The Waco Independent Film Festival (WIFF) 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 film event will kick 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.

WIFF’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.

WIFF 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.”

WIFF’S Opening Night party, which has grown into one of Waco’s major social events, will take place at the Palladium (729 Austin Avenue)). It will put the film fans in the celebratory mood toenjoy Christmas in July with a special Opening Night presentation of ‘A Christmas in New Hope.’

The film stars Katrina Bowden as an influencer and mother of a child living with Down syndrome. She 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 at the Texas Music Café featuring ‘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. The titular character 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 realizes that she is in way over her head, at the mercy of a brutal drug trafficking business. As Cecilia spirals out of control, she may only have one last play to literally save and restart her life.

WIFF will continue its partnership with Waco Surf by screening the beloved surf classic ‘North Shore’ (1987). After learning how to surf by using the local wave tanks, Arizona resident Rick (Matt Adler) uses his winnings from a recent contest to fly to Hawaii and try to make a living for himself as a professional wave rider. He gets off to a rough start, as he finds riding the ocean a lot different than the simulated waves back home. But he soon finds a mentor in the aging surf guru Chandler (Gregory Harrison) and a friend in local girl Kiani (Nia Peeples).

The special screening will be co-presented by Waco Surf. It will include appearances by the film’s stars Matt Adler and John Philbin, who participate in a post-screening Q&A.

Highlights among the additional narrative indies coming to WIFF include two films from the Shreveport indie filmmaking scene. J.C. Doler’s ‘The Twin’ follows a grieving father haunted by a terrifying demon known in Irish folklore as the Fetch after his son dies.

Josh Munds’ Peeping Todd focuses on a stalker who decides he’ll do whatever it takes to continue pursuing the young woman he is obsessed with despite an obsessive HOA fleet and a dense boyfriend in his way. As she deals with the lies of her fiancé and the web of her stalker, she must escape the two most toxic relationships she’s ever faced.

Films headlining WIFF’s documentary slate include Eirene Houston and Hugo Ernesto Rivalta Castro’s ‘Life Is Dance,’ which follows the stories of six ordinary Cubans with one thing in common, their love of dance. Justin Jay Jones’ ‘On Firm Ground’ shows the courageous battle two people face against Parkinson’s Disease as they undergo brain surgery to reclaim their lives. Twila LaBar’s ‘Where the Horses Heal the Soul’ intricately weaves narratives of resilience and newfound purpose as participants at ROCK – Ride On Center for Kids connect with therapy horses in Central Texas.

WIFF’s highly curated and themed shorts programs will once again be front and center, including blocks titled ‘A Life Less Ordinary,’ ‘All Ages, All Heart,’ ‘Bloodlines & Fault Lines,’ ‘Hereafter,’ ‘It’s Complicated,’ ‘Life of Crime,’ ‘Love Actually?,’ ‘Sex and Consequences,’ ‘Shorts and Spurs,’ ‘Shriek Show,’ ‘Solitaire,’ ‘Weird, Twisted, Fantastic,’ ‘What Do We Owe Each Other’ and ‘The Work Is Mysterious and Important.’

The WIFF has also established itself as one of the area’s top proponents and inspirations for facilitating filmmaking in Waco and the surrounding areas. The Waco Film Locations Tour takes visiting filmmakers at key filming locations available in Waco. Representatives from the Texas Film Commission, the Texas Media Production Alliance, and the Waco Convention and Visitors Bureau all participate to talk about the benefits and opportunities found by filming in Texas.

To purchase passes and tickets and to find more information on WIFF, visit the festival’s official website.