Over 100 films screened during Las Cruces International Film Festival
Leah Romero
LAS CRUCES – The Las Cruces International Film Festival takes over Las Cruces for five days each spring bringing local and visiting filmmakers together to share their work. Feature length films, shorts, documentaries, narratives and even music videos are featured throughout the week.
Over 100 independent films created by local and international filmmakers were screened for audiences this year, including “State of the Unity” and “Abnormality.”
‘State of the Unity’ documentary feature film
“State of the Unity” is a 2022 documentary feature film directed by Nathaniel Hoff and Jillian Speece. The couple make up the band “The Bergamot.”
According to IMDb, “In 2016, the band "The Bergamot" took a timely journey to perform in all 50 States inviting people to sign their message of unity on their car. What ensued is a heartwarming tale of empathy and understanding during a polarizing time.”
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
“In 2015, we were starting to see that there was like a change happening in the country and we really kind of felt like there was just this energy that wasn't really being shown but kind of was going in the undercurrents of our country. And so we thought, we want to put something out there that's really positive that connects people in a message of positivity and can bring people together,” Hoff said. “So, we thought, OK, we'll have people sign the car. That's an act of unity. It's kind of like standing next to each other in solidarity. And we thought, the best way to share this would be to just capture everything. So to just turn the camera on, let people talk into the camera, let us be the kind of conduits for the message and hopefully in the end we will learn something.”
The couple explained that Hoff’s grandfather, Charlie Webber, passed away in late 2015. In reflecting on the man’s life and death, Hoff had an idea.
“We went into the unity car and he put his hands on the steering wheel in the unity car and it was just like kind of quiet, like when you're just like processing their life, and you're thinking about your life, you’re thinking about like, ‘I can't believe he's gone.’ And he just had this completely divine lightning idea and it was ‘you need to go now and bring people together in America.’ And that's where it started,” Speece said. “He told me and I had like full body chills.”
They quickly got to work raising money for the trip and prepared to leave. “The Bergamot” hit the road Jan. 2, 2016 and started the 50-state trip in New York City.
It took them eight months — 264 shows and over 200 cities — to visit all 50 states.
The film shows the highs and lows throughout the journey, from booking engagements at the last minute and having the car broken into, to finding people sharing similar messages of unity at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
“What we always say is that we were so done with the project at so many times, but this project was never done with us,” Hoff said.
They added that the divisiveness in the country during the 2016 election year was disheartening, and continues to be, but there is hope in small acts of kindness and empathy. Hoff suggested making the effort to get to know your neighbors or smiling at a stranger can be the start of a larger shift.
“As the tour evolved and as I met thousands of people and asked them the question, ‘what does unity mean to you,’ my whole concept flipped,” Speece said. “There's a really powerful point in the film. We brought on this thought leader, his name's Dr. David Hooker, and he said, ‘it's not a shared narrative of a future, it's a narrative of a shared future moving forward that's going to get us out of this.’”
“State of the Unity” screened Friday afternoon, March 14 for a full audience at Cineport 10. The couple answered questions and performed an acoustic version of their song, “Paradise.”
‘Abnormality’ local feature film
In a next-door theater, local filmmaker Xzavier Estrada had the chance to screen his feature-length film “Abnormality” for audiences on the big screen. Estrada is a young filmmaker from Las Cruces. “Abnormality” is his second film which premiered in 2022 at the Rio Grande Theatre.
Estrada said LCIFF is the first film festival his work has been featured in, but he is applying to several upcoming festivals in Texas.
“Abnormality” is about “a deranged and murderous family man (who) toys with a detective who is seeking revenge for the death of his sister.” Estrada told the Sun-News last year that he was inspired by a documentary of a similar situation and wanted to explore what might happen if the convicted man was released from prison.
Estrada is currently working on another project, in partnership with his friend and actor, Devin Macias. The two are co-directing a project that deals with child abuse and how a young boy tries to survive his circumstances by finding solace in a friend. The film, “The Apple Orchard,” is still in the script writing stage, but Estrada said they hope to begin filming in 2024.
LCIFF Executive Director and filmmaker Ross Marks may even join the production team, Estrada said.
“We just need a budget and actors to come down,” he said.
Winners of the 2023 Las Cruces International Film Festival
The festival awards ceremony was held Saturday, April 15, at the Rio Grande Theatre. Filmmakers, their families and friends and notable community members all gathered to celebrate the independent film work highlighted throughout the week.
Category winners include:
- Best Local Film — “Arkansas, etc.” by Brandon Tyler
- Best International Film — “Everything” by Max Cooper and Nick Cobby
- Best Music Video — “Straight to the Morning” by Hot Chip feat. Jarvis Cocker
- Best Student Film — “Finding the Lighthouse” by Michael Cox
- Best Animated Short — “The Visit” by Morrie Tan
- Best Documentary Short — “Game Hawker” by Brett Marty and Josh Izenberg
- Best Narrative Short — “Deaf” by Nuria Muñoz-Ortin and Eva Libertad
- Best Cinematography — Luis Gutierrez for “Arkansas, etc.”
- Best Screenplay — Doug Montoya for “Third Act”
- Best Documentary Feature — “State of the Unity” by Nathaniel Hoff and Jillian Speece
- Best Director — Julien Jarry for “The Art of Work”
- Audience Choice — “That Tingling Sensation” by Ryan Rox
- Best Narrative Feature — “Sweet Disaster” by Laura Lehmus
- Grand Jury Winner — “State of the Unity” by Nathaniel Hoff and Jillian Speece
- 48-Hour Film Challenge winners:
- Third — Team Sun Ursa
- Second — The Goons
- First — Team Dino & Rice (winners in 2022 as well)
- Audience Choice — Team Sun Ursa
Hometown Hero and Outstanding Achievement in Drama
Two special awardees were also recognized during Saturday’s ceremony. Local entrepreneur Marci Dickerson was recognized as the 2023 LCIFF Hometown Hero for her work supporting filmmaking in Las Cruces.
“There is one thing that makes me effective and one thing that makes me great and one thing that makes me able to change the world when something happens, and that’s the support of all of you and all of my donors,” Dickerson said.
Dickerson is the owner of Dickerson’s Catering and the founder of the non-profit Revolution 120. She is most recently part of the group of local women who started Cancer Warriors Las Cruces, which provides care packages to women undergoing cancer treatment.
“Better Call Saul” actor Patrick Fabian was the final awardee of the night. He was recognized as the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement in Drama awardee. He and his wife, Mandy Fabian, attended the ceremony.
Fabian is well known for playing Howard Hamlin in “Better Call Saul” and other roles in television and film such as “The Last Exorcism,” “Atlas Shrugged II: The Strike” and “Must Love Dogs.”
“What I'm overwhelmed with and taken by again in New Mexico is the sense of community,” Fabian said. “Thank you for inviting me into your community of Las Cruces. Thank you for inviting me back to New Mexico.”
Fans also know Fabian from his guest roles on such shows as “Desperate Housewives” and “Reba.” He spoke of his career and the fact that he managed to “live his dream” of acting.
“I’d done 13 failed pilots. I watched my friends who I golf with become the ‘Friends,’” Fabian said. “In that interim, I managed to be a working artist. I managed to go ahead and live my dream. It didn’t make me rich. It kind of made me a little famous … but you know what I mean, it wasn’t ‘Saul.’ But had it stopped right there, I won. I already won.
“The point is I came here in the middle of my life … with an incredible job that I didn’t know was going to be lifechanging, in the fact that people recognize me and that’s great. But really the life change came within because I came to New Mexico and I was greeted with open arms as part of this community, that's outside of the idea and the reality of Los Angeles and the idea and the reality of New York City, and it reminded me and showed me a path forward and a future. And I thank you for letting me be a part of it and I hope to continue to be a part of it.”
Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, LRomero@lcsun-news.com or @rromero_leah on Twitter.
Others are reading: