by FilmInk Staff
Pickpockets – a love letter to screwball romances and crime capers from across the world – has won Comedy Vanguard Feature Award for best comedy at the 2026 Austin Film Festival in the US.
It was a big night for Australian indie feature films at Austin, with Sweet Milk Lake winning the drama category.
The highly original Pickpockets – filmed in black and white with bursts of colour – was co-written, directed, edited by by D.C. Fairhurst and stars D.C. alongside and co-writer and producer Lucy Green, Zoe Terakes and Tim Minchin.
D.C and Lucy travelled to Austin for the Festival.
D.C. says: “After seeing the sheer quality of the other comedies at the festival, when our name was called I was a little blindsided. All the other writers had written speeches (and had carefully selected quotes from the likes of Kurt Vonnegut to get a laugh from the room. In comparison – my voice immediately cracked, I got teary and started rambling about how much I love our cast and crew. At some point I got distracted by Jared Padalecki sitting at the front table and directed most of a heartfelt shout-out to my wife directly to him. Thankfully the man is a professional and didn’t break eye contact the entire time.
“Austin is such a writing and storytelling-first festival, that it’s very validating to know the months of carefully chipping away at the script and edit to calibrate the story just right seem to have paid off.
Lucy says: “It’s such an incredible honour to have won the comedy feature award at THE screenwriter’s festival. It’s been a dream of mine to come to Austin Film Festival ever since I started writing, and now to walk away with the typewriter trophy… It’s unbelievable.
“The focus on the craft of storytelling at this festival has been such a gift. To be able to nerd-out with fellow filmmakers and lovers of cinema about our characters, plot, and writing process has been so joyful and fulfilling. I’m thrilled that we get to bring home the trophy. And I’m even more thrilled that we get to bring our film home to Aussie audiences this November.”
The film releases in selected cinemas from November 9 and kicks off a national Q&A screening tour on that date at Sydney’s Randwick Ritz cinema, with D.C. Fairhust, Lucy Green and Tim Minchin the Q&A guests at the premiere.
Confirmed Q&A screenings with cast and key creatives attending are at Randwick Ritz, Hayden Orpheum, Palace Byron Bay, Tower Cinemas Newcastle, The Astor, New Farm Cinemas, HOTA, Rooftop Movies Perth and Luna on SX Fremantle between November 9 and November 25.
Q&A dates and cinemas are:
NSW:
Monday 9th November: Randwick Ritz, Sydney (**Australian Premiere – Tim Minchin joins D.C. Fairhurst and Lucy Green for this event)
Wednesday 11th November: Hayden Orpheum, Sydney
Saturday 21st November: Palace Cinemas, Byron Bay
Sunday 22nd November: Tower Cinemas, Newcastle
VIC:
Monday 16th November: The Astor, Melbourne (VIC Premiere)
Tuesday 17th November: Eclipse Cinema, Melbourne
QLD:
Thursday 19th November: New Farm Cinemas, Brisbane (QLD Premiere)
Friday 20th November: HOTA, Gold Coast
WA:
Tuesday 24th November: Rooftop Movies, Perth (WA Premiere)
Wednesday 25th November: Luna on SX, Fremantle
Tickets to all screenings here: http://www.pickpocketsmovie.com/
SYNOPSIS:
The flirty rivalry between a lone-wolf pickpocket and a charismatic rookie escalates into a spiteful turf war. Tempted by the score of a lifetime, the former enemies are forced to partner up. But when feelings get involved, their well-laid plans quickly fall apart
