The Austin Film Festival Calendar

Film festival season is almost on us, and in Austin that means a jam-packed schedule for all tastes and genres. With some festivals still to confirm dates (including the Austin Asian-American Film Festival) and several new and revived events, the 2018 calendar is already filling up fast.

February

10: Transform Film Fest Austin School of Film and the Women's Community Center of Central Texas present a night dedicated to women filmmakers. www.womenctx.org/transformfilm

March

9-17: SXSW Austin's A-list festival, with screenings and filmmaker conversations, and mentor sessions. www.sxsw.com

11: Films for the Forest Eco nonprofit the Rainforest Partnership's one-day festival within SXSW. www.rainforestpartnership.org/projects/films-for-the-forest

April

19-22: Indie Meme Film Festival Highlighting new voices from South Asia. www.indiememe.org

26-29: Hill Country Film Festival The area's most scenic festival, screening indie films at the Fritztown Cinema in Fredericksburg. www.hillcountryff.com

May

2-6: Cine Las Americas International Film Festival Celebrating 21 years of cinema from the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world, as well as indigenous nations of the Americas. www.cinelasamericas.org

19: Austin Youth Film Festival Focusing on short films by Central Texas middle- and high-schoolers. www.austinyouthfilmfestival.com

June

1-3: The 48 Hour Film Project The Austin iteration of the two-day filmmaking challenge. www.48hourfilm.com/austin-tx

7-10: ATX Television Festival The small screen takes over with this celebration of all things episodic. www.atxfestival.com

July

20-22: Contrast Film Festival New celebration of boundary-pushing cinema, with an emphasis on female and queer creators. www.contrastfilmfest.com

August

30-Sept. 2: Capital City Black Film Festival After a year off, Austin once again has a dedicated platform for African-American filmmakers. www.capcitybff.com

September

6-9: All Genders, Lifestyles and Identities Film Festival Celebrating LGBTQ+ cinema from around the world. www.agliff.org

18-22: Austin Revolution Film Festival Home to Austin's off-the-grid indie filmmakers. www.austinrevolution.com

20-27: Fantastic Fest After a controversial year, the celebration of global genre cinema is back. www.fantasticfest.com

October

19-20: Cinema Touching Disability Reframing what it means to live with a physical or mental issue. www.txdisabilities.org/news-events/film-festival

25-Nov. 1: Austin Film Festival Celebrating the art of the screenwriter. www.austinfilmfestival.com

November

4-10: Austin Jewish Film Festival Specializing in films that examine the Jewish experience, in Israel and beyond. www.austinjff.org

8-11: Austin Polish Film Festival Celebrating the work of Polish filmmakers and the extraordinary creativity of Polish film poster artists, as well as an International Shorts Competition. www.austinpolishfilm.com.

December

6-9: Other Worlds Austin The area's only dedicated science-fiction festival, with premieres and retrospectives. www.otherworldsaustin.com