Winners of the 10th Annual Waco Independent Film Festival

      Three debut feature films—A.R. Ephraim's poignant coal-miner drama A Woman’s Work, Reed Arnold's wedding comedy Do Us Part, and Adam Meeks' addiction-focused film Union County—were prominent winners at the Waco Independent Film Festival, which marked its 10th anniversary by showcasing ambitious indie cinema from central Texas and beyond.

      The festival, recognized as one of the 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee and among the 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World, featured a diverse selection of features, shorts, and documentaries, along with special events including a night with Elizabeth Tabish, a star of The Chosen, and a 25th anniversary screening of Donnie Darko, which included commentary from the film's cinematographer, Steven Poster. MovieMaker was excited to attend, and you can find our coverage here. Additional encore online screenings can be accessed here.

      A Woman's Work, which received the Feature Programmers Choice Award, narrates the story of an eldest sister working in a Kentucky coal mine to support her younger sisters while concealing her romantic relationship with another woman. Ephraim, who hails from Amherst, Massachusetts, crafted the screenplay after volunteering in Appalachia and witnessing the challenges faced by coal miners and their families firsthand. The film features Louisa Clare Harland from Derry Girls.

      Union County, the Best Feature Film winner, was written and directed by Adam Meeks. It stars Will Poulter as a young man who embarks on a recovery journey after being court-ordered into an addiction program. The film premiered earlier this year at Sundance.

      Do Us Part revolves around a wedding day that spirals into chaos when the groom’s long-time best friend and secret crush arrives to confess his feelings. Arnold, who is based in Oklahoma City, also plays the role of the best man in this film, which garnered both the Audience Award Feature and Best Directing in a Feature.

      “Meeting Your Maker,” a short about a suicidal puppet, won both Best Comedy Short and Best Performance in a Short for Jonathan Kite. The director, Gregory J.M. Kasunich, has a history with Waco, having filmed two movies there, including “The Heart of Texas.”

      "Heart of Texas" was developed after Kasunich won the Waco Independent Film Festival Screenplay Grant, which provides a $5,000 production package to recipients who shoot their scripts in the city. This award is a key aspect of the festival, supporting both the recognition and creation of exceptional films.

      This year’s grant recipient was “American Values,” a short script by Ryan Mekenian focusing on Blockbuster Video employees who resist censorship of titles.

      The awards for Best Texas Short and Audience Award Short were won by “Thank You for Listening,” directed by Gene Gallerano and Bob Ray, which depicts musician Joshua Ray Walker as he prepares for a return to the Grand Ole Opry following a cancer diagnosis.

      Brett Weiner's “Everything Is Brand," a satire on branding culture, also secured the Festival Director’s Choice Award.

      Congratulations to all the winners listed below.

      **Short Film Awards**

      - Best Editing in a Short: Olive

      - Best Family Short: The Boy With The Dinosaur Head

      - Best Production Design in a Short: Beauty Sleep

      - Best Cinematography in a Short: Pretty Boys

      - Best Editing in a Short: The Boy with the Dinosaur Head

      - Best Screenplay Short: Fireflies in the Dusk

      - Best Performance in a Short: Jonathan Kite for Meeting Your Maker

      - Best Directing in a Short: Taylor Coriell for Ladylike

      - Best Music Video: Chingona

      - Best Horror Short: The Pearl Comb

      - Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi Short: The Ride

      - Best Student Short: Night Feeds

      - Best Comedy Short: Meeting Your Maker

      - Best Drama Short: Beyond Silence

      - Best Texas Short: Thank You for Listening

      - Best Documentary Short: Houdini II: A Beautiful Day to Die

      - Short Programmers Choice Award: I Want to Go to Moscow

      - Festival Director’s Choice Award: Everything Is Brand

      - Audience Award Short: Thank You for Listening

      - Best Short Film: When Big People Lie

      **Feature Film Awards**

      - Best Screenplay Feature: Due West

      - Best Performance in a Feature: Anna Mirodin for The Legend of Juan Jose Mundo

      - Best Directing in a Feature: Reed Arnold for Do Us Part

      - Best Documentary Feature: Handmade Future

      - Feature Programmers Choice Award: A Woman’s Work

      - Audience Award Feature: Do Us Part

      - Best Feature Film: Union County

      **Screenplay Contest**

      - Feature Screenplay: Salt Kiss by Bixby Elliot

      - Honorable Mention Short Screenplay: Stealing Shayna by Heather Older

      - Best Short Screenplay: American Values by Ryan Mekenian

      Main image: Louisa Clare Harland in A Woman