New TV film festival comes to Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) - As festivals go, Austin is the hub of those internationally known. Starting June 1, another festival joins the mix, if the group behind it can raise enough kickstarter funds by Feb. 21.

The brainchild of two women is called "ATX: A Television Festival." Its focus is on television shows, their history and future.

Caitlin McFarland and Emily Gipson are running the show, so to speak, and have an advisory board and festival sponsors backing them.

The first ATX: A Television Festival is set for June 1 -- a two-night, three-day event -- and efforts begin with an online campaign that started Wednesday, with a goal to raise $25,000 or more. Pledge levels range from as low as $5 to more than $10,000.

The Kickstarter campaign works through Amazon.com, and with the $25,000 goal set, if it is not met, those who have pledged money to the project are never billed or charged for their donations. If the $25,000 is raised, charges for the donated monies will happen within two weeks after the close of the fundraising drive on Feb. 21.

ATX: A Television Festival will function like a traditional film festival with premieres of new series, current hits and cult favorites, along with spotlights of unaired pilots, series that were canceled before their time and classic shows, according to organizers.

ATX: A Television Festival will also offer access to the industry's leading professionals with cast and creator Q&As, and panels focusing on innovation in both production and content delivery.

Ultimately, ATX: A Television Festival has the goal of serving both the community and industry professionals by giving them the opportunity to celebrate and discuss all aspects of television's past, present and future, organizers said.

"At the heart of it, we are both fans of TV. We have created an event for fans like ourselves, and are giving them a chance to engage in 'water cooler' conversations on a larger level with the people that bring their favorite shows to life," said Gipson in a statement released Wednesday.

"We also wanted a place for the industry to discuss where the medium is headed, and explore innovative outlets for production in a medium that is changing. We're both Texans and love Austin, so what better place than there to host it?" said McFarland.

McFarland has experience on the production side, working for directors Betty Thomas, Nora Ephron and Mira Nair. In addition, she has been involved on the festival and filmmaker sides of renowned festivals like Sundance, Tribeca and Doha Tribeca.

Gipson has spent her years in the industry working on the studio and network side for FOX, TLC, Discovery and FOX TV Studios.

ATX: A Television Festival has a Twitter hashtag of #ATXTVFest.