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Austin After Dark Film Festival

A one-day festival of independent films for adult audiences, part of the Film Festival Circuit group of events founded by author and former location filmmaker Mikel Fair. It looks for dark material across genres, including horror, found footage, dark comedy, dark drama, fantasy and science fiction, plus music videos, series episodes, proof-of-concept shorts and screenplays, and it welcomes profanity, violence and graphic content but not pornography. Judges give awards in genre and craft categories, among them a best Texas film. The fall 2026 edition ran October 17, 2026, at Southwest Theaters Lake Creek 7, and the next is listed there for October 16, 2027, with deadlines through June 2027.

Festival · Austin · Active

Oct 16, 2027
Early Dec 31, 2026
Southwest Theaters Lake Creek 7; Central Machine Works Brewery (2024)
Film Festival Circuit, Inc. (founder and festival director Mikel Fair)
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Deadlines

Deadline	Date
Early	Dec 31, 2026	↗︎
Regular	Jan 31, 2027	↗︎
February	Feb 28, 2027	↗︎
April	Apr 30, 2027	↗︎
Final	Jun 30, 2027	↗︎

Notable


Founded by author and retired filmmaker Mikel Fair, who worked on location in film and TV from 1999 to 2015; screens films with mature content for adults 18 and over	↗︎
Listed as running 9 years on FilmFreeway	↗︎
Film Festival Circuit's page says the festival has screened adults-only cinema since 2018 and describes an open-air 2024 edition at Central Machine Works Brewery; pornography is not accepted	↗︎
Submission fees run $27.50–$65 across categories and deadlines (incl. member pricing)	↗︎
The Fall 2026 edition was held Saturday, October 17, 2026, 11 am–11 pm, at Southwest Theaters Lake Creek 7; the festival's event archive also lists spring, summer, fall and winter editions from 2023 onward	↗︎

Sources

Austin After Dark Film Festival FilmFreeway
Austin After Dark Film Festival Film Festival Circuit, Inc.
Austin After Dark Film Festival Fall 2026 Film Festival Circuit, Inc.