ATX TV Festival Details

 ATX TV Festival to Honor David E. Kelley with Inaugural Showrunner Award

New Panels Spotlight Muslim Matchmaker, Indie TV Ecosystem, and Bollywood Dance U

The ATX TV Festival announced this morning that acclaimed showrunner David E. Kelley will receive the festival’s inaugural Showrunner Award. Kelley, the 11-time Emmy Award winner behind Presumed Innocent, Big Little Lies, Love & Death, Ally McBeal, and other landmark television series, will attend the festival to accept the honor and participate in a featured conversation.

The award presentation will include a screening of the premiere episode of Kelley’s 2024 hit series Presumed Innocent, which has been renewed for a second season. Following the screening, Kelley will sit down for an in-depth discussion about the series and reflect on his decades-long career in television.

“David E. Kelley’s impact and influence as a TV creator, showrunner, producer, and collaborator cannot be overstated,” said Jennifer Morgan, Vice President of Programming for ATX TV. “From courtroom dramas and small-town surrealism to true crime adaptations and pop culture phenomena, he continues to show us the full range of what is possible on TV. We’re honored to have this opportunity to celebrate his truly singular career with our first-ever Showrunner Award.”

In addition to Kelley’s recognition, ATX TV Festival has unveiled three new panels set for the 2025 lineup:

Muslim Matchmaker: Unscripted Stories of Real Connections
Exploring Love, Faith, and Representation Through Unscripted Television

Presented by the MPAC Hollywood Bureau and ATX TV Festival, this panel will explore the making of the unscripted series Muslim Matchmaker. The conversation will feature matchmakers and hosts Hoda Abrahim and Yasmin Elhady, creator and Oscar-nominated, executive producer Smriti Mundhra, and executive producer Senain Kheshgi. The team will discuss how they came together to craft a show that captures humor, humanity, and heartfelt connections, while authentically representing the diversity of the Muslim American community and the modern search for love that aligns with faith and cultural values.

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Pain Points of the Indie TV Ecosystem (and How to Solve Them)
Creating Space for Independent Voices in a Crowded Landscape

This panel offers a candid discussion about the challenges and opportunities within the independent television world. Featuring Mark Duplass (Duplass Brothers Productions), Rick Gomez and Steve Zahn (Macaroni Art), Smriti Mundhra (Meralta Films), Christie Marchese (Kinema), and Emily Best (Seed & Spark), the session will examine why creators are turning to independent models, the obstacles they face in financing, distributing, and sustaining their work, and strategies for building a more inclusive and supportive ecosystem for emerging voices.

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Bollywood Dance U
Inside the High-Stakes World of Collegiate Bollywood Fusion Dance

This session will give attendees a first look at Bollywood Dance U, an independently produced docuseries from Meralta Films and Amplify Pictures. The series dives into the intense, vibrant world of collegiate Bollywood fusion dance teams, where students juggle rigorous academic schedules, parental expectations, and grueling rehearsals in pursuit of national championships. Oscar-nominated director and producer Smriti Mundhra will lead the conversation, sharing the highs and lows of producing independent television, filming in Texas, and capturing the growing cultural phenomenon of South Asian dance competitions in the U.S.

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Festival Programming and Tickets

These new panels join a packed 2025 lineup that includes:

• Late Nights, Day Drinking, and Closer Looks with Seth Meyers (presented by NBCUniversal)

• The Leftovers Reunion with executive producers and cast

• Mad Men Revisited with Jon Hamm and John Slattery

• UnREAL 10th Anniversary Retrospective (presented by A+E Studios)

• Bill Lawrence & Friends featuring Brett Goldstein and Zach Braff

• Inside the Writers Room: Shrinking

• Achievement in Television Excellence Award honoring Christine Baranski

• King of the Hill revival sneak peek (presented by Hulu)

• Andor conversation with Tony Gilroy and Beau Willimon

• World premiere of The Waterfront

• Sneak peek of We Were Liars

• The Long Long Night with Mark Duplass

• Anatomy of an Acorn TV Series

• Cast conversation with Animal Control

• Elsbeth with Carrie Preston

• Ladies of Law: Crime Dramas and the Women Who Run Them (presented by Pluto TV)

• You Belong Here with Steve Zahn, Rick Gomez, and Chef Ouita Michel

• A Late Night Show with Greg Iwinski

• Vampires, Witches, and Other Secret Societies: Inside AMC’s Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe (presented by AMC/AMC+)

• Finding Mr. Christmas (presented by Hallmark)

• Casting a Spotlight: Unsung Actors featuring casting directors and talent

Badges, TV passes, and select single-event tickets are currently available at atxfestival.com/attend.

ATX TV Festival is an annual summer event held in Austin, Texas, that celebrates the television medium by bridging the gap between fans and industry. With a mix of screenings, cast reunions, panel discussions, and immersive events, the festival showcases television's past, present, and future. It is recognized for its focus on diversity, representation, and storytelling responsibility, offering a space for meaningful dialogue between creators and viewers alike.