Under bright lights, a red carpet guides filmmakers, actors and movie lovers across the cinema for the Austin Under the Stars Film Festival. The festival bridges the city’s indie film scene with a wider audience and spotlights local talent — including standout Longhorn filmmakers.

On Sept. 12, over 300 attendees celebrated emerging artists for the 8th annual Austin Under the Stars Film Festival at AFS Cinema. The seven-hour event featured submitted indie films, Q&A sessions and an award ceremony. Ali AlKhafaji, the festival’s director, said the event celebrates diversity within its films.

“The goal is that (the films) are original works from creatives (who) are showing us something new. We really place value on originality (and) diversity,” AlKhafaji said. “We like to see representation in all facets on both sides of the camera.”

Maddox Stockton, a radio-television-film sophomore, submitted his film “Back Issues,” which follows three petty thieves arguing over their city’s mysterious superhero, Vigilanteman. His film was nominated for Best Student Short award, holding the message of letting people enjoy what they pleased.

“(The idea) came from the fact that people always argue over which version of a thing is better. … The point is, it doesn’t really matter — you’re free to enjoy which one you like,” Stockton said. “There’s no right answer.”

The Best Student Film award this year went to Rocky Andrews, a radio-television-film senior, for her film “WHERE IS EVERYBODY?” The film tells the story of a teen waking up alone with everyone missing. Andrews said she used the film to express herself. 

“One of my biggest fears is abandonment, and I think using art — in this case, film and cinema — to explore your fears makes them not as daunting,” Andrews said. “You can attack them head-on and make it yours. That was the motivation as to why I chose this script … and how I wanted to convey feeling through the shots.”

AlKhafaji said he was impressed by the talent of UT students and loved the variety of student films this year. 

“It’s just a testament to UT’s program,” AlKafaji said. “Honestly, you just see the caliber that UT students are performing at.”

The event concluded with a celebration of everyone who attended. AlKhafaji said it was a fun way to cap off the evening. 

“I’m not as big on the award process, but I also understand that’s why some people submit,” AlKafaji said. “It was nice to end things on a note that it wasn’t just about the award, it was more about the community.”