Faces of Austin

Every year, films selected for Faces of Austin have a premiere screening during the SXSW Film Festival in March. The films are also shown on ATXN.tv and at special screenings throughout the year. There is a cash honorarium for each selected short film and a prize for the Judge's Choice.

If you are a local filmmaker interested in applying for the next round of Faces of Austin, please contact Erica Shamaly, Music & Entertainment Division Manager.

Eligibility

• 10 minutes maximum length (shorter is better!)
• Austin-area filmmakers are eligible
• Original non-fiction or fiction work no older than 3-years old
• Filmed in Austin or highlights Austin-area topics or organizations
• Does not violate copyright law by using copy written work, including music, without permission
• Does not solicit funds or a particular political call to action
• Must be appropriate to show in a public setting to an audience of all ages
• May not be also selected by SXSW as part of its other Short Film Exhibitions
• Applicants must be 18 and older
• Applications from filmmakers with diverse cultural backgrounds are encouraged
• Preference will be given to filmmakers who have not been selected in previous years
• City of Austin employees in the Economic Development Department and Communications & Public Information Office are not eligible to apply.

Selection

A selection panel comprising project advisors, media experts, and City staff will review each filmmaker’s work and associated materials submitted by the project deadline. The City of Austin reserves the right to disqualify materials deemed offensive or inappropriate to show in a public setting. The "Judge's Choice" will be selected from among the selection panel's top 5 rated submissions.

Films will be scored on the following:

• Strength of Story
• Highlighting Austin-Area Stories
• Quality of Production

Faces of Austin Past Selections

2019 -Watch the 2019 Faces of Austin video
*indicates Judge’s Choice Winner, selected by guest judge Kat Chandler

• Jose Rocha, Walking Uphill: Lewis Conway Jr. and Reentry
• Nathan Araya, Growing Up in America | Mental Health Is Wealth
• Owen Schwartzbard, Texas from Above
• Aylin Martinez Barrera, Separados
• Charlotte Moore, Black in the Backcountry
• Wendy Corn, Finding Our Voice
• Blair Waltman-Alexin, Laundry Angels
• H.D. Stone, Paradigm
• Cameron Belcher, Painter Greenhouse
• Funmi Ogunro, Art is Cool: A Brief Encounter with Two Austin Creatives
• Jose Lozano, Austin Soundwaves Luis Orozco, The Blacklist: Experience Jazz in Austin
• Riley Engemoen and Liz Moskowitz, Sam’s BBQ: Changing with the Times*

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2018 – Watch the 2018 Faces of Austin video
*indicated Judge’s Choice Winner, selected by guest judge Macon Blair

• David Freid, Austin Graffiti Project: Chapter 1, The Foundation
• Christopher Kim, Belonging
• Blair Waltman-Alexin, A Common Thread
• Travis Lee Ratcliff, Art of the Moment
• Tatiana Gonzalez, PEOPLE in Need & Experiencing Homelessness at the Library
• H. Cherdon, Awesome in Austin Music Video
• Louisiana Kreutz, Language Lessons*
• Jake Fordyce, Lord's Boxing Gym
• Katherine Craft, Charlotte and Charlie*
• Jose Rocha, El Maestro: Hector Galan
• Rachel Bardin, Animal Facts Club Presents: Birds and Humans
• Christopher Kim, Today, I Gave The World A Flower
• Aaron Weiss, Struggling for Weird

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2017 – Watch the 2017 Faces of Austin video
*indicates Judge’s Choice Winner, selected by guest judge Bryan Poyser

• Aaron Weiss, Losing Weird - Good Danny's
• Ryan Light, City of the Violet Crown: Faces of Austin 2017
• Mat Hames, Century of Change: A Short Film About John McKetta
• Joe Rocha, Arts in Context Shorts: Dos Lados De La Frontera (Two Sides of the Border)
• Maximiliano Benitez, American Gateway Client Stories 
• Louisiana Kreutz, Like Riding a Bike*
• Jose Lozano, HONK!TX Marching Band Steve Conn, Bringing Back the Stars
• Aaron Weiss, Ask Yourself - A Music Video by GravelTooth
• David Bellesen, Faces of Austin - Michael García 
• Tatiana Gonzalez, Austin, Texas History: Community Archives
• Maximiliano Benitez, It's All Through the Garden
• Joe Rocha, Austin Revealed: Chicano Civil Rights “Activism and Organizing”
• Jeffrey Johnson Jr., Black, Brown, ATX 
• Joe Fendelman, Still Skating
• John Clark, Valerie Fowler: Nature and Other Stories

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2013 - Watch the 2103 Faces of Austin video

* indicates Judge's Choice Winner selected by guest judge Elizabeth Avellán

• Ann Armstrong, Art & Labor
• Mike Blizzard & Jose Mata, That's What I Meant
• Steve Conn, Tony's Blues Boxes
• Reid W. Connell, The Heartless Machine
• Rebecca Eiland & Tania Romero, Helmets from Heath*
• Jonathan Mahone, 3 Words
• Robert Melton & Lindsay Patterson, The Story of the Khabele School
• Mike Miller & Steve Schwolert, The First Picture Show: Historic Austin Moviehouses
• Donna Pardue, Flag Boy Twin
• Pedro Resende, Forever
• Dustin Shroff, Deflated
• Andrea Zarate, Susana Almanza: The Life of an Activist

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2012 - Watch the 2012 Faces of Austin video

• Max & Kristen Benitez, Grow. Share. Prepare.
• Stephen Bornstein, Austin's New Year's Eve 2012 Celebration
• Laura Colwell, This Austin Life
• Reid W. Connell, The Wood Sculptor
• Danny Dale, Lucky Bird
• Paloma Gonzalez, The XY Zone
• Jonathan Grubbs, Mr. Mustache-Movember Shave Off
• Juan A. Izaguirre, Para Vivir Possumbox, Sh*t Austinites Say riotLOUNGE, "Strike" by Motel Aviv
• Steve Schwolert, Abriendo Brecha-Making Our Way
• Aaron Weiss, Explore Austin-Leadership. Mentoring. Adventure.
• Aaron Weiss, Nowhere Else
• Jen White, Carlyn Ray: Glassblower

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2011 - Watch the 2011 Faces of Austin video

• Ballet Austin, Ballet Austin's Butler Dance Education Center
• Micah Barber, Great Grandmama for Obama
• Kat Candler, Love Bug Tony Costello, Eagle Eye
• Chelsea Hernandez, Five Generations
• Leslie Langee, Eulogy Maker
• Jose Lozano, Take Me With You
• Audrey McGuire, Kibbles of Love and Bits of Hope
• Lucia Ornelas, Latinitas
• Brittany Reeber, Junk King
• Nina Vizcarrondo, The Carolyn Jackson Story
• Elizabeth Walker, The Dispatchers

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2010 - Watch the 2010 Faces of Austin video

• Susan and Rob Burneson, A Community Mosaic
• Debbie Eynon Finley, Humble Trash
• Araceli Jaime and James Ruiz, fEAST
• Louisiana Kreutz, Springed Migration
• Jennifer Malin, Capoeira Luanda
• Jennifer Malin, The Farm Next Door
• Johnny Ramirez, Maneja Beto "Ofrendas"
• Rose Saenz, Peter & Smiley

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2006

Works with a * were given a cash award as part of the “Best of FACES OF AUSTIN 2006 Collection” through a generous contribution by Tokyo Electron (TEL).

• Dwight Adair, Stinger *
• Beverly Barrett, Rude Mechanicals: A Theatre Collective *
• Amy Bench and Autumn Leonard, Cyril's Birthday *
• Zach Bowman, Into the Vortex *
• Rachel Cowart, Town Lake Reflections *
• Phil Curry, SXSW Saturday *
• Avram Dodson, Art/Work *
• David Elkins, Emergence *
• Becky Hays and Cara Griswold, Soul & Body *
• Becky Hays and Cara Griswold, The Making of the Blue Pearl *
• Matt Hovis and Mark Miks, Red River Rocks
• Mike Jones, Digital Diversity *
• Brenda Kane, Austin Free Flow: The Austin Parkour Movement *
• Jason Perrine, Tai-San Choo, and Vernon Smith, Austin Culture *
• Ebony Porter, The Greenbelt, Elizabeth *
• Ebony Porter, Nocturne *
• Ebony Porter, The Pool of Hamilton *
• George Sledge and Mark Miks, Downtown Fashion
• George Sledge and Mark Miks, Rotations Per Minute
• Ric Sternberg, River Glyph *
• Michelle Voss O'Brien, Ballet Austin: Creative Movement for Four Year Olds with Joan Wolfe *
• Carol Wagner and Teresa Davidson, No Flamingos *

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2005 

Works with a * were given a cash award as part of the “Best of FACES OF AUSTIN 2005 Collection” through a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.

• Elise Ballard, Lord of the Wiens - A Dachumentary
• Amy Bench, House of Elegance *
• Jay Beeson, Eeyore's * Ajae Clearway, H2Hos
• Buckner Cooke, Broken Spoke Legend *
• Buckner Cooke, Shotgun Boogie
• Danny Dale and Robert Rodriguez, Music & Interviews of Del Castillo *
• Susannah Erler, Tamale House #3
• Sarah Garcia, The Green & White
• Julia Hilder, Facing East *
• José Lauro Mata, Convergence *
• Allegra McCoy, Supernatural: Street Magician Ministers
• Romeo Navarro, BBoy City 8, Part 2
• Deb Norris, The Bottom of the Bottomless Lake
• Dan Parsons, Dan Parsons, Filmmaker *
• Corky Pumilia and Tina Latora, Janet's Solar Electric Meets Austin City Hall *
• Jamie Rood, Austin Landscapes & Attractions
• Sharron Rush, No Man's Land *
• Chad Sandahl, Sam's Bar-B-Q *
• Chad Sandahl, Manuel "Cowboy" Donley
• Hank Sinatra, A Tribute to Austin Legends Who are No Longer with Us
• Karen Skloss, Austin Family Portrait Project
• Linda Watkins, Art Cars2004 *
• Linda Watkins, Know Austin, My Home Town *
• Zachary Scott Theatre Center, Zach: Austin's Meeting Tent