Mise-en-scène:
Setting the Stage for High Caliber Film Production

A Tale of Two Festivals

Tamalewood had all its guns blazing, from up in the Duke City down to the City of the Crosses, as this past summer was capped off with the 3rd Annual Albuquerque Film Festival (Aug. 18-21) and the 6th Annual White Sands International Film Festival (Aug. 25-28). The festivals were a jovial coalescence of community and film, celebrating the cinematic accomplishments of New Mexico film production.

	Photo Captions
	(1)	Actor, director and writer Larry Bishop at the AFF Closing Ceremony.
	(2)	TNT's Falling Skies actor Colin Cunningham hamming it up on the AFF Closing Ceremony red carpet.
	(3)	Film 4 Change Founder and AFF Director Rich Henrich.
	(4)	Actors Kevin Farley and Hector Jimenez from the film White Knight sit down for an interview at the AFF.
	(5)	Actress Olga Segura and writer/director Jesse Baget from the film White Knight sit down for an interview at the AFF.
	(6)	Actor Dean Stockwell and Rich Henrich.
	(7)	Garson Studios in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
	(8)	Stage A inside Garson Studios.
	(9)	Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito and his daughter attend the AFF's Closing Ceremony.
	(10)	Cinematographer/Director Haskell Wexler honored at the AFF Closing Ceremony.
	(11)	Theresa Munoz poses for a photo-op with actor and WSIFF ifetime Achievement Award honoree Val Kilmer.
	(12)	Rob Sharp and Ken Binkley, of Wilson Binkley Advertising, providing comedic entertainment during the WSIFF Awards Ceremony.
	(13)	Udell Vigil, Director of Communications for the City of Las Cruces Public Information Office.
	(14)	Guests heading out to the after party in front of the Rio Grand Theatre proceeding the WSIFF Awards Ceremony.

The pair of festivals crafted an outstanding lineup of festivities featuring a variety of film workshops and panels hosted by esteemed industry players; a slew of star-studded VIP parties; and of course, an index of film screenings.

The 2011 Albuquerque Film Festival (AFF), a presentation of Film 4 Change, reveled in the "hip, cool, funny strange, social change," of independent filmmaking. The spirit of the late AFF founding father, Dennis Hopper, was omnipresent during the 4-day festival as the AFF honored actors Michael Madsen (Resevoir Dogs) and Dean Stockwell (Blue Velvet), and cinematographer Haskell Wexler (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) for their inspired careers and achievements in film at the "AFF Legend Awards" closing ceremony. The festival also attracted AMC's "Breaking Bad's" Giancarlo Esposito; TNT's "Fallings Skies'" Colin Cunningham; and actor/writer/director Larry Bishop, just to name a few.

The following 2011 White Sands International Film Festival (WSIFF), presented by the City of Las Cruces, granted audiences a powerful experience reflecting the beautiful backdrop of the City of the Crosses that's represented in independent filmmaking. The WSIFF bestowed New Mexico's own Val Kilmer (Tombstone) with their Lifetime Achievement Award; and commenced with the highly anticipated premiere of Tony Award winner Mark Medoff's Refuge, which brought out the film's stars, Linda Hamilton (The Terminator), Chris Payne Gilbert (10 Items or Less) and Lena Georgas (NBC's Prime Suspect) for an exclusive Q&A with moviegoers.

It's the triumphant success of these festivals that reveals the manifestation of a top-tier stage for film production that can continue to thrive through the fostered camaraderie of community and industry.

Looking Back to Fathom the Future

In his 2005 Stanford University commencement speech, Steve Jobs noted, "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward." In order to envision New Mexico as a leading platform for film production, it's effective to reflect on its deeply rooted history.

It was in 1898, when American inventor, Thomas Alva Edison, arrived in Albuquerque by rail. Indian Day School was produced by the Edison Company and filmed from a single-camera position on location at the Isleta Indian School. The Edison primitive was a black and white, silent documentary of Native American children attending school. Clocking in at just 50 seconds in length, Indian Day School was the first movie filmed and released in the New Mexico Territory, and one of the first ever in the American West.

Over the past century, New Mexico has blazed a trail across its enchanting landscape, leaving a litany of feature films in its tracks including Easy Rider, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, City Slickers, Young Guns, Little Miss Sunshine, The Transformers franchise, True Grit, 3:10 to Yuma, No Country for Old Men, Wild Hogs, The Longest Yard, Cowboys & Aliens, Crazy Heart, and the upcoming The Avengers just to rattle off the extensive list.

With its lingering backstory, filmmaking is indicative to New Mexico's future growth amongst its flourishing communities, exhibiting the talented and invaluable skill sets of its people.

Playing the Part

And it's the people that make "lights, camera, action!" tangible within the state. AFF/Film 4 Change Founder and Director Rich Henrich heeds, "The greatest resource you have is the people. The film industry in New Mexico has done really well by their people." Also a producer, Henrich recalls how it was Gov. Johnson who created the film incentives, planting the seeds for 'Tamalewood's' cultivation; and Gov. Richardson took that ball and ran with it. Henrich explains that he was the product of those incentives – he rented a compound in Santa Fe for one his productions, ultimately saving a local from going into foreclosure.

WSIFF Artistic Director Ross Marks heralds the integrity of New Mexico filmmakers. "The film crews in New Mexico work harder and take more ownership of their movies," he says. When Marks directed the film Homage in Las Cruces, he reasoned that the production values and "bang for their buck" was 10 times what they would've received in any other town noting, "There's plenty of local talent with lots of able and willing bodies. The people of New Mexico are warm and accommodating."

Reel Solutions CEO Ivan Wiener was a 2011 AFF executive producer and VIP concierge, speaking to those local film crews who raise the bar of film production in the state, "From union members to electricians, the crews in the state are the most experienced nationwide." As a local business owner, Wiener is well acquainted with the economic opportunities that local film production can afford. "The businesses throughout the state that support the industry are very friendly, offering the best services," he says.

New Mexico communities catch sight of the benefits of local film production from every perspective – job creation, training, education and insight into a prospering industry. New Mexico Film Office Director Nick Maniatis conveys that from a collective viewpoint, "big cities and small towns across the state have seen the economic benefits through great revenue in their hotels, restaurants, lumber yards, tent and care companies" and beyond.

And when it comes down to the more focused, individualized level, New Mexicans have seen the advantages through their work and careers. Noting that film industry jobs are extremely competitive in other states, Maniatis says, "Through the burgeoning of this industry over the last decade, we've now seen thousands of New Mexicans receive professional training in all aspects of the film industry, and thousands more students who are now training for these careers."

Persistence of Vision

Rich Henrich's perpetual effort for the AFF is that he aspires to position the festival as a superlative industry event, focusing on the art form and bringing together industry leaders and communities to spark dialogue. Likewise, Ross Marks endeavors to make the WSIFF synonymous with independent filmmaking, leading and inspiring a breeding ground for independent film and undiscovered filmmakers.

Nick Maniatis trusts that the vibrant New Mexico film industry will continue to resonate, film production reverberating throughout the state, saying, "New Mexicans, collective communities and elected officials can make that happen through the stability of our incentive program, continued film-friendly support and communicating the benefits the industry has had to local businesses in their area."

Throughout the duration of the AFF, Rich Henrich continuously alluded to a "persistence of vision" that brought the festival's inception through to its fruition. And perhaps it's this exact persistence of vision attributed to the voices of New Mexico film production that will sustain the swelling industry. And while it's the reliable sunshine, the vast array of enthralling landscapes; cutting edge soundstages and postproduction facilities, and a competitive incentive program that makes local film production exceptional, ultimately, it's the creative minds and diligent finesse of the people that make the New Mexico film industry incomparable.