Steven Zaillian received the Distinguished Screenwriter Award at the 2009 Austin Film Festival.
 The award for Extraordinary Contribution to Film-Actor award was given to Johnny Depp
The 2011 conference featured more than 90 sessions including such examples as:A Conversation with Alec Berg (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm)The Art of Storytelling with John Lasseter (Chief Creative Officer for Walt Disney and Pixar), Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas), and Hart Hanson (Bones, The Finder)In-depth presentations on the script-to-screen process for Toy Story 3 with screenwriter Michael Arndt, Fight Club with screenwriter Jim Uhls and author Chuck Palahniuk, Bob's Burgers with writer/producer Jim Dauterive, and Veronica Mars with show creator Rob Thomas=== Awards ===Since its inception, Austin Film Festival has awarded prominent screenwriters for their contribution to the industry

