Photo byWaco Family & Faith Film Festival
The Waco Family & Faith International Film Festival has finalized its event programming and film slate, presenter GB Lindsey Family Charitable Fund announced. The 5th edition will screen 11 feature films and 21 short, student, or animated films from around the world at venues across Waco, Texas, including Art Center Waco, Bear Ridge Golf Club, Cambria Hotel, the Pavilion at the Carleen Bright Arboretum, Hippodrome Theatre, Leo Lockwood Theater, Marie’s Wine Bar, and Waco Civic Center.
Curated by Festival Founder and Executive Director Dr. Tyrha M. Lindsey-Warren and her team, films are programmed in thematic blocks: Opening Night, Family Day, Black History Month: The Beauty and Power of Great Friendships, The State of Unity & Coming Together For Good, and Film and Faith Soul Sessions. So far, seven filmmakers are attending the Festival in person to support their movies.
Photo byWaco Family & Faith Film Festival
“The Festival team and I are so grateful to present this event in Waco for a fifth year,” Dr. Lindsey-Warren says. “Programming blocks offer our visitors a complementary selection of features, episodic programming, student work, and animation. We want our guests to have a satisfying and complete experience whether they are viewing one collection of films — or all of them.”
As one of the most popular family and faith film festivals in the country, the 2024 Waco Family & Faith International Film Festival will show 32 films from countries such as India, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, China, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, and the United States, to name a few. Feature film highlights include: Woody Harrelson’s baseball drama CHAMPIONS; Matthey Mishory’s Randy Schoenberg (grandson of Viennese composer Arnold) family history documentary FIORETTA; and Jillian Speece’s STATE OF THE UNITY, with a live performance by the band The Bergamot. Short film highlights include: HBCU FirstLOOK Film Festival Challenge winner SINCERELY, JONAH; HBCU FirstLOOK Film Festival Challenge finalist INTERCEPTION: JAYNE KENNEDY AMERICAN SPORTSCASTER; and animated MOSQUITO FISH, from 12-year-old Bryn Wright.
Photo byWaco Family & Faith Film Festival
The schedule also includes a wide array of special events, opening with the 5th Annual Champions Award Gala, which recognizes recipients who are exemplars of innovation and “good” disruption in TV, film, performing arts, music, media, and entertainment. This year’s black-tie event is hosted by Kevin Sorbo, star of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and inaugural award recipient, and will celebrate five years of honorees, including these new recipients for 2024: Academy Award-winning actress Geena Davis; The Lion King on Broadway star Alton Fitzgerald White; New York Times bestselling authors Donna Grant and Virginia DeBerry; The Beat 94.5FM radio host Reverend Carl Stimpson; and TFNB Your Bank for Life SVP Jason Lavender. It will also feature local DJ Augie, Baylor University School of Music students, Waco High School students, a silent auction, a wine pull, and shopping.
Past Champion Awards recipients attending the gala include: actor Sam Sorbo; TFNB Your Bank for Life President David Littlewood; author and television producer Courtney Parker; Waco Civic Theater Executive Director Eric Shepard; film producer and Vision Vehicle Studios co-founder Victor Hawks; actor and Vision Vehicle Studios co-founder Malcolm Goodwin; former KXXV anchor and Central Texas Life podcast host Ann Harder; fashion stylist and Hearts of Gold founder Deborah Koenigsberger; film producer and music executive Vivian Scott Chew; Dancing with the Stars music director Ray Chew; television writer and producer Ralph Farquhar; animator and television writer/producer Bruce Smith; KWTX anchor Ke’Sha Lopez; KWTX anchor Pete Sousa; and Latin Grammy Awardâ-winning band Ozomatli.
Their Celebrity Golf Classic, presented by Greg May Honda, will be reprised on Friday, February 16 at Bear Ridge Golf Club. Duffers and scratch golfers alike can join Kevin Sorbo; former NFL players Ickey Woods, Joe Kelly, and Santana Dotson; former MLB player Eric Davis; Baylor University Athletic Director Mack Rhoades; and Baylor University Women’s Golf team, among others.
The Business of Hollywood: Filmmaker Educational Workshops, a three-part series open to the public, will be held on Saturday, February 17 at Marie’s Wine Bar. The sessions include: the 2nd Annual PitchFest, “How to Turn Your Idea Into A Film, TV, or Streaming Series,” led by LostNThought Productions President Courtney Parker; the fireside chat, “It’s All About Animation!,” with The Proud Family creator Bruce Smith; and the conversation, “It’s Not Show Business, It’s Business Show!,” with media executives Endyia Kinney-Sterns and John Vilade.
Saturday ends with the Filmmaker Awards and a concert from Ozomatli at the Pavilion at the Carleen Bright Arboretum, before the Festival closes on Sunday, February 18 with the Off-Broadway play An Adam Experiment at Waco Civic Theater. An Adam Experiment stars Michael Chenevert living a day in the life of former United States Representative (NY-D) and civil rights crusader Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
Family and faith-based entertainment is an enormous consumer market — according to industry bible Variety, there are 200 million consumers in the United States alone — that is valued at $2.1 trillion. Family and faith-based films have amassed over $2 billion dollars and spawned streamers like PureFlix. The Waco Family & Faith International Film Festival does its part by amplifying the voices of filmmakers worldwide and encouraging development in Waco and the central Texas region.
“Movies truly matter in our society. Now more than ever, we need the power of storytelling to open hearts and minds,” Dr. Lindsey-Warren concludes. “It is important for film festivals to make a positive impact in the communities they serve. We’re making an economic impact locally, with filmmakers moving to Waco or producing their films here to support our budding film and TV community.”
Sponsors for the 2024 Waco Family & Faith International Film Festival include: Founding Partner TFNB Your Bank for Life; 4th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic Sponsor Greg May Honda; Host Hotel Cambria Hotels; Kick-Off Concert Sponsor Michelle & Pete Groetzinger; Awards Sponsor Waco Central Texas Chapter of The Links, Incorporated; Gold Star Sponsors Brazos Masonry, Creative Waco, Stay in Waco, and Waco Tourism Public Improvement District; Silver Star Sponsors AARP Texas, The Afshar Law Firm, Discover Woodway, Marie’s Wine Bar, Wacoan, and Z’s at the Curry; Bronze Star Sponsors Extraco Banks, H-E-B, ISW Holdings, LostNThought Productions, Vision Vehicle Studios, and Waco Convention & Visitors Bureau; Community Sponsors Adobe, Dutch Bros Coffee, Pampers, Texas Motion Picture Alliance, Texas State Technical College, Tiff’s Treats, Tru Jamaica, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, and WPROMO; and Media Partners CW12 Central Texas, Classic Rock 106.7, KWTX News 10, La Ley 104.1, Latino 93.5 y 99.1, POWER 108FM, and Telemundo Central Texas.
Please visit www.wacofamilyandfaithfilmfestival.com for additional information, including ticketing options.