The Waco Independent Film Festival will take place In-Theater - July 17-20/Online Encore July 20-26

 
Julia Barnett’s family favorite A Christmas in New Hope
is the Opening Night U.S. Premiere presentation 
and Chris Beier’s award-winning drama
The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia is set for the Closing Night

 

  
A Christmas in New Hope, The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia

 
Waco, TX (June 14, 2025) – The Waco Independent Film Festival announced the film lineup and events schedule for next month’s edition of the popular film festival, which recently was named as one of MovieMaker Magazine’s “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee”. WIFF’s in-theater screenings will take place July 17-20, followed by an online encore July 20-26. The mark-your-calendar film event will lead off with an Opening Night presentation of Julia Barnett’s A Christmas in New Hope. Chris Beier’s The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia will be the Closing Night selection.
 
Waco Independent Film Festival’s footprint has expanded yet again, with screenings and events taking place at the historic Hippodrome, Texas Music Café, Falcon & Owl, Start Up Waco, and the Performing Arts Community Center. 
 
Waco Independent FF co-founders and directors Samuel Thomas and Louis Hunter, said, “While Waco Indie just got another stamp of approval from MovieMaker Magazine, the film festival has been building that reputation as a must-experience stop on the tour for indie filmmakers, and a popular ‘save the date’ destination for film fans for close to a decade now. But this year, as with every year, it all comes back to three key words: Waco, Independent, and Film. We may add locations, we may add more films, and events – and we always will because we keep seeing new ways to innovate, streamline, and assist our filmmakers with their development as artists. Ultimately though, and this year’s lineup demonstrates that: we never stop building and encouraging the Waco Indie family.”
 
Waco Indie’s Red Carpet entrances and Opening Night party, which has grown into one of Waco’s major social events, will take place at the Palladium (729 Austin Avenue), putting the film fans in the celebratory mood to literally enjoy Christmas in July with a special Opening Night presentation of Julia Barnett’s A Christmas in New Hope. The film stars Katrina Bowden as an influencer and mother of a child living with Down syndrome, who tries to save her bungalow from foreclosure before Christmas by entering a home-improvement competition in New Hope, Texas.Naturally, complications arise when her ex returns home after touring Europe with his new album. Meanwhile, she has fallen in love with her next-door neighbor, a Texas musician who has bonded with her daughter Charlie.
 
The official Closing Night selection will take place on Friday at the Texas Music Café featuring Chris Beier’s tense drama, The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia. Filmed in Austin, and an award-winner at Dances With Films: NY, the film focuses on a desperate on-the-edge former YouTube star who attempts to blackmail an old high school acquaintance in an attempt to make enough money to get her back on top again in the fame game. But she soon finds that she is in way over her head, at the mercy

 

 Director Gabriele Fabbro

Named by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the top 2022's screenwriters to watch, Gabriele Fabbro was born in 1996, in Milan, Italy. He's a film director with a BFA degree in Filmmaking from the New York Film Academy. Since 2011, he wrote, directed and produced over 30 productions including features, short films, music videos and commercials. Among his most recent works, he directed the music video "If You Run (2020)" for Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age). His latest short film "8 (2019)" screened at the 76 Venice Film Festival and his first feature film "The Grand Bolero (2021)", premiered at the 2021 Austin Film Festival, was one 2022's most awarded features from Italy and was in competition for the David di Donatello Awards, Italy's equivalent to the Oscars. Gabriele’s latest work, “Trifole” (2024) premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and is currently touring festivals around the globe.

 

In an interview with Director Gabriele Fabbro about his recent film, here is what he had to say:

Can you speak about where you are from, your background and how you got into film?

FABBRO: I was born in Milan, Italy, and grew up in the countryside surrounding the city. I've been drawn to film since childhood. As a kid, I used to sketch my favorite scenes from Disney’s '90s classics. I started shooting and editing videos in middle school and began seriously studying filmmaking. After high school, I moved to Los Angeles to attend the New York Film Academy, where I had the opportunity to refine my craft and begin working for the film industry, first as an editor then more and more as a director.

 

How difficult is it to make an independent film in Italy?

FABBRO: Compared to the US, I'd say it's much easier in terms of production but far more difficult in terms of promotion. In Italy, making a film is still seen as a significant cultural and artistic event, so people are generally more enthusiastic about helping with production. The country offers incredible locations and skilled crew members. Aside from national film funds, almost every region has its own film commission with separate funding systems, meaning there are more opportunities to secure a larger budget if you choose to shoot in Italy. The country produces around 300 films per year, all with decent budgets.

FABBRO CONT’D: However, the real challenge lies in promotion. The industry in Italy is quite insular, operating in a way that often feels like an exclusive club. Audiences, distributors, festivals, and critics tend to highlight filmmakers who are already famous or connected within the industry. The US, thankfully, is the opposite. I experienced this firsthand with my latest film, “Trifole” (2024). Despite having three of the most famous Italian actors in the cast, our production—being relatively new and not deeply established in the industry—was largely ignored by major festivals in Italy. Fortunately, we secured a nationwide theatrical distribution deal with Officine UBU, which properly promoted the film. However, it still feels as if Italy’s film industry prioritizes already-established names rather than discovering new talent.

FABBRO CONT’D: On the other hand, the U.S. remains a great place for promotion. While it has its own challenges, the industry actively finds space for emerging filmmakers and builds a star system around them. For example, in the US, where our ca

 

 

 Director Gabriele Fabbro

Named by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the top 2022's screenwriters to watch, Gabriele Fabbro was born in 1996, in Milan, Italy. He's a film director with a BFA degree in Filmmaking from the New York Film Academy. Since 2011, he wrote, directed and produced over 30 productions including features, short films, music videos and commercials. Among his most recent works, he directed the music video "If You Run (2020)" for Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age). His latest short film "8 (2019)" screened at the 76 Venice Film Festival and his first feature film "The Grand Bolero (2021)", premiered at the 2021 Austin Film Festival, was one 2022's most awarded features from Italy and was in competition for the David di Donatello Awards, Italy's equivalent to the Oscars. Gabriele’s latest work, “Trifole” (2024) premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and is currently touring festivals around the globe.

 

In an interview with Director Gabriele Fabbro about his recent film, here is what he had to say:

Can you speak about where you are from, your background and how you got into film?

FABBRO: I was born in Milan, Italy, and grew up in the countryside surrounding the city. I've been drawn to film since childhood. As a kid, I used to sketch my favorite scenes from Disney’s '90s classics. I started shooting and editing videos in middle school and began seriously studying filmmaking. After high school, I moved to Los Angeles to attend the New York Film Academy, where I had the opportunity to refine my craft and begin working for the film industry, first as an editor then more and more as a director.

 

How difficult is it to make an independent film in Italy?

FABBRO: Compared to the US, I'd say it's much easier in terms of production but far more difficult in terms of promotion. In Italy, making a film is still seen as a significant cultural and artistic event, so people are generally more enthusiastic about helping with production. The country offers incredible locations and skilled crew members. Aside from national film funds, almost every region has its own film commission with separate funding systems, meaning there are more opportunities to secure a larger budget if you choose to shoot in Italy. The country produces around 300 films per year, all with decent budgets.

FABBRO CONT’D: However, the real challenge lies in promotion. The industry in Italy is quite insular, operating in a way that often feels like an exclusive club. Audiences, distributors, festivals, and critics tend to highlight filmmakers who are already famous or connected within the industry. The US, thankfully, is the opposite. I experienced this firsthand with my latest film, “Trifole” (2024). Despite having three of the most famous Italian actors in the cast, our production—being relatively new and not deeply established in the industry—was largely ignored by major festivals in Italy. Fortunately, we secured a nationwide theatrical distribution deal with Officine UBU, which properly promoted the film. However, it still feels as if Italy’s film industry prioritizes already-established names rather than discovering new talent.

FABBRO CONT’D: On the other hand, the U.S. remains a great place for promotion. While it has its own challenges, the industry actively finds space for emerging filmmakers and builds a star system around them. For example, in th

 Director Gabriele Fabbro

Named by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the top 2022's screenwriters to watch, Gabriele Fabbro was born in 1996, in Milan, Italy. He's a film director with a BFA degree in Filmmaking from the New York Film Academy. Since 2011, he wrote, directed and produced over 30 productions including features, short films, music videos and commercials. Among his most recent works, he directed the music video "If You Run (2020)" for Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age). His latest short film "8 (2019)" screened at the 76 Venice Film Festival and his first feature film "The Grand Bolero (2021)", premiered at the 2021 Austin Film Festival, was one 2022's most awarded features from Italy and was in competition for the David di Donatello Awards, Italy's equivalent to the Oscars. Gabriele’s latest work, “Trifole” (2024) premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and is currently touring festivals around the globe.

 

In an interview with Director Gabriele Fabbro about his recent film, here is what he had to say:

Can you speak about where you are from, your background and how you got into film?

FABBRO: I was born in Milan, Italy, and grew up in the countryside surrounding the city. I've been drawn to film since childhood. As a kid, I used to sketch my favorite scenes from Disney’s '90s classics. I started shooting and editing videos in middle school and began seriously studying filmmaking. After high school, I moved to Los Angeles to attend the New York Film Academy, where I had the opportunity to refine my craft and begin working for the film industry, first as an editor then more and more as a director.

 

How difficult is it to make an independent film in Italy?

FABBRO: Compared to the US, I'd say it's much easier in terms of production but far more difficult in terms of promotion. In Italy, making a film is still seen as a significant cultural and artistic event, so people are generally more enthusiastic about helping with production. The country offers incredible locations and skilled crew members. Aside from national film funds, almost every region has its own film commission with separate funding systems, meaning there are more opportunities to secure a larger budget if you choose to shoot in Italy. The country produces around 300 films per year, all with decent budgets.

FABBRO CONT’D: However, the real challenge lies in promotion. The industry in Italy is quite insular, operating in a way that often feels like an exclusive club. Audiences, distributors, festivals, and critics tend to highlight filmmakers who are already famous or connected within the industry. The US, thankfully, is the opposite. I experienced this firsthand with my latest film, “Trifole” (2024). Despite having three of the most famous Italian actors in the cast, our production—being relatively new and not deeply established in the industry—was largely ignored by major festivals in Italy. Fortunately, we secured a nationwide theatrical distribution deal with Officine UBU, which properly promoted the film. However, it still feels as if Italy’s film industry prioritizes already-established names rather than discovering new talent.

FABBRO CONT’D: On the other hand, the U.S. remains a great place for promotion. While it has its own challenges, the industry actively finds space for emerging filmmakers and builds a star system around them. For example, in the US, where our cast is unknown, we still managed to get int

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The post As Looney As It Gets: “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” first appeared on Film Festival Today.

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The post Twisters first appeared on movie-wave.net.