The Waco Independent Film Festival has earned national recognition, landing on MovieMaker Magazine’s list of the "25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World for 2025".
The festival, commonly known as Waco Indie, has also landed a spot on MovieMaker's "50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" and is regularly listed among FilmFreeway's "Top 100 Best Reviewed Festivals". It is one of only six film festivals in the world to be on all three lists this year.
"Pretty simply, it says we’re a festival worth submitting your time and money to. We take care of our attendees, our community, and our filmmakers," said Louis Hunter, Director of Operations for Waco Indie.
Film festivals are submitted to the MovieMaker lists by filmmakers that have attended them in the past.
"We've had the blessing of a couple of major filmmakers pitching us throughout the years," Art Director Samuel Thomas said.
He attributes that recognition to the environment he and Hunter have built for the Waco Independent Film Festival over the last decade.
In addition to a red carpet kick off, industry panels, screenings and awards ceremonies, the festival also hosts nightly after parties, mechanical bull rides, happy hours, a game night and a tour of Waco filming locations. Its often referred to as "filmmaker summer camp"
Thomas said the events helped Waco Indie land on the "Coolest Festivals" list, but the response from Waco residents finished the deal.
"You get to mingle with filmmakers, dive into industry panels and you know the parties are gonna be a blast," Thomas said.
Waco Indie will celebrate its 10th anniversary with the 2026 festival, planned for July 16 - July 19, 2026.
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