2025 Austin Film Festival names top script and film winners
The Austin Film Festival awarded prizes to screenwriters and filmmakers from 112 countries, with more than 17,000 entries submitted across 33 categories. Becca Hurd won the drama screenplay award for The Other Side of 25, while Kate Beacom and Lacey Jeka received the comedy screenplay prize for Lauren Lindsay Can Go To Hell. The festival announced winners on Sunday at its 32nd annual event in Texas.
Yuval Hadadi earned the narrative feature award for A Man Walks Down the Street, and Rena Effendi won the documentary feature category for Searching for Satyrus. Festival organizers said previous competition winners have written films that grossed more than $5 billion worldwide and have produced content for major streaming platforms. Executive Director Barbara Morgan said the competition identifies emerging talent amid uncertainty in the entertainment industry.
