COVID-19 Response

Deep in the Heart Film Festival is hosted in the Waco Hippodrome and takes place in Waco, located in McLennan County. We are continuing to monitor case numbers, and you can obtain the most current numbers here as well:

McLennan County Dashboard - COVID-19 Waco Community Update (covidwaco.com)

Obviously we will continue to monitor the situation, but the situation in the area is looking good!

  • We encourage vaccinations

  • We support social distancing

  • We promote personal choice and responsibility for mask-wearing.

The Waco Hippodrome venues are spacious, and we are limiting screening capacity to allow for social distancing in the theaters and in the breakout sessions. In addition, the Hippodrome has enhanced sanitizing procedures and have installed hand sanitizer stations throughout the venue. Our parties have outdoor spaces to accommodate all attendees. We are also offering all of our films via online streaming after the in-person event ends, for those who prefer to engage with the Deep in the Heart Film Festival from home.

June 11, 2021

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How we handled the 2020 festival

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First, we had to do right by you…

  • We developed different festival options with city leaders

  • We received community feedback with public surveys

  • We honored the premiere status of other festivals and joined the Seed and Spark Festival Pledge.

  • We deferred to our filmmakers. If a filmmaker decided not to screen online with us, their film remained an Official Selection and remained eligible for awards.

For us the biggest challenge in pivoting to a virtual event was to keep the filmmakers feeling connected to each other and our community like they would in the in-person experience. Since our filmmakers could not come to Waco, we decided to bring Waco to them.

We mailed out over 100 swag bags - each filled with treats from local vendors, stickers, candy and other goodies, along with their festival badge and a handwritten “Wish You Were Here” postcard from the festival staff.

Additionally, we hosted livestream Q&A’s where our audience and filmmakers got to know each other, plus an online happy hour and a virtual game night to add in some laughs. Those live elements kept the festival special, spontaneous, and connected to our community. Even online, the festival’s character shone through. 

Now, as the coronavirus numbers go down and the vaccination numbers go up, we’re excited to plan for a hybrid event with both IN-PERSON and Online events. Join us July 22-25.