|
New Mexico Aims to 'Grow Its Own' Local Filmmakers Via New Program for Emerging Producers, Directors, and Screenwriters
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 10, 2006
Contact: Jennifer Levin
(505) 473-6502/jlevin@csf.edu
Diane Schneier Perrin
(505) 473-6417/ dsp@csf.edu
College of Santa Fe Launches New Mexico Filmmakers Intensive;
Offers Tuition Grants To N.M. Residents
Santa Fe, NM: Boosting the momentum of generous state rebates and incentives that have increased New Mexico's film production revenue nearly 40-fold, the New Mexico Filmmakers' Intensive (NMFI) is an immersive flimmaking program in producing, directing and screenwriting that launches in January at the College of Santa Fe (CSF).
"The state's $1 million grant supporting NMFI's mission to bolster above-the-line talent is the latest step in Governor Richardson's bold film incentive programs," says Jonathan Wacks (Pow Wow Highway, Crossroads/South Africa, producer of cult hit Repo Man), chair of the college's Moving Image Arts Department, which offers NMFI.
State incentives, including a 25 percent state tax rebate on all expenditures made in-state, an interest-free New Mexican film loan program and state-sponsored community college crew training programs, have paved the way for New Mexico to become a major player in the film and TV production business.
"The program aims to provide longevity for the state's filmmaking boom by increasing the number of New Mexican filmmakers," adds NMFI director Diane Schneier Perrin.
While NMFI is open to all qualified applicants, New Mexican residents receive priority admission and are exclusively eligible for college-sponsored tuition grants, which range from $2,000 to a full scholarship.
"NMFI is set up to increase the number of New Mexican stories being told," Schneier Perrin explains. "We hope to foster films that reflect New Mexican culture, with its rich and unique stories, perspectives, history and landscapes."
In its inaugural year, the program will admit up to 27 students, with plans for future expansion. NMFI provides $10,000 to each producer/ director team towards the finance of their approved summer production. Many more New Mexicans will benefit from NMFI thanks to the program's collaboration with state-sponsored below-the-line training program at Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) and Central New Mexico Community College (CNM). "The NMFI program will link up with the film tech training programs at SFCC and CNM to help train crew," explains Central New Mexico Community College's Jim "Grubb” Graebner. "In this way, NMFI benefits New Mexicans by generating [local] movies and training crews at the same time."
NMFI faculty includes such industry professionals as celebrated filmmaker Wacks, independent producer Schneier Perrin (Reversal of Fortune, Convict Cowboy, Run For the Dream) and screenwriter Tom Musca (Stand and Deliver, Tortilla Soup). Visiting Hollywood filmmakers, and moving image arts B.A. program faculty will offer workshops and public events in their field of expertise to support NMFI's comprehensive curriculum. Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree (in any field of study) or evidence significant film industry experience.
NMFI will be housed in CSP's state-of-the-art Garson Communications Center, adjacent Garson Studios, the only commercial sound stages owned and run by a higher education facility. North Country, starring Charlize Theron, Employee of the Month, starring Dane Cook and Jessica Simpson, and the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men were all filmed recently on Garson Studios stages. The College of Santa Fe's Moving Image Arts Department is nationally recognized undergraduate program founded in 1989. With a faculty of Hollywood, professionals hailing from top film schools such as University of California at Los Angle New York University, American Film Institute, and Cal Arts, both the undergraduate program and NMFI offer an alternative to programs that are located in "the shadow of Hollywood or New York," says Wacks.
"This department is full of filmmakers who wanted to return to the passion of what we do," Wacks explains.
"The NMFI's intensive instructional format is set up to nurture creativity, provide extensive hands-on practical experience, and deliver professional skills and the business acumen necessary to succeed in the film industry," concludes Schneier Perrin.
NMFI application forms can be accessed on-line www.filmmakersintensive.com or by calling (505 473-6400.
|
|