Katy Lea Cannon: The Story Behind WorldFest's 50+ Year Legacy, Film Strategy and more!

Katy Lea Cannon is the Executive Director of WorldFest - Houston International Film Festival, one of the longest-running independent film festivals in the world. She is leading the festival into its next chapter, honoring the legacy of its late founder and her father, Hunter Todd, while expanding its impact through filmmaker support, industry programming, and community engagement. In addition to her film festival work, Katy Lea is a well-being facilitator and yoga teacher, integrating somatic practices into creative spaces to support sustainable, inspired storytelling. For all you filmmakers out there, I encourage you to submit your films to WorldFest, the Houston International Film Festival later this year. This year’s festival runs from April 24th to May 3rd, 2026 at Memorial City Mall Cinemark. So many films, even a retrospective Oscar block, a great night to show indie filmmakers that you can reach the Oscars with your very first film. There will be seminars, panels, plenty of networking as Houston and Texas is becoming one of the most sought after locations for filmmaking with incredible tax incentives for both independents and studios. #filmfestival #filmfestivals #filmfestivalstrategy #film #cinema #filmmaking #filmmaker #filmdirector #screenwriter #documentaries #shortfilm #shortfilms #featurefilms #oscars #BAFTA