The Waco Independent Film Festival is here!

WACO, Texas ( FOX 44 ) – The Waco Independent Film Festival is here!

The Festival, formerly known as the Deep in the Heart Film Festival for the past seven years, will combine in-theater screenings from July 18-21, followed by an online encore from July 21-27. The highly anticipated film event will lead off with an Opening Night presentation of Ben Judkins’ The Cigarette Surfboard . Troy Paff’s Texas Music Revolution will be the Closing Night selection, concluding a day of special presentations including Linda Broocks’ human trafficking documentary Unleashed , and a block of horror film shorts.

Event organizers say screenings at the Texas Music Café are adding to the Festival’s familiar presentations at the Waco Hippodrome and Cultivate 7twelve. The event will consist of audience-friendly films, panels and events. The screening schedule will include 140 films – nine features, 125 shorts and six music videos.

Attendees will have their chance to meet and chat with two celebrities. Barry Shabaka Henley, known for Bob❤️Abishola, Ali and Collateral will discuss his career in an Actor’s Converstation this Saturday at 9 a.m. Chandler Riggs, best known as Carl Grimes on The Walking Dead, will be here for his new romantic comedy Breakup Season . This will be showing at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Co-founders and directors Samuel Thomas and Louis Hunter said, “For seven years, the Deep in the Heart Film Festival has become known and appreciated around the country as a must-experience stop on the tour for indie filmmakers, and a popular ‘save the date’ destination for film fans. However, as our reputation grew, so did the ties to our beloved city. So, it made perfect sense to rename ourselves with what are our central pillars in every decision we make: Waco, Independent, and Film. We have added more films, and we’ve added an additional screening space. We will continue to innovate, streamline, and come up with new ways to assist our filmmakers with their development as artists, and work to encourage them to come back to town and shoot their next project here in Waco, Texas.”

The Waco Indie Screenplay Grant will also be returning, which is awarded to the winner of the Festival’s screenplay contest. The Filmmaker Shuttle is also back to facilitate filmmakers’ travel. Filmmakers can catch a free ride from DFW Airport to Waco, with a return trip at the end of the festival.

Event organizers say another returning favorite is the Waco Film Locations Tour, where visiting filmmakers tour the Waco area. Representatives from the Texas Film Commission, the Texas Media Production Alliance and the Waco Convention and Visitors Bureau all participate to talk about the benefits and opportunities found by filming in Texas.

For more information about the Waco Independent Film Festival, and to purchase tickets and view the list of films, you can visit https://www.wacoindie.com/ .

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