Alex Chew, Executive Director
Alex studied English Literature and Film Studies at the University of Kentucky before coming to the University of Texas at Austin for her MFA in Film Production. Since 2010, she has taught film at The Headwaters School in downtown Austin as well as written, directed, and produced short films that have screened at South by Southwest, Austin Film Festival, Texas Black Film Festival, Arkansas Black Film Festival and through Fandor. In 2013, she and Carrie Cates founded the Austin Youth Film Festival through our partnership with the Alamo Drafthouse. She is beyond excited about growing AYFF and creating new opportunities for young artists to screen their films, meet professionals, network with each other, and stay engaged in the weird and wonderful Austin film community that we all love so much.
Carrie Cates, Director of Development and PR
Carrie has a Radio-TV-Film degree from Indiana State University and studied film theory at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Currently, she is a film instructor at Rawson Saunders School, Austin School of Film, and a local Austin indie film producer. Since moving from the Hoosier state to Austin, she has produced 3 feature length films: Summer League, Wind & Rain, and Intrusion Disconnected and quite a few shorts. In the midst of all of this, she co-founded the Austin Youth Film Fest with Alex Chew, where she took a very active role in coordinating its inaugural year to great success and praise. She’s a self-proclaimed collaboration enthusiast, and is always looking for new ways to use technology to bridge communication gaps in production. Needless to say, she is incredibly supportive and involved in the local Austin film scene.