Some scripts arrive slow, like rain building in the distance. Others hit like a lightning strike. WILDER was the storm. And this week, I’m proud to share it’s been named a Second Rounder in the 2025 Austin Film Festival Script Competition, placing among the top 20% of more than 13,000 submissions worldwide.
For a writer, Austin Film Festival isn’t just another contest. It’s the writers’ festival—a place where the industry listens, where careers have started, where scripts stop being files on a desktop and start being conversations. To have WILDER recognized here means the story is connecting in one of the toughest, most respected competitions out there.
The Significance of Austin Film Festival
AFF has built its name on elevating writers and stories that matter. Every October, downtown Austin transforms into a hub of panels, workshops, screenings, and late-night conversations that spill out into the bars and coffee shops. It’s not about flash—it’s about craft, community, and connection.
The Script Competition is one of the most competitive in the world. Thousands of entries come in from across the globe. To land as a Second Rounder means the script didn’t just get a polite read—it sparked something, it resonated enough to climb into the top fifth of all entries. That recognition is fuel.
About WILDER
WILDER is a character-driven drama set in 1984. It follows a Southern single mom who impersonates a journalist to land the interview of a lifetime with a reclusive race car legend. What begins as a desperate hustle spirals into a search for identity, redemption, and freedom from the chains of generational trauma.
It’s not a loud story—it’s a raw one. About truth, lies, and the cost of reinvention. About what happens when you risk everything to step into the life you’ve only dreamed of.
I wrote this script because I had to. It came out of me like a confession. It’s not autobiographical, but it’s deeply personal. It’s about survival, about rewriting the story you were handed. And it’s about finding a way to win—not on a racetrack, but in life.
A Season of Recognition
The AFF honor comes during a year of momentum across my slate. What’s Buried Beneath the Pines also landed as a Second Rounder here in Austin, alongside Finalist and Semifinalist placements at festivals like Nashville and Script Pipeline.
For WILDER to now join that track record shows it’s not just one script catching heat—it’s a body of work. Different stories, same throughline: Southern characters, haunted by legacy, fighting for their shot at redemption.
Why This Matters
Winning competitions isn’t the goal. But recognition from Austin—the writers’ festival—means the story has weight. It opens doors, sparks conversations, and signals to managers, producers, and execs that the script is worth paying attention to.
For me, it’s proof that the stories we’re scared to write are the ones that resonate most. WILDER wasn’t written for a trophy. It was written because it demanded to exist. And now it’s finding its audience.
Looking Ahead
Being named a Second Rounder at Austin Film Festival is both honor and challenge. Honor because the script has been recognized at the highest level. Challenge because it raises the bar for what comes next.
This October, I’ll be in Austin to connect, learn, and keep pushing WILDER forward. With each placement, with each nod, the script edges closer from page to screen.
Final Thoughts
The work isn’t about validation. But when validation comes—from places like Austin—it’s a signpost. It means the shovel’s hitting something real.
So thank you, Austin Film Festival, for seeing this story. For lifting it up in a year more competitive than ever. For reminding me that the stories that burn the brightest are the ones we can’t stop ourselves from writing.
The storm isn’t over. WILDER is just getting started.