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Three films double-up on the Waco Independent Film Festival 2026 Filmmaker Awards
The Waco Independent Film Festival (Waco Indie) announced the award winners for the 10th Anniversary edition of the film festival which concluded another record breaking in-person presentations with an entertaining Awards Brunch held at the Cambria Waco Hotel. Adam Meeks’ Will Poulter starrer Union County won Best Narrative Feature and Kirsten Dickerson’s Handmade Future won Best Documentary Feature.
A trio of films doubled-up on the wards take, with Reed Arnold’s screwball comedy Do Us Part taking the prizes for Best Director and the Feature Audience Award, Bob Ray and Gene Gallerano’s Thank You for Listening winning Best Texas Short, and the Short Audience Award. Gregory JM Kasunich’s Meeting Your Maker won awards for Best Comedy Short, as well as getting the nod for Best Performance for Jonathan Kite.
Co-Founders and Co-Directors Louis Hunter and Samuel Thomas, said, “Anytime you have an ‘anniversary’ year, it forces you to take a look at what your film festival has achieved and how it has evolved over the years. This year’s Waco Independent Film Festival reminded us all why our staff and the Waco community comes together to make this event happen each year. Most importantly, our attending filmmakers once again reminded us about our inspiration: their inventive, entertaining, enlightening, and thrilling films. Once again, those filmmakers were embraced by the Waco film fans and community as well as each other, creating a supportive momentum that grew with each screening, panel, and party, leading up to the awards brunch and presentations. And that’s what Waco Indie has always been about.”
Brett Weiner’s Everything is Brand was cited with the Festival Directors’ Choice Award. Recipients of the Programmers’ Awards were A.R. Ephraim’s A Woman’s Work, and Sarah Baskin’s I Want to Go to Moscow.
Gianfranco Fernandez-Ruiz’s When Big People Lie, won Best Short Film. Film awards by genre in the Short Film category went to; Marnie Blok’s Beyond Silence for Best Drama Short; Daniel John’s Houdini II: A Beautiful Day to Die, which was named Best Documentary Short. Slava Denisov’s The Ride was named Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi Short; Ali Cook‘s The Pearl Comb took the award for Best Horror/Thriller Short; Imran J Khan’s The Boy with the Dinosaur Head won Best Family Short; Rana Roy’s Night Feeds, took the prize for Best Student Short Film; and Rupert Höller won Best Music Video won for the second year in a row for “Chingona.”
Filmmaking craft awards were given to; Anna Mirodin for Best Performance – Feature Film for her role in The Legend of Juan Jose Mundo; and Evan Miller and Hardy Janson for Best Screenplay – Feature Film for Due West. Best Director – Short Film went toTaylor Coriell (Ladylike), Best Cinematography – Short Film went to Andy Chen for Pretty Boys, Best Editing – Short Film went to Hillary Carrigan (Olive), Best Screenplay – Short Film went to Jonathan Hammond (Fireflies in the Dusk), and Best Production Design went to Nuha Mekki for Beauty Sleep.
This year’s Waco Indie Screenplay Grant competition expanded to include a feature film category. The inaugural winner was Bixby Elliot’s “Salt Kiss.” In the Short Film category, Honorable Mention went to Heather Older for her script “Stealing Shayna,” and First Place went to Ryan Mekenian’s “American Values.” Also of note, the production trio of Nancy Nagrant (DIR/PROD), Marchelle Thurman (PROD), and Keaton Morris-Stan ((SCR/PROD/CAST) were in attendance as Waco Indie is assisting with preparations to shoot their film, Gorgeous As You Are, from Morris-Stan’s winning script from last year’s edition of the film festival.
Among the highlights during the 10th Anniversary edition of Waco Indie included Waco Indie’s signature Opening Night reception and Red Carpet celebration with more filmmakers representing more than 40 films taking their star turn among the film fans gearing up for the screening of Richie James Follin’s crowd-pleaser Crystal Cross. Waco and North Texas film fans also turned out to see a special presentation of Donnie Darko with DP Stephen Poster on hand, as well as a screening of a select episode of The Chosen, with star (and two-time Waco Indie alumni) Elizabeth Tabish in-person to talk about the series and her upcoming film projects as well.
To find more information on the Waco Independent Film Festival (Waco Indie), please go to: https://www.wacoindie.com/.
2026 Waco Indie Film Festival Filmmaker Award Winners
Feature Film Awards
Best Feature Film (Narrative)
Union County
Director: Adam Meeks
Best Feature Film (Documentary)
Handmade Future
Director: Kirsten Dickerson
Best Director – Feature Film
Reed Arnold (Do Us Part)
Best Performance – Feature Film
Anna Mirodin (The Legend of Juan Jose Mundo)
Best Screenplay – Feature Film
Evan Miller, Hardy Janson (Due West)
Audience Awards
Feature Film
Do Us Part
Director: Reed Arnold
Short Film
Thank You For Listening
Directors: Bob Ray, Gene Gallerano
Short Film Awards
Best Short Film
When Big People Lie
Director: Gianfranco Fernandez-Ruiz
Best Texas Short Film
Thank You For Listening
Directors: Bob Ray, Gene Gallerano
Best Student Short Film
Night Feeds
Director: Rana Roy
Short Film Awards by Genre
Best Drama Short
Beyond Silence
Director: Marnie Blok
Best Comedy Short
Meeting Your Maker
Director: Gregory JM Kasunich
Best Documentary Short
Houdini II: A Beautiful Day to Die
Director: Daniel John
Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi Short
The Ride
Director: Slava Denisov
Best Horror/Thriller Short
The Pearl Comb
Director: Ali Cook
Best Family Short
The Boy With the Dinosaur Head
Director: Imran J Khan
Best Music Video
“Chingona”
Director: Rupert Höller
Short Film Craft Awards
Best Director – Short Film
Taylor Coriell (Ladylike)
Best Performance – Short Film
Jonathan Kite (Meeting Your Maker)
Best Cinematography – Short Film
Andy Chen (Pretty Boys)
Best Editing – Short Film
Hillary Carrigan (Olive)
Best Screenplay – Short Film
Jonathan Hammond (Fireflies in the Dusk)
Best Production Design – Short Film
Nuha Mekki (Beauty Sleep)
Festival Directors’ Choice Award
Everything is Brand (Director: Brett Weiner)
Programmers’ Choice Awards
A Woman’s Work (Director: A.R. Ephraim )
I Want To Go To Moscow (Director: Sarah Baskin)
Screenplay Competition
Best Unproduced Screenplay – Feature
“Salt Kiss” (Writer: Bixbie Elliot)
Best Unproduced Screenplay – First Place
“American Values” (Writer: Ryan Mekenian)
Best Unproduced Screenplay – Short Film (Honorable Mention)
“Stealing Shayna” (Writer: Heather Older)