vimeo, Vevo or YouTube, your submission is qualified for entry. Official selections, nominations or awards on the Film Festival Circuit may help your video get exposure. The time limit for the Music Video category is five minutes and fifty nine seconds (05:59) including all credits.

Is your film about magic, the supernatural, about wizards, curses, super powers, magical artifacts, etc? This is the place to submit your Fantasy film. The duration of video files submitted to the Fantasy Micro Film category must less than (6:00) six minutes in length including all credits.

Is your film about magic, the supernatural, about wizards, curses, super powers, magical artifacts, etc? This is the place to submit your Fantasy film. The duration of video files submitted to the Fantasy Film category must be between six and thirty minutes in length including all credits. (06:00 - 30:00)

This category is reserved for comedy films in the horror film genre, that are full of jokes? Is it a Slasher parody, is it a reality show about vegetarian Vampires or Redneck Zombies? Is your film full of 80's era bad one-liners, full of nudity for no reason? You know if your film is a Horror Comedy Film, the question is, are you going to send it to us? The duration of videos submitted to the Horror Comedy Film category is between six minutes and thirty minutes in length including all credits. (6:00 - 30:00)

This category is reserved for comedy films in the horror film genre, that are full of jokes? Is it a Slasher parody, is it a reality show about vegetarian Vampires or Redneck Zombies? Is your film full of 80's era bad one-liners, full of nudity for no reason? You know if your film is a Horror Comedy Film, the question is, are you going to send it to us? The time limit for the Horror Comedy Micro Short Film category is five minutes and fifty nine seconds (05:59) including all credits.

This category is reserved for creative and scary Horror Films that have adrenaline pumping moments. Do you have a film that was intentionally created to scare people? Does your film depict any horrifying action sequences, blood, gore, monsters, psychotic people, slashing, stalking, zombies, vampires, disease outbreaks, demonic possession, haunted buildings, or any other elements that would classify your film as a true horror film? Great sound design, musical score, cinematography, visual effects or special effects are appreciated by the judges. The duration of videos submitted to the Horror Film category is between six minutes and thirty minutes in length including all credits. (6:00 - 30:00)

This category is reserved for creative and scary Horror Films that have adrenaline pumping moments. Do you have a film that was intentionally created to scare people? Does your film depict any horrifying action sequences, blood, gore, monsters, psychotic people, slashing, stalking, zombies, vampires, disease outbreaks, demonic possession, haunted buildings, or any other elements that would classify your film as a true horror film? Great sound design, musical score, cinematography, visual effects or special effects are appreciated by the judges. The time limit for the Horror Micro Short Film category is five minutes and fifty nine seconds (05:59) including all credits.

This category is reserved for comedy films that are presented in a documentary or testimonial format. This is a fun category for our judges to review, which frequently has the most creative concepts. There are few film festivals in the world with a dedicated Mockumentary category, but this event has had one since the beginning. The duration of videos submitted to the Mockumentary Film category must be between six minutes and thirty minutes in length including all credits. (6:00 - 30:00)

This category is reserved for comedy films that are presented in a documentary or testimonial format. This is a fun category for our judges to review, which frequently has the most creative concepts. There are few film festivals in the world with a dedicated Mockumentary category, but this event has had one since the beginning. The time limit for the Mockumentary Micro Film category is five minutes and fifty nine seconds (05:59) including all credits.

This category is reserved for music videos of all musical genres. The judges are impressed by good stories, great acting, excellent cinematography, and cool editing that syncs really well with the music.If your music video is publicly available on Vimeo, Vevo or YouTube, your submission is qualified for entry. Official selections, nominations or awards on the Film Festival Circuit may help your video get exposure. The time limit for the Music Video category is five minutes and fifty nine seconds (05:59) including all credits.

This category is reserved for screenplays that are funny, engaging and make people laugh. The judges are looking for screenplays that have great character development, funny moments, comedic situations, smart dialogue, humorous personalities, and a storyline that is easy to follow. Most genres of comedy screenplays fit into this category. General comedy, musicals, sketch comedy, stand-up comedy, family comedy, slapstick comedy, action comedy, student comedy, fake commercials and mockumentary screenplays. Please note that we have separate screenplay category for Dark Comedy Screenplays, just in case you have a really sick sense of humor. The maximum number of pages allowed for our Short Screenplay categories is 60 pages delivered in .pdf format.

This category is reserved for screenplays that are funny, engaging and make people laugh. The judges are looking for screenplays that have great character development, funny moments, comedic situations, smart dialogue, humorous personalities, and a storyline that is easy to follow. Most genres of comedy screenplays fit into this category. General comedy, musicals, sketch comedy, stand-up comedy, family comedy, slapstick comedy, action comedy, student comedy, fake commercials and mockumentary screenplays. Please note that we have separate screenplay category for Dark Comedy Screenplays, just in case you have a really sick sense of humor. 12 different judges will read every word of every screenplay submitted. All feature length screenplays must be 60 or more pages in length, delivered in .pdf format.

This category is reserved for short screenplays that are on the darker side of the comedy genre. Sometimes referred to as “Black Comedy” these films have a sick sense of humor and may not be suitable for mainstream festivals. Often times these stories end with the death of a character or have some strange gruesome scenes. Dark comedy films can make you laugh and cringe at the same time. If your audience laughs and then says “that’s messed up,” then you’ve probably written something pretty dark. This event has selected dark comedy screenplays that feature strange cruelty, or feature characters that are trying to get rid of a dead body, or they accidentally poison the wrong person, or even dream of murders, dark situations and revenge with strange dark comedic elements. The maximum number of pages allowed for our Short Screenplay categories is 60 pages delivered in .pdf format.

This category is reserved for screenplays that are on the darker side of the comedy genre. Sometimes referred to as “Black Comedy” these films have a sick sense of humor and may not be suitable for mainstream festivals. Often times these stories end with the death of a character or have some strange gruesome scenes. Dark comedy films can make you laugh and cringe at the same time. If your audience laughs and then says “that’s messed up,” then you’ve probably written something pretty dark. This event has selected dark comedy screenplays that feature strange cruelty, or feature characters that are trying to get rid of a dead body, or they accidentally poison the wrong person, or even dream of murders, dark situations and revenge with strange dark comedic elements. All feature length screenplays must be 60 or more pages in length, delivered in .pdf format.

This category is reserved for screenplays that are exploring the future, time travel, space, disease outbreaks, experiments, aliens, or any other concept that involves technology that may not exist yet? When surveyed, our audience loves dark science fiction films like the original "Terminator" and first "Alien" film. The maximum number of pages allowed for our Short Screenplay categories is 60 pages delivered in .pdf format.

This category is reserved for screenplays that are exploring the future, time travel, space, disease outbreaks, experiments, aliens, or any other concept that involves technology that may not exist yet? When surveyed, our audience loves dark science fiction films like the original "Terminator" and first "Alien" film. All feature length screenplays must be 60 or more pages in length, delivered in .pdf format.

This category is reserved for films with real-life stories, people and situations of a more serious nature. Screenplays that have strong acting and great writing. Films that bring out emotions in the reader are what the judges are looking for. Strong drama stories deal with everything from romance and family relationships to post traumatic stress disorder, depression and loss of life. Medical dramas, stories about overcoming adversity, period dramas, sports stories, immigration issues, poverty, coming of age stories, have all been selected by our judges in past events. Excellent character development, scenes that are easy to visualize and storylines that keep the reader engaged are viewed favorably by our judges, especially in the drama category. The maximum number of pages allowed for our Short Screenplay categories is 60 pages delivered in .pdf format.

This category is reserved for films with real-life stories, people and situations of a more serious nature. Screenplays that have strong acting and great writing. Films that bring out emotions in the reader are what the judges are looking for. Strong drama stories deal with everything from romance and family relationships to post traumatic stress disorder, depression and loss of life. Medical dramas, stories about overcoming adversity, period dramas, sports stories, immigration issues, poverty, coming of age stories, have all been selected by our judges in past events. Excellent character development, scenes that are easy to visualize and storylines that keep the reader engaged are viewed favorably by our judges, especially in the drama category. All feature length screenplays must be 60 or more pages in length, delivered in .pdf format.

This category is reserved for creative and scary Horror Screenplays that have adrenaline pumping moments. Do you have a story that was intentionally created to scare people? Does your screenplay depict any horrifying action sequences, blood, gore, monsters, psychotic people, slashing, stalking, zombies, vampires, disease outbreaks, demonic possession, haunted buildings, or any other elements that would classify your screenplay as a true horror film experience? The maximum number of pages allowed for our Short Screenplay categories is 60 pages delivered in .pdf format.

This category is reserved for creative and scary Horror Screenplays that have adrenaline pumping moments. Do you have a story that was intentionally created to scare people? Does your screenplay depict any horrifying action sequences, blood, gore, monsters, psychotic people, slashing, stalking, zombies, vampires, disease outbreaks, demonic possession, haunted buildings, or any other elements that would classify your screenplay as a true horror film experience? All feature length screenplays must be 60 or more pages in length, delivered in .pdf format.

This category is reserved for comedy screenplays in the horror film genre, that are full of jokes? Is it a Slasher parody, is it a reality show about vegetarian Vampires or Redneck Zombies? Is your film full of 80's era bad one-liners, evil blood oranges or face eating waffles? You know if your screenplay is a Horror Comedy screenplay, the question is, are you going to send it to us? The maximum number of pages allowed for our Short Screenplay categories is 60 pages delivered in .pdf format.

This category is reserved for comedy screenplays in the horror film genre, that are full of jokes? Is it a Slasher parody, is it a reality show about vegetarian Vampires or Redneck Zombies? Is your film full of 80's era bad one-liners, evil blood oranges or face eating waffles? You know if your screenplay is a Horror Comedy screenplay, the question is, are you going to send it to us? All feature length screenplays must be 60 or more pages in length, delivered in .pdf format.

This category is reserved for short teleplays that are on the darker side of the comedy genre. Sometimes referred to as “Black Comedy” these films have a sick sense of humor and may not be suitable for mainstream festivals. Often times these stories end with the death of a character or have some strange gruesome scenes. Dark comedy films can make you laugh and cringe at the same time. If your audience laughs and then says “that’s messed up,” then you’ve probably written something pretty dark. This event has selected dark comedy screenplays that feature strange cruelty, or feature characters that are trying to get rid of a dead body, or they accidentally poison the wrong person, or even dream of murders, dark situations and revenge with strange dark comedic elements. Submissions to the Dark Comedy Teleplay Episode category must be less than 60 pages in length.