MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — Festival artistic director Samuel Thomas calls this year's preparation "a fire hose of awesome" as the Grand Lodge joins as a new venue partner showcasing local talent and celebrities
- The 9th Annual Waco Independent Film Festival expects between 1,200 and 1,500 attendees this year, with about 80% being local residents.
- Festival artistic director Samuel Thomas describes this year's preparation as "a fire hose of awesome," emphasizing the event combines films with parties, panels and other activities.
- The Grand Lodge in downtown Waco joins as a new venue and sponsor, opening its space to the community for the festival.
- Out of 120 feature-length submissions totaling about 200 hours of content, 20 films were selected for screening at this year's festival.
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The 9th Annual Waco Independent Film Festival is gearing up for its biggest year yet, with organizers expecting between 1,200 and 1,500 attendees. According to festival officials, about 80 percent of those attendees will be local residents.
"Preparation for the film festival this year, especially, we've called it a fire hose of awesome," said Samuel Thomas, the artistic director of the festival.
"We really want them to understand that film festival is fun. It's a film but it's also a festival. And there's a lot of parties, there's cool panels, there's great things to do," Thomas said.
Some of those activities will take place at the Grand Lodge in downtown Waco, a new venue and sponsor for this year's event. Preparation has included equipment setup, technical rehearsals, and welcoming the community into a space many see from the outside but haven't experienced from within.
"We're really just trying to get the word out that we're here with an incredible museum collection that touches on Texas and world history, but also we have great event spaces that are available for community events and for community organization to be able to use," said Christian Moore, a representative from the Grand Lodge Library and Museum.
The selection process for this year's festival was rigorous. Out of 120 feature-length submissions totaling about 200 hours of content, Carrie Wick watched them all before narrowing down the showings to just 20 films.
"It's really impressive the quality of submissions we get. I feel like a lot of times people hear a film festival and they think random stuff, and they don't expect quality films. I can't emphasize enough how good the films we get are," Wick said.
Festival attendees can look forward to more than just screenings.
"Oh my gosh tons of great movies, meeting tons of people from the industry. We actually have some local celebrities here. So Jackie Clayton, who was on the recent Amazing Race, Holly Tucker will be here for the reality panel too. One of the things I love, we showcase local talent," Wick said.
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