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\u201cThis edition of the film festival had an added excitement and energy thanks to our name change and a little added star wattage with Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead<\/em>) joining us, but was also a wonderful reminder of why Waco Indie\/Deep in the Heart keeps landing on the \u2018top film festival\u2019 lists,” according toCo-Founders and Co-Directors Louis Hunter and Samuel Thomas.<\/p>\n “Our attending filmmakers immediately created such a cohesive creative community supporting each other, going to each other\u2019s films, exchanging notes on filmmaking, that you couldn\u2019t help but get caught up in that supportive spirit. Our award-winning films this year could not have been better examples of that spirit, that energy, and the specific exuberant joy that comes from creating and making film independently, then sharing it with an audience that fully appreciates it.\u201d<\/p>\n Screenings at the Texas Music Caf\u00e9 were added to the film festival\u2019s familiar presentations at the historic Waco Hippodrome and Cultivate 7twelve, as Waco Indie grew its city-wide footprint and once again saw the size of its audiences also grow.\u00a0Those audiences chose\u00a0Linda Broock\u2019s documentary\u00a0Unleashed\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>as their feature film Audience Award winner, and\u00a0Alexander Jeffery and Chris Alan Evans\u2019\u00a0Caught on Tape<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0as the Audience Award winner for short film.<\/p>\n Films cited with Special Jury Awards due to the impact they made on the film festival\u2019s directors and top programmers and included:\u00a0Baseball Behind Barbed Wire<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(Director:\u00a0Yuriko Gamo Romer),\u00a0The Coyote Sisters<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(Directors:\u00a0Autumn Harrison and Tory LeClair),\u00a0Just Laugh<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(Director:\u00a0Kemp Brinson), and\u00a0We Rise<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(Director:\u00a0Michael A. Afendakis).<\/p>\n Leading the award winners in the short film categories were\u00a0Liam LoPinto\u2019s\u00a0The Old Young Crow<\/em><\/strong>, which took the prize for Best Short Film;\u00a0Joshua Gallas\u2019\u00a0Smoke<\/em><\/strong>, which garnered the Best Texas Short Film award;\u00a0Erin Brown Thomas\u2019\u00a0(subtext)<\/em><\/strong>, which won Best U.S. Short Film; Martin Strange-Hansen\u2019s\u00a0On My Mind<\/em><\/strong>, which was named Best Foreign Short Film; and\u00a0Madoka Belda Yamamoto\u2019s\u00a0Where We Belong<\/em><\/strong>, which won Best Student Short Film.<\/p>\n Film awards by genre in the Short Film category went to;\u00a0Marta Roncada\u2019s\u00a0Deliberate<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0for Best Drama Short; Alexander Jeffery and Chris Alan Evans\u2019\u00a0Caught On Tape<\/em><\/strong>, which took Best Comedy Short (earning the pair their second award for the film); and\u00a0Alec Goldberg\u2019s\u00a0What Happened To You<\/em><\/strong>, which was named Best Documentary Short. Maja Costa\u2019s\u00a0M<\/em><\/strong>\u00e5<\/em><\/strong>ngata\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>was named Best Fantasy\/Sci-Fi Short;\u00a0Dakota Millett and Michael Fischer\u2018s\u00a0Up On the Housetop\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>took the award for Best Horror\/Thriller Short; Charlotte Oxley\u2019s\u00a0Purple and Green\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>got the nod for Best Family Short, and Chris White won Best Music Video for\u00a0\u201cCome and Save Me.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Filmmaking craft awards were given to;\u00a0Elizabeth Sherman\u00a0for Best Director \u2013 Short Film for\u00a0Ring By Spring<\/em><\/strong>; Jake Hart for Best Performance \u2013 Short Film (Drama) for his role in\u00a0Big George<\/em><\/strong>; and Bixby Elliot for Best Performance \u2013 Short Film (Comedy) for\u00a0The Yellow Sponge is the Dish Sponge<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0Best Cinematography \u2013 Short Film went to\u00a0Steven Gunter (Leverage<\/em><\/strong>), Best Editing \u2013 Short Film was given to\u00a0Andrew Schwab for\u00a0Eating 38 Cheeseburgers<\/em><\/strong>, Best Screenplay \u2013 Short Film went to Clayton Henderson for\u00a0Clownfish<\/em><\/strong>, and Best Production Design\u00a0went to Andrew G. Smith for\u00a0Your Move<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Waco Indie FF also presented its\u00a0Waco Indie Screenplay Grant<\/strong>\u00a0to Amanda Pfeiffer for her script\u00a0\u201cAs Luck Would Have It.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0The third year that Waco Indie has presented this grant, also marked the first in which a past winner was selected to screen at the film festival. Gregory JM Kasunich\u2019s\u00a0The Heart of Texas<\/em><\/strong>, which was written by, and starred Lauren Noll, won the inaugural presentation of the award in 2022.<\/p>\n The winners of the Waco Indie Screenplay Grants are fast-tracked to\u00a0shoot in Waco thanks to real production assistance including up to 4 nights of complimentary hotel stay provided by the Waco Convention and Visitors Bureau for pre-production scouting or during the production, up to $2,500 in actual dollar-to-dollar rebates provided by the Waco Indie Film Festival, camera and lighting Packages and 5 hours of free filmmaking consultation courtesy of Vision Vehicle Studios. An Honorable Mention in the competition went to Clark Childers\u2019\u00a0\u201cAshes To Dust.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2024 Waco Indie Film Festival Filmmaker Award Winners<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Feature Film Awards<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Best Feature Film (Narrative)\u00a0<\/strong> Feature Film<\/strong> Best Short Film<\/strong> Best Student Short Film<\/strong> Best Drama Short<\/strong> Best Comedy Short<\/strong> Best Documentary Short<\/strong> Best Fantasy\/Sci-Fi Short<\/strong> Best Horror\/Thriller Short<\/strong> Best Family Short<\/strong> Best Music Video<\/strong> Best Director \u2013 Short Film<\/strong> Best Performance \u2013 Short Film (Drama)<\/strong> Best Performance \u2013 Short Film (Comedy)<\/strong> Best Cinematography \u2013 Short Film<\/strong> Best Editing \u2013 Short Film<\/strong> Best Screenplay \u2013 Short Film<\/strong> Best Production Design \u2013 Short Film<\/strong> Baseball Behind Barbed Wire<\/em>\u00a0(Director:\u00a0Yuriko Gamo Romer) Best Unproduced Screenplay \u2013 First Place<\/strong> Best Unproduced Screenplay \u2013 Honorable Mention<\/strong> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n WORD<\/strong><\/em> Editor, Publisher Gregg W. Morris<\/p><\/div>\n Can be reached at gregghc@comcast.net, profgreggwmorris@gmail.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Waco Indie Film Festival, formerly known as the Deep in the Heart Film Festival, brings the Central Texas community together through independent film. Established in 2017, they engage audiences with films from major festivals and Texas talent. They build networks and careers through their industry education and promotion. Add in some chips & salsa with the Waco Indie magic, and they create one of the most unique experiences on the festival circuit. For more information visit www.wacoindie.com\u00a0and Facebook.com\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram.com. \u2013 Article by Gregg W. Morris<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/waco3pic.jpg\")
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\nBreakup Season<\/em>
\nDirector: H. Nelson Tracey
\nBest Feature Film (Documentary)<\/strong>
\nThe Cigarette Surfboard<\/em>
\nDirector: Ben Judkins
\nBest Director \u2013 Feature Film<\/strong>
\nVivian Kerr (Scrap<\/em>)
\nBest Performance \u2013 Feature Film<\/strong>
\nChandler Riggs (Breakup Season<\/em>)<\/p>\n
\nUnleashed<\/em>
\nDirector: Linda Broocks
\nShort Film<\/strong>
\nCaught On Tape<\/em>
\nDirectors:\u00a0Alexander Jeffery, Chris Alan Evans<\/p>\n
\nThe Old Young Crow<\/em>
\nDirector:\u00a0Liam LoPinto
\nBest Texas Short Film<\/strong>
\nSmoke<\/em>
\nDirector:\u00a0Joshua Gallas
\nBest United States Short Film<\/strong>
\n(subtext)<\/em>
\nDirector:\u00a0Erin Brown Thomas
\nBest Foreign Short Film<\/strong>
\nOn My Mind<\/em>
\nDirector:\u00a0
\nWhere We Belong<\/em>
\nDirector:\u00a0Madoka Belda Yamamoto<\/p>\n
\nDeliberate<\/em>
\nDirector:\u00a0Marta Roncada<\/p>\n
\nCaught On Tape<\/em>
\nDirectors:\u00a0Alexander Jeffery, Chris Alan Evans<\/p>\n
\nWhat Happened To You<\/em>
\nDirector: Alec Goldberg<\/p>\n
\nM<\/em>\u00e5<\/em>ngata<\/em>
\nDirector:\u00a0Maja Costa<\/p>\n
\nUp On the Housetop<\/em>
\nDirectors:\u00a0Dakota Millett, Michael Fischer<\/p>\n
\nPurple and Green<\/em>
\nDirector:\u00a0Charlotte Oxley<\/p>\n
\n\u201cCome and Save Me\u201d
\nDirector:\u00a0Chris White<\/p>\n
\nElizabeth Sherman (Ring By Spring<\/em>)<\/p>\n
\nJake Hart (Big George<\/em>)<\/p>\n
\nBixby Elliot (The Yellow Sponge is the Dish Sponge<\/em>)<\/p>\n
\nSteven Gunter (Leverage<\/em>)<\/p>\n
\nAndrew Schwab (Eating 38 Cheeseburgers<\/em>)<\/p>\n
\nClayton Henderson (Clownfish<\/em>)<\/p>\n
\nAndrew G. Smith (Your Move<\/em>)<\/p>\n
\nThe Coyote Sisters<\/em>\u00a0(Directors:\u00a0Autumn Harrison, Tory LeClair)
\nJust Laugh<\/em>\u00a0(Director:\u00a0Kemp Brinson)
\nWe Rise<\/em>\u00a0(Director:\u00a0Michael A Afendakis)<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAs Luck Would Have It\u201d (Writer: Amanda Pfeiffer)<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAshes To Dust\u201d (Writer: Clark Childers)<\/p>\n
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