WACO, Texas (KXXV) — A Christmas film is set to kick off the 2025 Waco Independent Film Festival. A Christmas in New Hope will bring the holiday spirit to Waco, the location where it was actually filmed.
- A Christmas in New Hope was filmed in Waco starting in March 2023.
- The film was released in 2024.
- It is set to kick off the 2025 Waco Independent Film Festival on Thursday, July 17th, at 7pm. The festival runs from the 17th to the 20th.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It seems like the quintessential Christmas movie.
“It’s a family-friendly Christmas rom-com about Victoria, who is an aspiring influencer, and she, her next door neighbor, Gavin Gardner, also enters this like home improvement competition to fix up his house,” Julia Barnett said, writer and director of A Christmas in New Hope.
A Christmas in New Hope is set to kick off this year’s Waco Independent Film Festival.
“It's actually Christmas in July right now, so people are starting to watch Christmas movies again, but we're the opening night film,” Julia said.
Released in 2024, it’s based on the fictional Texas town, New Hope, but in reality, it’s real-life Waco.
“We needed that small town feeling, that small town vibe, and because the film is set in these kinds of two-bungalow-type houses. It was just like the perfect location for that. Also, one of our co-producers is called Vision Vehicles, and they're based in Waco,” Julia added.
The filming is scheduled to take place in March 2023, with writer and director Julia Barnett seeing firsthand the community's support.
“People donated their Christmas decorations to us, and Christmas trees, and we had a couple of actors that had to come in from New York or LA. Most of our actors were from Texas, but you know, people needed places to stay. At Saint Albans, you know, they like let us use their church and their facilities, and they were just so gracious. So really, I felt the community kind of rally around the film,” Julia said.
And for our neighbors who are ready to watch this year’s festival:
“Come on out and see what it's all about,” Julia said.
