Houston Film Critics Society announces independent film awards nominees, first TV special
Five Texas-made films have been named by the Houston Film Critics Society as nominees for its annual Texas Independent Film Awards (TIFA).
For the first time in the six-year history of this award, the films, artists and actors who contributed to their production will be the focus of a one-hour television special, scheduled to air on Houston’s local KUBE-TV station, at 4:00 PM CST on Sunday, January 31, 2021.
This year, eleven films were screened and selected by the Society’s nominating committee. Final voting by Society members will conclude on January 17. The TIFA winner, as well as the recipients of the Texas Independent Film Visionary Award and eighteen traditional categories, will be announced on Monday, January 18.
Nominees for the Best Texas Film of 2020 are:
- Boys State
- Miss Juneteenth
- Ready or Not
- The Vast of Night
- Yellow Rose
The Society created the TIFA in 2014 to spotlight the quality of independent films made in Texas. Each year, the Society welcomes submissions of films which were shot in Texas and financed outside the major studio system by small investors and/or independent production companies. The TIFA review and selection is overseen by Society members Joshua Starnes, who also served as past president of the Society, and Cary Darling.
“Each year, our slate of eligible films gets stronger and stronger” observes Starnes, “and, judging by the number that have found their way to major viewing platforms, movie fans are taking notice. The Society has made it our mission to shine the spotlight on these deserving films and the talented people who made them.”
The one-hour television special, which will be pre-recorded in Houston the week of Jan. 19, will include clips from each of the TIFA nominees, as well as interviews with filmmakers and cast members. The broadcast, hosted by Society members, will be available for viewing at no charge on Houston’s KUBE-TV channel, available on cable and broadcast systems. A list of channels for each provider can be found here.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- FINAL Frontrunner Friday Oscar Predictions of the 2025/2026 Season - March 13, 2026
- FINAL 2026 Oscar Predictions: BEST PICTURE and BEST DIRECTOR - March 13, 2026
- Satellite Awards Winners: ‘Hamnet, ‘Marty Supreme,’ ‘The White Lotus,’ Andor’ and More - March 10, 2026
FINAL Frontrunner Friday Oscar Predictions of the 2025/2026 Season 
FINAL 2026 Oscar Predictions: BEST PICTURE and BEST DIRECTOR 
‘I Love Boosters’ Review: Boots Riley’s Dressed to Excess Cartoon Revolution is Too Much and Not Enough [B-] SXSW 
‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’ Season One Review: Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer Momedy Hits the Mark [B+]