By Janay Boyd | Reporter
What began as a small project funded by a grant from the Waco Indie Film Festival in 2022 has since blossomed into an internationally celebrated work, known as “The Heart of Texas.”
The film, co-written and directed by Gregory J.M. Kasunich, was longlisted for an Oscar nomination and won Best Original Score at the Cannes Indie Short Awards. Most recently, it received formal recognition from the Texas House of Representatives due to a resolution introduced by State Representative Pat Curry.
The storyline follows an aspiring country singer from Waco who becomes a radio contest finalist and races to audition for her hometown idol. Along the way, she crashes into Jesús, an undocumented worker. Their collision sparks a story of resilience, identity and the pursuit of the American Dream.
Kasunich shared that the inspiration for “The Heart of Texas” came in a quiet, reflective moment. While living in Los Angeles, he witnessed a car speeding dangerously close to a landscaper. It left him wondering about the man’s legal status — and what would happen if he were undocumented and injured.
“The question of [whether] somebody who is injured [would] not seek help, not seek authorities or not seek healthcare for their own benefit, because they were afraid of the outcome … was the seed that stuck in my head and started the script,” Kasunich said.
What stayed with him was the broader systemic issue. Healthcare should be a basic right, and the idea that someone would actively choose not to act in their own self-interest due to fear of retribution is an injustice, Kasunich said.
“I wanted to speak to it in an authentic way so that I could bring my experience to it, so that I wasn’t just telling the story about somebody, but rather through a lens that I understood,” Kasunich said. “That’s why the story is told from the point of view of a white artist who is trying to become known for her work and seek her own American dream.”
Initially, the script was set in Los Angeles, but after attending the Deep in the Heart Film Festival — now known as the Waco Independent Film Festival — Kasunich was struck by the city’s creative spirit.
“We realized the themes of the film would actually be better suited as a Texas story than a California story,” Kasunich said. “It feels more immediate and more relevant being set in Texas. We wanted it to be a smaller town, truly in the heart of Texas.”
Winning the festival’s grant in 2022 was more than a financial boost — it was creative validation. Even as the film reached Oscar-qualifying festivals and international audiences, Kasunich said the recognition by the Texas House of Representatives has been deeply moving.
“When you create something, you can never really understand, know or anticipate what kind of effect or impact it’s going to have,” he said. “It’s being formally recognized in the state where we made it, even though it has themes that are potentially critical of some policy. I just found it to be incredibly validating.”
The film has resonated with audiences from around the world — but perhaps most powerfully, it’s struck a chord with young Texans. David Cobos, a Ulvade native, now living in Dallas, knows that struggle firsthand.
“The film made me feel seen, in a way,” Cobos said. “It’s rare to see stories like this that reflect the struggles people face around here, just trying to make something of yourself even when the odds are against you.”
In the end, “The Heart of Texas” stands as a testament to the power of independent storytelling, especially when grounded in compassion and authenticity.
“There’s a million reasons not to make a movie,” Kasunich said. “But with enough time, energy and belief, a story can travel far … It doesn’t matter what level you’re at, if you have something to say and you have the means to say it, I would encourage anybody to do that.”
