The Austin Film Society Announces it is Now Accepting Applications for the 2026 AFS Grant for Short Films
July 23, 2026, AUSTIN, TX— Today, the Austin Film Society opens applications for the 2026 AFS Grant for Short Films. The AFS Grant, which has given over $3 million in cash grants to filmmakers since 1996, awards funds annually to Texas-based filmmakers working in any style or genre. The current grant cycle is open to film projects shorter than 40 minutes, and filmmakers from all backgrounds who live in Texas are encouraged to apply for up to $10,000 in cash for any phase of production.
For more information about the AFS Grant and how applicants can apply, click here or visit austinfilm.org/afs-grants.
The AFS Grant for Short Films also includes two in-kind awards: the MPS Camera and Lighting Award, which is an in-kind award in the form of a multi-day camera package rental from MPS Studios with a value of up to $10,000, and the TBD Post Color and Conform Award, which includes a session with a professional colorist and a session to conform all final assets into festival deliverables (including a DCP) with a value up to $12,000.
(Photo from 2025 AFS Grant recipient We Skip School courtesy of director Ryan Darbonne. Click here to download.)
AFS Grant program staff will offer a series of live info sessions via Zoom to share tips, answer frequently asked questions, and provide guidance for applicants. More information and registration details can be found on the AFS website. The first of these workshops takes place on July 30.
- 2026 AFS Grant for Short Films Webinar #1 | July 30 at 6 PM
- 2026 AFS Grant for Short Films Webinar #2 | August 19 at 6 PM
The AFS Grant is generously supported by grant partners Ley Line Entertainment, David Lowery, Oak Cliff Film Festival, the Warren Skaaren Charitable Trust, Kyle and Noah Hawley, South by Southwest, William Knox Holt Foundation, MPS Camera and Lighting, Stuck On On and TBD Post in addition to a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.
About the AFS Grant
The AFS Grant awards funds annually to talented emerging film and video artists in Texas. Grants are provided to artists whose work shows vision, skill, and creativity. The AFS Grant is an essential program that embodies the mission and vision of AFS. Since its inception in 1996, the AFS Grant has awarded more than $3 million in cash grants and more than $340,000 in-kind goods and services to 570+ Texas filmmakers to date, creating life-changing opportunities for artists working outside large industry centers, often supporting filmmakers who come from backgrounds that are largely underrepresented in the film industry. In addition to grants for pre-production, production, and post-production, AFS provides cash stipends to Texas filmmakers traveling to prestigious film festivals through its AFS Travel Grant program.
Some of AFS’s most successful program alumni over the years have received grants from AFS. Filmmakers Amy Bench (dir. More Than I Want to Remember, Tribeca and AFI winner), Patrick Bresnan and Ivete Lucas (dirs. Pahokee, Cannes Directors’ Fortnight winners) and Diffan Norman (dir. Pasture Prime, Sundance selection) were all awarded support through the AFS Grant Fund. Most recently, the AFS Grant-supported short film Newbies by Kimiko Matsuda-Lawrence and Megan Trufant Tillman won the Special Jury Award in the Texas Shorts Competition at SXSW 2025 and is currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.
About Austin Film Society
Founded in 1985 by filmmaker Richard Linklater, AFS creates life-changing opportunities for filmmakers, catalyzes Austin and Texas as a creative hub, and brings the community together around great film. AFS supports filmmakers from all backgrounds towards career leaps, encouraging exceptional artistic projects with grants and support services. AFS operates Austin Studios, a 20-acre production facility, to attract and grow the creative media ecosystem. Austin Public, a space for our city’s diverse media-makers to train and collaborate, provides many points of access to filmmaking and film careers. The AFS Cinema is an ambitiously programmed repertory and first-run arthouse with broad community engagement. By hosting premieres, local and international industry events, and the Texas Film Awards, AFS shines the national spotlight on Texas filmmakers while connecting Austin and Texas to the wider film community. AFS is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
