WACO, Texas - eTradeWire -- The 6^th Annual Waco Family & Faith International Film Festival kicks off this weekend in the Central Texas town on February 20-22, 2025. "Dedicated to EMPOWERING the creative spirit, SERVING with heart, and CELEBRATING all," this year's film festival will feature an international competition of short, student, animation, and feature films, a 3rd Annual "Pitchfest" with Hollywood executives, the 6th annual celebration of "Champions Award" recipients, and a closing night performance by the acclaimed New York City modern dance company, Battery Dance.

"Now more than ever, we need positive content and narratives in our lives. Every year, the film festival team works to leverage the power of storytelling to open hearts and minds, while bringing the Waco community together," states Dr. Tyrha M. Lindsey-Warren, Founder and Lead Producer of the Waco Family & Faith International Film Festival. "For our 6th year, we are presenting an exciting film festival that has something for everyone!"

According to Variety.com, there are 200 million consumers within the family and faith-based community in the U.S. This consumer market is valued at $2.1 trillion. Moreover, since the beginning of this genre, faith-based movies have amassed over $2 billion+ dollars. To date, the Waco Family & Faith International Film Festival has hosted over 3,000 guests at its film festivals, screened over 250 films from all over the world as well as positively impacted the economic development in the City of Waco. Moreover, at the close of the submissions phase in 2024, the Waco Family & Faith International Film Festival had received over 2,070 film entries in the past five years and from over 109 countries that include the United Kingdom, Italy, India, France, Canada, Argentina, Japan, Ukraine, and Brazil.

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"Storytelling and imagery through movies truly matter in our society, especially when it comes to positively changing the attitudes and behaviors of how we all view each other as fellow human beings on this planet," states Dr. Lindsey-Warren. "We pride ourselves in producing an empowering film festival every year that shines a spotlight on extremely talented filmmakers as well as celebrates our shared humanity."

The 2025 Waco Family & Faith International Film Festival will also continue recognizing its "Champions Award" recipients. This honor is dedicated to recognizing individuals and organizations who are exemplars of innovation as well as "good disruption" in the film, performing arts, media, music, sports, and entertainment industries. The 2025 Class of "Champions Awards" recipients are Fiona Bond, Executive Director for Creative Waco, Trina Terrell-Andrews, CEO of the Mark Cuban Heroes Basketball Center, and Shemane Nugent, Celebrity Influencer, Filmmaker, and Author.

Additional highlights include screenings of the independent short films, "Rise from Rubble," "Heart of Texas," and "The Chaplain: MAJ Brenda Threatt." The feature film screenings include, Our Daily Bread Ministries' "Juneteenth-Faith & Freedom," a celebratory documentary on the national holiday, and the movie, "The Rhythm," based on a true story of a young African American man who uses ice hockey to turnaround his life and his community. All of the film screenings will take place at the Lee Lockwood Library and Museum.

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The sponsors for the 2025 Waco Family & Faith International Film Festival include the festival's Founding Partner, TFNB Bank Your Bank for Life. The Gold Star Sponsors are Creative Waco and Brazos Masonry. Silver Star sponsors are the Waco Convention and Visitors Bureau, MARIE'S Bistro, and the Afshar Law Film. Bronze Star sponsors are Extraco Banks, Lost-n-Thought Productions, and Greg May Honda. Community Sponsors include Walker Partners, Atmos Energy, Stay Waco, Texas State Technical College, and the Texas Media Production Alliance. The Awards Sponsor is MARIE'S Wine Bar and the Host Hotel is the AC Marriott Waco. The Media Partners are KWTX-TV, The CW, and Telemundo as well as Prophecy Media Group, which includes radio stations LEY 104.1, Latino 93.5, POWER 108FM, Classic Rock 106.7.

For more information on the full festival schedule for the 2025 Waco Family & Faith International Film Festival and to purchase tickets, visit www.wacofilmfest.org.