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Actor Jeff Daniels chatted with the audience after "The Squid and the Whale" screened at the Paramount.

The Austin Film Festival came to a close Thursday with a final evening of movies. Actor Jeff Daniels introduced “The Squid and the Whale” to a packed house at the Paramount Theatre. The film also stars Laura Linney, Anna Paquin, Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline, son of actors Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates. It follows the impact of divorce a family in Brooklyn in the 1980s. After the crowd-pleasing screening, Daniels answered questions from the audience.

Thursday night’s activities capped off a full week of films, panels and parties. Now in its twelfth year, the Austin Film Festival focuses on writers. It offers workshops with professionals in the industry, all eager to pass on their knowledge to the next crop of eager, hopeful scribes.

Actress Dana Wheeler, who appeared in “Fletch” and “All My Children,” now lives in Austin and has begun writing.

“I’m trying to listen to the people who’ve been doing it a long time successfully and trying to glean a little bit of their process because it’s so new to me,” said Wheeler.

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Director/writer/actor Harold Ramis introduces "The Ice Harvest."

Los Angeles resident Kieran Turner was a finalist in the festival’s writing competition for his spec script of “The Gilmore Girls.”

“I’m having a good time and meeting really great people. I’m really happy to be here,” added Turner.

The panelists who made the trek from Hollywood to Austin all shared horror stories of waiting to make it in a difficult industry, while offering some practical encouragement for the struggling, talented artists.

“When you are talking about a business where there are millions of scripts floating around, over two thirds of which are terrible, the ones that are really good really do stand out, and they seem to find their way into agency offices and studio executives’ piles of reading. That’s really how it happens,” says Deborah Pearlman, director of the Warner Bros. Television Writers Workshop. “It’s a thrill to find somebody who has no connection to the business, who we’ve never seen before, we’ve never heard of before.”

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"Shopgirl" director Anand Tucker and actor Jason Schwartzman.

Actor/writer/director Harold Ramis introduced his latest directorial effort, “The Ice Harvest,” a bloody but humorous slice of film noir.

“I’ve heard for years what a good festival it was. I’ve heard also for years that Austin was the coolest place in Texas. It’s a film community so I feel right at home. And of course, being maybe the oldest person in sight, I get a lot of maybe unearned respect from the young people who remember ‘Ghostbusters’ when they were little,” said Ramis, who also received the Distinguished Screenwriter Award.

Ramis next joins Zach Braff in front of the camera for “Last Kiss,” directed by Tony Goldwyn.

Another highlight of the week was the premiere of “Shopgirl,” which Steve Martin adapted from his own best-selling novella. The melancholy romantic comedy breaks from the genre through an adult exploration of love, commitment and isolation. It also stars Jason Schwartzman and Claire Danes, who attended the screening and participated in a Q&A with the audience.

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Jason Schwartzman and Claire Danes at the "Shopgirl" premiere.

“I could also respond to his longing to have a connection. I think we all can, and what it’s like to meet someone and have a real relationship and a real connection. I think this movie is as much a study on relationships and togetherness as it is a study of loneliness,” explained Schwartzman.

“Shopgirl” director Anand Tucker was eager to bring the film to Austin.

“It’s our privilege to be here. Each festival uniquely represents the character of the town. It’s very easy and open; it’s really relaxing and positive,” said Tucker.

So what did it take to entice “The Graduate” screenwriter Buck Henry to come to Texas?

Festival director Barbara Morgan promised to feed him.

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Screenwriters Buck Henry, Bud Shrake and Bill Wittliff.

“This is my third time here and I’ve always been nicely fed. It’s very pleasant. The people are always very nice. The sun is shining. The girls are pretty and the food is substantial. What more can a person ask for?” offered the man behind “Get Smart,” “Catch 22” and “To Die For.”