SW New Mexico News

The Las Cruces International Film Festival, which started a decade ago with an audience of around 3,000, is now expected to draw over 12,000 movie enthusiasts. In its inaugural year, the festival showcased approximately 60 films. This year, attendees can look forward to 162 films from 40 different countries.

"The festival has probably grown eight times in terms of the revenue we're now generating. The same would be true of the economic impact for the city," said Ross Marks, New Mexico State University's Creative Media Institute professor and executive director of the festival.

Scheduled for April 9-13 at Allen Theatres Cineport 10, the LCIFF is organized by NMSU and Visit Las Cruces. Sponsorship for the event has been increasing annually. Ticket options include VIP passes for $200, All-Access Passes for $100, Day Passes for $35, and admission to celebrity screenings at $35. Tickets are available at www.lascrucesfilmfest.com.

The LCIFF has become the largest student-run film festival in the nation. Between 80 to 100 students from NMSU's Creative Media Institute and Doña Ana Community College's Creative Media Technology program will collaborate under Marks' supervision to organize the event. The festival will feature ten panels and workshops on topics such as casting, screenwriting, and sound creation open to CMI students and community members.

Marks instructs two courses on film festival production. In fall, students select films and prepare for the event; in spring, they gain hands-on experience in producing it.

"The most rewarding thing is to see all these students who worked on the festival in year one, and now 10 years later they're all in the industry working and succeeding," Marks noted. "In fact, four of the students in that first film festival class are now people that we've hired to run certain departments for the film festival to work with new students."

The five-day event will feature a variety of films including feature-length works, shorts, and animations from both U.S. filmmakers and international creators. Alongside workshops and VIP parties, Las Cruces Public Schools will facilitate field trips for about 400 to 500 students.

Notable guests will attend alongside Academy Award-winning actress Helen Hunt who will receive an "Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment" award on April 10 followed by a Q&A session accompanying a screening of "As Good As It Gets."

"The festival is always so rewarding for me," Marks stated. "It's a lot of work and pressure but when I go to the theater and I see all the students running around getting that real-world experience that's the payday for me."

Details on films, workshops, special VIP events along with ticket purchases can be found at lascrucesfilmfest.com.