On March 1, the Las Cruces International Film Festival began its season with a poster reveal party at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum. The crowded room full of people cheered both as a new festival logo was revealed and the artwork for the poster, created by Las Cruce artist Vicki Henley, unveiled.
“I thought it went great,” said festival executive director Ross Marks. “It was the most (attendance) we ever had. The response to the new look and logo was terrific, and the artwork exceeded my expectations.”
Marks said organizers gave the festival a “total facelift.” With the new look and by ramping up the presentation, they are expecting filmmaker attendance to be higher.
“The new look is hip, edgy, funky and the ‘I’ in LCIFF officially stands for independent as well as international,” he said. “It embraces where we are.”
Leaning hard into the independent element, Marks said the guests this year reflect the spirit of independent film. Actor Ron Perlman, slated to receive a lifetime achievement award at the festival, has done many independent films. Jason Clark, known for the “Ted” films and series, has also been involved in numerous independent films. And Eric Roberts, the “king of independent films,” has more than 700 movies under his belt.
“I started this nine years ago because I felt like Sundance (Film Festival) abandoned the independent filmmaker and became more like a studio distribution house,” Marks said. “I really want us to fill that void.”
In addition to a panel on independent film making, workshops held during the festival include hair and makeup, producing with Jason Clark, and writing for film and television.
During the event, Marks said his third goal in life is to grow the film industry in southern New Mexico (the first is to be a good husband and the second is to be a good father).
“The goal of the festival is to elevate film in southern New Mexico and Las Cruces,” he said.
The five-day festival, April 3-7, will be live and in-person at the Allen Theatres Cineport 10. VIP passes are $150, All-Access Passes are $75, Day Passes are $25 and admission to the Outstanding Achievement celebrity screening is $25. Tickets are available now at www.lascrucesfilmfest.com.
Marks also teaches a class for NMSU students on how to produce a film festival. The event has drawn crowds of more than 10,000 people to the region.
