New and Notable
Elizabeth Tabish
Join us for an exclusive, unforgettable night celebrating the incredible career of Elizabeth Tabish. The event features...
An episode screening of The Chosen curated by Elizabeth herself.
A live post-screening talk-back hosted by Kelly McGregor
Year 10 is our biggest yet - literally. We are welcoming in some new venues and expanding our footprint downtown. Dig in see what’s new and what you can expect at Waco Indie this July.
This year’s lineup will feature 148 films, including 14 feature-length (11 narrative and 4 documentary), 126 short films (114 narrative and 12 documentary), and 8 music videos. Our screenplay competition will include 17 finalists (4 feature-length, 13 shorts).
Special Guests
Steven Poster
The talented cinematographer, Steven Poster, ASC comes to Waco for…
• A 25th anniversary screening of Donnie Darko featuring a look back at his iconic cinematography.
•The Future of Color panel breaking down the cutting edge of digital cinema and color science.
Adrianne Palicki
Get your tickets for a spotlight event with Hollywood star Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights, John Wick, and The Orville.)
• A screening of the award-winning film Due West.
• Post screening Q&A with film director, Evan Miller and Ms. Palicki
July 16 -19, 2026We have award winning films from Sundance, Tribeca, Austin and more. See them all in our film guide.
In the Spotlight
New Venues
Waco Civic Theater
Waco Civic is our home for Family Friendly short films, documentaries and our Texas shorts block
Waco Welcome Center
You’ll find our screenplay readings and panel discussions at the new Waco Welcome Center
New Lounge - Balcones Distilling
Passholders receive 4 drink tickets to use at Balcones Distilling on Friday, July 17, and Saturday, July 18. These tickets are good for drinks on our special film festival menu - coffee and spirits available
Relax, recharge—or network with visiting actors and directors in town for the fest.
As always you can expect a stellar lineup of films, music videos and screenplays. With over 140 projects you will definitely find something you’ll like, and there’s good odds, the person who made it will be here, too. Check out the schedule and pay close attention to the color coding. Those colors will give you a vibe of what that film mixtape is like.
Crowd Pleasers - Yellow
Family-Friendly - Green
Deep Dives - Blue
Bold, Weird and Wild - Red
From sweet family-favs to raunchy rom-coms to scary, bloody fun we have the films at Waco Indie.
Come downtown, see cool films, go to the hottest parties, meet awesome people.