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Film Las Cruces has opened its studios to begin film productions and professionally train the next generation of crew members.
The 74,000-square-foot facility, located in the old Coca-Cola bottling plant near Interstate 10 and Main Street, can accommodate major motion pictures and television series as well as independent and student films and commercials.
State Senator Jeff Steinborn is the President of Film Las Cruces and said the studios along with its staff and partnerships will help grow the film industry in the city. But like any business, Steinborn said it will take time for the studios to gain recognition and attract customers.
“We’ve had film here in our region for a long, long time but as far as being major film production center, building that reputation and those assets take time and so people need to be patient with understanding this will take time,” Steinborn said. “But we’re working very hard.”
Data from the New Mexico Film Office shows film and television productions contributed $505.9 million to the state's economy in fiscal year 2017. That included 52 projects with a budget over $1 million.
New Mexico offers a 25 to 30 percent refundable tax credit depending on factors like the type of production, the number of episodes filmed and how many days the project is shot in-studio. Steinborn said the top film destinations in the country are those states with attractive incentives for the industry.
“So they are coming to New Mexico not just because of our vistas and our weather and our workforce but because of those incentives first and foremost,” Steinborn said. “So, what we’re looking to do here in Las Cruces is make ourselves competitive within the state and also attractive nationally speaking and be one of the real progressive communities for film to put Las Cruces on the map and attract production.”
Film Las Cruces is partnering with students from Doña Ana Community College’s film crew training program. They’ll have the chance to work in the studios with professionals and build sets.
Doña Ana Community College Arts Department Chair Matt Byrnes said many graduates of the school’s creative media technology program move away from New Mexico to look for work.
“They end up going to Atlanta or Savannah or Santa Fe or Albuquerque because that’s where the work is, and they don’t necessarily want to. And we’ve talked to many of our graduates who are doing very well in the film industry who are really excited about the potential, the possibility of coming back home and working in the southern part of the state. Especially because there’s so much here that people just don’t know about,” Byrnes said.
Film student Brittany Ramirez said she hated film before attending Doña Ana Community College but her perspective changed after joining the film program. Ramirez said she looks forward to working in the studios for class and having a new local space for a potential job after graduation.
“I work with all sorts of film students that it’s hard for them to travel or it’s hard for them to get out of state or even just to be noticed somewhere that’s not local, so for this to come here, it’s just like a whole new experience for all of us,” Ramirez said.
The 3rd annual Las Cruces International Film Festival, which celebrates independent film-making around the world, wrapped up what it calls its most successful showing yet with guest appearances from Cybill Shepherd and Pam Grier among others.
Attending a panel discussion with independent filmmakers was Tiffany Sherie Neeley, an Albuquerque actress and producer promoting the upcoming short film, The Divorce. Neeley said the project will be shot in Las Cruces and said it’s inevitable the film industry will continue to grow locally.
“It’s already happening in the surrounding communities like Albuquerque. There are people from L.A. that are moving to Albuquerque for work,” Neeley said. “So that’s inevitably going to reach out to Las Cruces especially with the connectivity that’s happening and the simple fact that we’re progressing, we’re moving forward, we’re making things happen, we’re taking action. We’re not just talking about it, we’re being about it. So it’s inevitable, absolutely.”
Time will tell if it’s inevitable but experts say having a space for filmmakers to call their own is a good start to keep cameras rolling in Las Cruces.
