Full Schedule
Thursday
Thursday
Music, literature, even technology... Magic happens when art gets out into the world.
Shorts Block 1
Location: Waco Hippodrome
Rated: "PG-13"
Punk-rocker Charlie desperately wants to win an Austin competition, but 10 minutes before her band is set to perform everything seemingly goes to hell backstage.
A group of life inmates find introspection through the words of Shakespeare.
A team of songwriters from Texas and Australia are challenged to complete and perform recently-discovered and unfinished works by the late legendary composer of the gospel favorite “I’ll Fly Away.”
Maggie and Theo, two old friends, both haunted by their memories, must choose between the reality of the present or taking a chance on changing the past for the good of the future.
A teen fan fiction writer takes her boyband obsession too far in a twisted, late night confrontation with the object of her desires.
A novelist searches for inspiration at a writer's retreat, Blackpoint Manor, but as isolation, obsession, and anxiety take over, her experiences there may unravel her forever.
There are never easy answers... these short films remind us how difficult decisions can change lives.
Shorts Block 2
Location: Waco Hippodrome
Rated: "PG-13"
A woman on her first flight receives a gift from her late husband because love never forgets a promise.
Fifteen years of civil war in Liberia has resulted in one of the world’s worst doctor shortages. These community health workers are delivering life-saving services to those millions living in the most remote reaches of the country.
A young priest tries to help a 14-year-old Charles Manson.
A chilling portrait of the inner workings of the death penalty in America, told by the man once known as “the face of executions”.
On the day of her daughter's funeral, a grieving Armenian-American mother defies a centuries-old ritual and tests the limits of tradition as she walks the thin line between death and afterlife.
Get a peek at unique lives and everyday struggles in our first round of films from across the Republic of Texas
Shorts Block 3
Location: Waco Hippodrome
Rated: "PG-13"
A well meaning math teacher finds herself trumped by a post-fact America.
Football was always Plan A, but ADHD was hindering his ability to learn a playbook efficiently. Now, Lache Seastrunk, a former football standout, strives to overcome a newfound trial in hopes of still making it in the NFL.
A father tries to save his daughter's life after cyberbullying incidents at school causes her to attempt suicide.
Based on actual events... this is the life of a young African American man before his arrest.
Attempting to bury his past, an Ottoman soldier flees his home country during The Great War and struggles to find his place in America.
An overweight teenager daydreams his way to acceptance.
Jim Tucker's NBA record-breaking night in Madison Square Garden is just one part of his remarkable barrier-breaking, basketball-saving life in and out of the game.
Join us on the red carpet to celebrate the opening of the film festival. Meet the filmmakers and enjoy hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar.
Location: Waco Hippodrome
Must present festival pass or film tickets
Feature Film 1
Location: Waco Hippodrome
Rated: "G"
Family Film
Ten year old Thomas has a best friend: Felix the Fox. But his parents want him to make “real friends”, so they send him to summer camp. He hates it. After a midnight escape, Thomas and Felix find themselves deep in the forest of the Who Knows, where they pursue a mythical being called the Totem and decide to catch it.
This feature film is accompanied by these local high school made short films:
Dedication and determination - this is the story of Midway High School football.
The modern dating scene isn't always picture perfect.
Actors, writers and directors, oh my! Buy a drink for those new filmmaking friends you just made. (Complementary drink tickets available for Filmmakers and VIP passholders)
Location: Waco Winery Tasting Room & Rooftop, 708 Austin Ave.
Friday
Friday
Educational Panel 1
Location: Cultivate 7Twelve
Pass-holders only
Experience an award winning VR film created by the Baylor University FDM Department, view the behind the scenes documentary, and engage in a discussion with those filmmakers on the challenges and best practices for VR filmmaking.
Exploring the soldier’s journey on the battlefield and beyond.
Shorts Block 4
Location: Waco Hippodrome
Rated: "PG-13"
When a contractor is captured in Iraq by rebels, the only way to gain her freedom is to offer information or end up collateral damage .
Shamed by his involvement in war atrocities, one German officer is compelled to leave camp and seek out resistance fighters so he can help prevent further crimes.
After participating in the documentary “We Can’t Forget: Vietnam”, veteran Bart Smith sets out on a journey to connect with a lost love.
A surrealist dark comedy about a veteran struggling against the bureaucratic weight of the VA to get the care he desperately needs.
Get a second helping of zany comedies and sincere stories in these great short films from Texas.
Shorts Block 5
Location: Cultivate 7Twelve
Rated: "PG-13"
Trevor's night takes a hard left turn as nosey neighbors "help" him on his quest for delicious peanut butter tacos.
Poor Sid Greenbaum can't sleep. He wakes his wife Margie to complain of a problem and she warns him that after four hours he must seek medical attention!
After being laid off and stealing a car, John finds his new companion is more than he bargained for.
After forty-three years riding bulls, the question of Robert's retirement is a looming dilemma. Should he acknowledge his loved ones fear for his safety or continue riding?
An accomplished law student must endure her graduation party as she struggles to hide her obsessive compulsions that threaten to expose her.
Between a truck and dancing, Brandi must learn how to slow down and listen before she destroys all of her relationships.
After a life altering crisis, Bill, a nearly retired rancher and his wife, Gloria, find out how to love when everything about their relationship suddenly changes.
Basketball sensation Travis Knight is entering his senior season but an unexpected knee injury changes his plans. Now sidelined, an unlikely friend helps him discover one of the biggest lessons of his life.
Someone is not telling the truth. These films explore the consequences of little white lies and serious dark deceptions.
Shorts Block 6
Location: Waco Hippodrome
Rated: "PG-13"
Against all odds, Sophia Baker just scored her dream interview at the world-famous Semaphore Animation Studios. But in a dystopian near-future where big data, AI and natural language processing learn and create quickly and at massive scale, what role can a single artist play?
An overly enthusiastic religious child's prayer is overheard by a pot smoking custodian.
Darius has made up his mind to make some changes in his life. An old friend helps with words of "encouragement"
At the Perma gold mine, some dream to find something, others realized there was nothing to be found. Some dig relentlessly hoping to become rich, others died in the process. And a few of them say that here, nobody dies.
East Germany, 1987: The special investigator Mahler is said to have paranormal abilities. The police assign him to solve the case of the 6-year-old Henry Kiefer. But then he brings something to light that makes this family tragedy especially political...
Love, marriage, ethics and beliefs...these stories push the envelope and challenge the status quo with dignity and strength.
Shorts Block 7
Location: Cultivate 7Twelve
Rated: "R" Adult Situations / Nudity / Graphic Scenes
With the help of her best friend, Christine redefines her perception of strength and what it means to be herself.
"I make it a point to make people know that we're still here" . . . This is the intersection of activism and drag performance.
Two teenage girls in a Hasidic sleep-a-way camp who, despite their every effort to maintain their purity, explore a forbidden book which leads them to a sexual awakening neither of them are prepared to encounter.
Scarlet, a struggling single mom, gets a terrifying visit from a young addict while home alone.
With the help of her friends, Avery performs a series of secret tests on her fiance to make sure he's really 'the one'.
With the increasing pressures of daily life, herself-imposed belief systems, and her duties in the clinic suddenly Clara begins to feel her family life is slipping away.
Who am I? Let's explore our family ties, relationships and the unique qualities that make an identity.
Shorts Block 8
Location: Waco Hippodrome
Rated: "PG"
A woman with an intellectual disability forms an unlikely friendship with a Sudanese refugee through their mutual love of KRUMP.
Tess runs into a building to find her boyfriend Tony grappling with another man for a gun. Will Tess' "double vision" be the end of Tony or will he save the day by proving his identity?
All Toby wanted was one normal day. This proves to be too much to ask for when your dad is Captain Chaos, the super villain of Milwaukee!
Lifelong friends, Danny and Marcus must confront their differences or allow it to finally drive a wedge in their relationship.
Every night, Bob sees a beautiful young woman dancing outside his window. He's transfixed by her. Wonders if she's real. Then things become more complicated...
Twists, turns and surprises galore! Expect the unexpected with these adventurous short films.
Shorts Block 9
Location: Waco Hippodrome
Rated: "PG-13"
Emma, an inexperienced grifter, seems happy sticking with her smaller cons of robbing grocery stores and making a quick buck. But when Sam, a jaded con man, sees her potential, he recruits her to help pull off the biggest scam of their careers.
A couple thinks they have had a bad evening until someone arrives to transfer a debt.
Danny and Agent Coover, former allies, stand off on the opposite sides of the law.
After a bio-chemical attack renders earth infertile, mankind is forced to colonize Mars. Now, David must weigh his commitment to family and his desire for a better life.
Mysteriously eight months pregnant overnight, Katie believes the Angels responsible, but her sister thinks differently.
It's okay to stare. . . feast your eyes on this collection of well crafted oddities.
Shorts Block 10
Location: Cultivate 7Twelve
Rated: "R" Adult Situations / Nudity / Graphic Scenes
Whenever she feels sad, Rebecca has morbid images popping up in her mind. When the man she loves starts dating another woman, her visions seem to merge into reality.
A young woman takes a job as a housekeeper and becomes increasingly intrigued by the man living upstairs.
Can humans and robots co-exist in society?
After being subjected to a cataclysmic meteorite impact, a small dinosaur attempts to battle the horrific aftermath both physically & psychologically.
The question of what happens after we die is a universal question that paranormal researcher and experimental composer Michael Esposito explores. Musicians and filmmakers communicate to an audience, but for whom do our ghosts sing?
Ray Collins is alone in the world after an alien attack sends him into hiding. As his sanity waivers, he must decide weather or not to let an outsider into his shelter.
It's 1755 - the French & Indian War rages in the deep woods near Fort Duquesne. The British companies are shattered and things don't look like they can get much worse... until the dead begin to rise.
Wrong turns that end up either crazy funny or crazy insane.
Short Film Block 11
Location: Cultivate 7Twelve
Rated: "R" Adult Situations / Graphic Scenes
Vivian is a lonely serial killer whose three loves in life are math, accounting, and killing random people. This all changes when she meets the handsome Alex.
Lady Lillian is a tarot reader/psychic whose rambling and somewhat absurd conversations with clients become self-fulfilling prophesies.
A young telemarketer can't handle his job anymore and takes the extreme way out.
The events on a young boy's birthday have twisted consequences far into his future.
Under the influence of opium, a man travels to a spectral house in search of ultimate truth.
Two hapless home invaders bite off more than they can chew in this madcap macabre about murder, betrayal, and one precious sandwich.
Two undertakers get a corpse stolen by two crooks who lose a precious bag. They will have to organize a swap.
Romantic Comedy
With their marriage on the rocks, Jack (David Arquette) and Amanda (Amy Acker) go “glamping” to reignite their spark. With the arrival of honeymooners and a hunky landowner, Jack must dive into an exploration of love, failure… and donkeys.
Director Brandon Dickerson will be in attendance.
Mix and mingle as we play Cards against Cinemanity! (our original movie-themed game)
Location: the Waco Hippodrome restaurant
Saturday
Saturday
Imagination runs wild in films that will entertain both kids and parents!
Short Film Block 12
Location: Waco Hippodrome
Rated: "G"
Created by a young Waco-area artist, this PSA reminds us of the ways we can care for our environment.
Its Parent's Career Day at school and Helen's older brother has some big shoes to fill. Can his presentation become the Greatest of All?
A man made of wood and a woman with secrets connect online, sharing truths that break them out of the cages of lies that have imprisoned them.
A reflection on the traditions, costumes, and candy which make Halloween the best day of the year.
Six year-old Priyanath imagines himself to be a superhero taking down imaginary villains with his extraordinary powers. But when he learns of a real danger near his home, Priyanath must decide if he’s actually got what it takes to be a real life superhero.
M.E. is imprisoned in a room. Attracted to a hanging light, he tries to catch it, but the room itself becomes an obstacle on his way.
Ernie is a widower with a windfall. He wants his wife, not the cash and comes up with an ingenious plan to find a deserving person to give it to.
A bear on a losing streak attempts to save his relationship before his love leaves town for good. But when a bungled text message leads him to the wrong train platform and his sweetheart to draw the wrong conclusion, he must risk life and limb to try and win her back.
From first kisses to final goodbyes, you’ll find the love here.
Short Film Block 13
Location: Cultivate 7Twelve
Rated: "PG"
Devastated by Iris's recent diagnosis, two sisters are left to navigate their short time left together while looking to a childhood fantasy to brighten what future they have left.
The journey of life, love and loss. A young couple, in love and having gone through so much together but arriving at the end of the road for their little family.
After months of dating online, Nadav and Netta are about to meet in New York. Will they be able to bridge the gap between the digital and physical worlds?
This is a free tour of Waco film locations, conducted by the Waco Film Commission. Due to limited space, this is an invitation only, separately ticketed event. Location scouts are invited to sign up! Deadline is March 16, or whenever spaces are filled. Tour is from 10am – 1pm and includes a free lunch. Filmmakers, please sign up with the link below. If you are a film location scout and did not receive an invitation, interested in attending, please follow the link below for details and to sign up for the tour.
Click below for more info, or to sign up:
https://wacoheartoftexas.com/film/film-industry-familiarization-tour/
Educational Session 2
Location: Heritage Square (3rd St & Austin Ave)
Pass-holders only
Feature Film 3
Location: Waco Hippodrome
Rated: "PG"
Drama
In the hot desert monsoon season of Arizona, two best friends have trouble letting go of each other after a tragedy rips them apart.
Director Miguel Duran will be in attendance.
"Future Filmmakers" panel discussion with professors from Texas universities.
Panelists include: Dr. Dustin Hahn, TCU • Chris Hansen, Baylor • Bart Weiss, UT-Arlington
Educational Session 3
Location: Cultivate 7Twelve
Pass-holders priority seating
General public if space available
Discover the filmmakers of tomorrow! This selection of short films, chosen by 4 Texas Universities represent their respective film programs.
Short Film Block 14
Location: Cultivate 7Twelve
Rated: "PG-13"
When family gets real.
Short Film Block 15
Location: Waco Hippodrome
Rated: "PG"
A young woman reluctantly meets with her estranged father only to discover the truth about the events of the wild 70’s summer that drove them apart.
When Ming's mother falls ill, he realizes all the things he loves about her.
A little girl investigates the presence of a monster that her parents unknowingly created.
The effect of a sexual assault years earlier weighs heavy on Abbie. Now she's struggling to connect with her teenage son and coming to terms with their past.
A family road trip changes the lives of a young girl and her brother with Down syndrome. Inspired by true stories.
With no police or state support, these families have no protection from the dangerous gang networks. Each family is exhausted from their situation, yet resolved to gain the asylum they hope will be granted to them if they could only arrive.
Living apart, Victor and Isolina (now in their 80's) answer questions about their life-long, complex and arduous relationship full of he-said/she-said accounts.
No matter how they toss the dice, it had to be.
Short Film Block 16
Location: Cultivate 7Twelve
Rated: "R" Adult Situations
Journey to India’s Kumbh Mela, where every twelve years at the confluence of the three holiest rivers, untold millions converge to pray, commune and ultimately connect to something greater than themselves.
In post-war Germany, Maria makes an unlikely friend: an American soldier who, through one act of unnecessary kindness, teaches her and her family a powerful lesson in compassion and humanity during the most inhuman of times.
While celebrating their five year anniversary, a woman and her boyfriend must face that her parents don't approve of him because he's a puppet.
After the death of his stepfather, Alexander finds himself standing at the grave evoking the bad memories he wishes to forget.
An ordinary family outing becomes a waking nightmare when a young mother loses her children and her search for them forces her to confront the echoes of a past she cannot escape.
Returning to his forgotten hometown to grant his childhood best friend a dying wish, Ronnie Russo must face the painful truth of that violent night 25 years ago that changed both their lives forever.
Feature Film 4
Location: Waco Hippodrome
Rated: "G"
Documentary
“Remixing the News” features work by Texas artists, including the Jones Collection’s moving image curator Jeremy Spracklen and former SMU art faculty member Michael Morris. Culled from over 100 hours of 16mm footage from the Jones Collection’s own WFAA Newsfilm archive, these shorts reappropriate, recontextualize and deconstruct media images of the 1960s and 1970s, as a way to not only understand the radical cultural and historical shifts of this tumultuous era, but also to spotlight how the media processes and presents these changes, for better or worse.
We're not raising boys, we are raising future men.
Shorts Block 17
Location: Cultivate 7Twelve
Rated: "R" Adult Situations / Graphic Scenes
An Amish father questions his belief system when he's forced to violently punish his son.
While on a ceremonial walkabout a young boy must defend his tribe against a mysterious force.
The Texas School for the Deaf can't hear a sound on the field. It does not mean their spirit, determination, emotion and desire won't get heard.
Feature Film 5
Location: Waco Hippodrome
Rated: "R" Adult Situations / Nudity / Graphic Scenes
Drama
An angry, crackling and defiantly disordered underclass of nowheresville punk- rock kids, see their band Surgeon General’s Warning (SGW) as their ticket out of small town Texas, as 1990 comes to a close. The band drops acid, plays gigs and carries out calculated acts of vandalism around town to the television soundtrack of 24-hour newscasts about Operation Desert Storm and devotion to country at any cost. Faced with the reality of a dead end job at the plastic plant, a life in the oil field, or fighting a war that has no meaning to them, the group's chaos and imminent adulthood leaves them completely vulnerable for what ensues.
Director Anthony Pedone will be in attendance.
Join us at the Hippodrome as we recognize the award winning films of the Deep in the Heart Film Festival.
Champagne reception to follow at Cultivate 7Twelve.
Sunday
Sunday
What does it take to craft a feature-length story? Join our feature film directors for a catered brunch as we talk about their experiences on set, and discuss some advice on making your first feature film.
Panelists include: Micah Barber, Brandon Dickerson, Miguel Duran and Anthony Pedone
Educational Session 5
Location: Waco Escape Rooms
711 Washington Ave.
Pass-holders only
Some of the best short films of the fest return in one amazing screening block. This is one block you do not want to miss!
Short Film Block 18
Location: Waco Hippodrome
Rated: "R"
VIP & Ticket Packs
VIP & Ticket Packs
It's the Premiere Film Event in Central Texas. See it in style!
VIP Passes get you into everything. Ticket Six-Packs give you a discount for going to multiple shows.
Get the A-list treatment with access to all film screenings, educational sessions, receptions and after-parties. Plus, you receive a free festival t-shirt and swag bag. (First come, first served). The best value for the full festival experience.
Perfect for the film-lover who wants to catch a few shows. This six-pack of individual tickets can be used in any combination for any of the film screenings. One person for 6 programs, two people for 3 film programs… you get the idea.