The Austin Film Festival (AFF) will present a remarkable lineup of films this year. Variety is pleased to exclusively announce the first selection of films, including the world premiere of “Ravens,” a magical realism biopic starring recent Emmy nominee Tadanobu Asano (“Shogun”).

Also among the highly anticipated premieres is Chris Beier and Daniel Wolfman’s Texas-set thriller centered on a washed-up YouTube star called “The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia,” “Silent Notes,” a neo-noir romance starring Daniel Durant (“Coda”) and Netflix’s film adaptation of the Broadway play “The Piano Lesson,” starring Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington, which recently debuted a trailer. The films are part of AFF’s first wave of screenings, which spotlight some of the year’s best independent films.

Additional programming includes “Black Dog,” which won the Un Certain Regard Prize at Cannes this year, as well as the Ecuadorian horror film “Shaman.”

These screenings will run in conjunction with AFF’s annual writers’ conference, which brings together award winners and panelists from the entertainment industry. Notable award winners include Kathleen Kennedy (Polly Platt Award for Producing), Ronald D. Moore (Outstanding Television Writer Award), Justin Marks (Writer’s Writer Award), and Rachel Kondo (New Voice Award). The conference will also feature prominent panelists such as Craig Mazin, John August, Tanya Saracho, Meg LeFauve, Matt Selman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, VJ Boyd, Scott Beck, and Bryan Woods.