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Film Festival
Venues
Programs
About
- Strategic Plan
- Contact Us
  - Email for Festival Info
  - Email for Venue Rentals

Nov. 6-8

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2025 Award Nominations

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Kilgore’s Texan Theater Sidewalks ADA Compliant Thanks to Grant

CHECK OUT OUR 2025 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS!

SCHEDULE BY VENUE

Download our 2025 Digital Program

The 9th annual Reel East Texas Film Festival is set for November 6-8, at the Texan Theater in Historic Downtown Kilgore, and the 4 STAR Cinema. Join us in mid-November as we celebrate our 2025 slate of indie film projects with live screenings, filmmaker Q&As, and special events showcasing the city of Kilgore for our visiting film industry colleagues.

GET TICKETS HERE

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

SCHEDULE BY VENUE

Single Screening Pass

$10

One (1) Two-Hour Movie Block on Nov. 7, 8, or 9. Includes main festival or student showcase

Day Pass

$50

Single Day All-Access General Admission (Screenings, Panels, and REEL Lounge)

VIP Pass

$100

All Screenings, Events, Activities and REEL Lounge PLUS our Sunday Network Brunch

Network Brunch

$25

Join us for a catered breakfast and celebratory libations as we applaud our award-winners

Reserve Tickets

2024 Award Nominations

2024 RETFF Sponsors

Trey & Wendy Crim

Texas Commission on the Arts

City of Kilgore

Verabank

Texas Film Commission

Selleck Accounting & Finance

R&K Distributors

Film Friendly Texas Community

Melissa & Tony Azzam

Austin Bank

KC Theatre

Automotive Super Center

Gabriel Jordan GMC

Preferred Properties

Latest Posts

reeleasttexas

A festival with small town vibes showing films in our historic Texan Theater, hosted BY filmmakers FOR filmmakers. 🎬 Nov. 6-9, 2025 in Kilgore, Texas

@servprolongview’s Patrick Castillo is welcoming

@servprolongview’s Patrick Castillo is welcoming filmmakers like Leon @nexol.13 of the College Student Short “3:55” which is showing today 2 pm in the Texan Theater. We’re about to kick-off Block 2, College Block A to begin Day 2 of the ninth annual REEL East Texas Film Festival 🎬

That’s a great group of talent enjoying the glow

That’s a great group of talent enjoying the glow of the historic Crim Theater! We had an awesome opening night of the ninth annual REEL East Texas Film Festival 🎥 Join us for two full days of screenings Friday and Saturday at the Texan Theater and 4 Star Cinema. Drop by the Old Post Office to grab a VIP pass or order tickets online at REELeasttexas.com — #getreel #kilgoretx #indiefilm

The ninth annual REEL East Texas Film Festival has

The ninth annual REEL East Texas Film Festival has officially begun!

Thank you, @cityofkilgore! We’re excited to welc

Thank you, @cityofkilgore! We’re excited to welcome our visiting filmmakers and audiences to town next week, Nov. 6-8, in the Texan Theater and 4 Star Cinema 🎥

Learn more about the official selections for our ninth annual event and reserve your seat now at reeleasttexas.com 🎟️

(Courtesy photo by Megan Payne / @visitkilgore)

📰🌟 This just in: Kilgore’s Texan Theater S

📰🌟 This just in: Kilgore’s Texan Theater Sidewalks ADA Compliant Thanks to Grant 🌟📰

"KILGORE, Texas (KLTV) - The iconic sidewalk in front of Kilgore’s Texan Theater has been removed. But don’t fret, it has also been restored to pretty much the way it was and it’s now ADA compliant. And the names of western actors and their horses are all back in place as well..."

🔗 Watch the full story at KLTV at the link: https://www.kltv.com/2025/10/20/kilgores-texan-theater-sidewalks-ada-compliant-thanks-grant/?tbref=hp

You can also view our story at reeleasttexas.com under Venues -> Texan Theater -> View The Gallery.

#getREEL #kilgoretx #accomodation #renovation #texantheater

We’re counting down — the REEL East Texas #Fra

We’re counting down — the REEL East Texas #Frankentastic #rockyhorrorpictureshow experience is coming up Saturday, October 25, in downtown Kilgore’s Texan Theater! General Admission is just $10 and we still have a limited number of Premium seats available for $30, including a #RockyHorror Prop Bag, a themed beverage, and early entry at 8 pm before @slimj3lly and our cast of chaos gremlins gets the show rolling at 9 pm. Costumes are welcome, so don’t miss out on this 50th anniversary celebration of #rhps in #kilgoretx — snag your seat now via tinyurl.com/frankentastic

🤩📹 Watch our interview with the amazing East

🤩📹 Watch our interview with the amazing East Texas Live discussing our #Oktoberfest event this weekend!

🔗 Watch the full interview at the link: https://www.ketk.com/video/kilgores-oktoberfest-kicks-off-this-weekend/11152996

Reserve your steins and pours in advance via tlt.ad/reelbrews to skip the line! On the day, we’ll accept cash, Venmo, CashApp, and debit/credit cards, but purchasing online gets you served soonest. Próst! 🍻

#REELeasttexas #REELBeerGarden #FreeMugAndPass #EastTexasLive #VisitKilgore #KilgoreMainStreet

Stein-washing party this morning at @zenkitchenetx

Stein-washing party this morning at @zenkitchenetx, getting ready for everybody at Kilgore #Oktoberfest come Saturday 🍺 Do yourself a favor and pre-purchase a stein and pours for Oct. 11 using the link tlt.ad/reelbrews 🍻 Skip the payment line, jump straight to the taps, and enjoy the day’s entertainment to the fullest. Jump all the lines with your VIP seat! We’ll see you 11 am to 7 pm this Saturday in downtown #KilgoreTX 🌟

Roll out the barrel! The clock is ticking and the

Roll out the barrel! The clock is ticking and the beer is chilling for Kilgore #Oktoberfest this Saturday, running 11 am to 8 pm downtown near the Texan Theater. We’ll have a wide selection of brews on tap and in cans in the #REELeasttexas Beer Garden 🍻 and @visitkilgore has crafted a great day of entertainment for the annual festival. Reserve your steins and pours in advance via tlt.ad/reelbrews to skip the line! On the day, we’ll accept cash, Venmo, CashApp, and debit/credit cards, but purchasing online gets you served soonest. Próst!

Don't miss the screening of "Love, from Ellie" at

Don't miss the screening of "Love, from Ellie" at the 9th annual REEL East Texas Film Festival! This drama short film from Austin, TX will screen Saturday, Nov. 8 during the "Made of Love" block at 1:30 pm in the Boomtown Theater @4starcinema

Synopsis: “A precocious 9-year-old girl visits her veteran dad’s memorial on his birthday, dragging along her unhoused uncle as her only chaperone. But when unforeseen circumstances get in the way of her plans, she’s forced to confront the messy truths of grief, family, and what it really means to say goodbye.”

Director: Chantelle James
Key Cast: Sara Willars, Craig Nigh, and Carly Christopher

Buy your tickets now at reeleasttexas.com and gain access to all films, screenplays, activities, and more with the VIP Weekend Pass!

Visit reeleasttexas.com to learn more about this as well as other #officialselection films.

#getreel #indiefilm #kilgoretx #reeleasttexasfilmfestival #filmfestival

Watch "Life Support" this fall at the 9th annual R

Watch "Life Support" this fall at the 9th annual REEL East Texas Film Festival! This narrative/medical/drama short film from Palo Alto, CA will screen Thursday, Nov. 6 in The Texan Theater during the "Opening Night" block at 7 pm.

Synopsis: “Inspired by true stories, an emergency doctor struggling under the weight of life-and-death decisions must confront his own hidden traumas as he teaches a young medical student what it truly means to save a life.”

Director: Jamon Tolbert
Writers: Jamon Tolbert and Andrew Chu
Key Cast: Abigail Johnson

Buy your tickets now at reeleasttexas.com and gain access to all films, screenplays, activities, and more with the VIP Weekend Pass!

Visit reeleasttexas.com to learn more about this as well as other #officialselection films.

#getreel #indiefilm #kilgoretx #reeleasttexasfilmfestival #filmfestival

Don't miss the screening of "Land of The Mustaches

Don't miss the screening of "Land of The Mustaches" at the 9th annual REEL East Texas Film Festival this fall! This drama feature film from New York City, NY will screen on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1 pm during the "Girls Who Carried The World" block in the Berkley Theater @4starcinema

Synopsis: "For the children and women of all wars, it never leaves.

Land of the Mustaches is an autobiographical story of a young girl growing up in the Displaced Persons refugee camps with her mother and grandmother after World War Two left them starving and stateless, and her father's disappearance into Stalin's notorious Gulag labor camps in Siberia with only what he was wearing the day he was abducted—two hard paths that parallel each other until they finally merge into one story: The ultimate celebration of resilience and the human spirit."

Director: Leon Joosen
Writer and Key Cast: Rutanya Alda

Buy your tickets now at reeleasttexas.com and gain access to all films, screenplays, activities, and more with the VIP Weekend Pass!

Visit reeleasttexas.com to learn more about this as well as other #officialselection films.

#getreel #indiefilm #kilgoretx #reeleasttexasfilmfestival #filmfestival

See "La Artesana" this fall at the 9th annual REEL

See "La Artesana" this fall at the 9th annual REEL East Texas Film Festival! This short documentary from Carrollton, TX will screen on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1:30 pm during the "Made of Love" block in the Boomtown Theater @4starcinema

Synopsis: "In the heart of Santa Maria Atzompa, Oaxaca, Patricia Gaytan carries on a centuries-old tradition of shaping clay into art. La Artesana offers an intimate glimpse into her world, where hands meet earth, and heritage intersects artistry."

Director and Writer: Jaime De La Rosa
Key Cast: Patricia Gaytan

Buy your tickets now at reeleasttexas.com and gain access to all films, screenplays, activities, and more with the VIP Weekend Pass!

Visit reeleasttexas.com to learn more about this as well as other #officialselection films.

#getreel #indiefilm #kilgoretx #reeleasttexasfilmfestival #filmfestival

Don't miss "Kitty Bravo in Freefall Failure" at th

Don't miss "Kitty Bravo in Freefall Failure" at the 9th annual REEL East Texas Film Festival this fall! This comedy animated student film from Texas A&M University in College Station, TX will screen Friday, Nov. 7th at 2 pm during the "College Block B" block in the Texan Theater.

Synopsis: "This animated short film is an action-packed rollercoaster featuring daredevil cat Kitty Bravo!"

Visual Arts Team: Spencer Bryant, Megan Hecklinger, Emma Peace, Gabrielle Chiong, Anthony Juarez, Noel White, Corain Marneweck, Hannah Paul, and Ashley Smith.

Buy your tickets now at reeleasttexas.com and gain access to all films, screenplays, activities, and more with the VIP Weekend Pass!

Visit reeleasttexas.com to learn more about this as well as other #officialselection films.

#getreel #indiefilm #kilgoretx #reeleasttexasfilmfestival #filmfestival

Watch "Just Once" this fall at the 9th annual REEL

Watch "Just Once" this fall at the 9th annual REEL East Texas Film Festival! This experimental/fiction short student film from Kincaid High School in Houston, TX will screen on Saturday, Nov. 8 during the "High School 1" block at 12:30 pm in the Texan Theater.

Synopsis: “In this short film, a student named James finds himself stuck in the same routine day after day receiving more and more bad news in the form of red envelopes. The bad news begins to pile up higher and higher until one day he receives a piece of good news in the form of a green envelope and he decides to focus on that instead of the bad.”

Director and Writer: Atlas Schnell
Key Cast: Felix Riley

Buy your tickets now at reeleasttexas.com and gain access to all films, screenplays, activities, and more with the VIP Weekend Pass!

Visit reeleasttexas.com to learn more about this as well as other #officialselection films.

#getreel #indiefilm #kilgoretx #reeleasttexasfilmfestival #filmfestival

🍻 We need volunteers to help us make Oktoberfes

🍻 We need volunteers to help us make Oktoberfest a success! Sign up and receive awesome perks, including our festival pass to enjoy all the fun! 🎉 Your support will help us keep the event running smoothly while you get to enjoy the festivities. Let’s make this year’s Oktoberfest unforgettable—join the team today! 🍂

Link to volunteer: https://volunteersignup.org/BAE3R

#VolunteerOpportunity #Oktoberfest2025 #REELBeerGarden #FreeMugAndPass #Prost

We’re excited to welcome Ruth Tullar of Big Sand

We’re excited to welcome Ruth Tullar of Big Sandy back to #KilgoreOktoberfest to tap the keg and celebrate the memory of her longtime dance partner and Oktoberfest fan, Glen Breazeale 🍻

Ruth and Glen were regulars at #Kilgore #oktoberfest for years, the former mayor of Ore City clad in lederhosen alongside Ruth in her traditional dirndl. They both won Best Dressed at the event, and there were few celebrations they missed up until Glen’s death last year.

We’re excited to honor Glen and feature Ruth as we toast them both Saturday, Oct. 11, in downtown Kilgore. Join us!

Skip the line and reserve your VIP spot or drink tickets now at via tlt.ad/reelbrews

#prost #GetReel #ReelEastTexas #VisitKilgore #kilgoretx #KilgoreMainStreet

Catch “It’s Hard Not to be Romantic About Time

Catch “It’s Hard Not to be Romantic About Time Travel” screening at the 9th annual REEL East Texas Film Festival this fall! This comedy/romance/sci-fi short film from Austin, TX will screen on Thursday, Nov. 6 at 7 pm during the“Opening Night” block in Texan Theater

Synopsis: “Armed with weed and a half-baked theory that love can bend time, two friends land five years in the past — totally unprepared for what comes next.”

Director and Writer: Michael Charron
Key Cast: Taylor Fredricks, Ronald Short, and Alyssia Rivera

Buy your tickets now at reeleasttexas.com and gain access to all films, screenplays, activities, and more with the VIP Weekend Pass!

Visit reeleasttexas.com to learn more about this as well as other #officialselection films.

#getreel #indiefilm #kilgoretx #reeleasttexasfilmfestival #filmfestival

See “It’s All Connected: The Art of Sustainabi

See “It’s All Connected: The Art of Sustainability” this fall at the REEL East Texas Film Festival! This educational/environmental feature documentary from Nashville, TX will screen Friday, Nov. 7 in the Berkely Theater during the “Roots & Rivers” block at 11:30 am

Synopsis: ““It’s All Connected: The Art of Sustainability” takes viewers on a tour of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, featuring its art, waterways, and often unseen corners. The movie showcases community leaders from Urban Green Lab, Cumberland River Compact, Nashville Waste Services, Nashville Zoo, Edgehill Garden, and Bell Garden along with Nashville Public Library. The film also explores what NPL is doing through its daily operations and collections to educate the public on sustainable practices through its Seed Exchange, Library of Things, and various community projects.”

Director, Writer, and Key Cast: Cameron McCasland

Buy your tickets now at reeleasttexas.com and gain access to all films, screenplays, activities, and more with the VIP Weekend Pass!

Visit reeleasttexas.com to learn more about this as well as other #officialselection films.

#getreel #indiefilm #kilgoretx #reeleasttexasfilmfestival #filmfestival

See "inDoctornated" at the 9th annual REEL East Te

See "inDoctornated" at the 9th annual REEL East Texas Film Festival this fall! This sci-fi documentary feature will screen on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 3:30 pm during "The Searchers" block at the Berkley Theater @4starcinema

Synopsis: "Step into the world where dreams are nurtured and aspirations take flight in inDoctornated.
This heartfelt documentary explores the profound impact of the beloved and long-running British sci-fi TV series Doctor Who on three American fans.
From a freelance writer reflecting on his journey crafting stories for an inclusive theme park, to a scientist working to protect our environment, to an engineer building technology that saves decades worth of film, inDoctornated delves into the power of storytelling to ignite passions, change lives, and ultimately change the world."

Directors: Chris Hansen and Ross Ruediger
Writer: Ross Ruediger
Key Cast: Brian Uiga, Sarah Roberts, and Lee Hurtado

Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/gXVOH8fGuYo?si=h6hZg_JD7ISd3KVh

Buy your tickets now at reeleasttexas.com and gain access to all films, screenplays, activities, and more with the VIP Weekend Pass!

Visit reeleasttexas.com to learn more about this as well as other #officialselection films.

#getreel #indiefilm #kilgoretx #reeleasttexasfilmfestival #filmfestival

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Summer Intensive

The 2025 Summer Film Intensive was a great success! Check out some of our videos here.

Information for the 2026 Summer FIlm Intensive will go early spring of next year

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