The Las Cruces International Film Festival will mark its 10th anniversary by giving its Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment award to Oscar and Emmy-winning actress Helen Hunt and screening her film As Good As It Gets.
The festival, which will take place from April 9-13, at New Mexico State University, will screen over over 100 films this year, including narrative and documentary features, short films, animation, and music videos from 50 different countries. The As Good As It Gets screening will be held April 10 at the at the Allen Theatres Cineport and will include a Q&A with Hunt.
In addition to honoring Hunt, LCIFF will celebrate Michelle Hurd with the “Outstanding Achievement in Drama” award, and Cyrus Nowrasteh will be recognized with the “Outstanding Achievement in Directing” award.
The Opening Night film, Brewmance, features Alex Moffatt, Kennedy McMann, Steven Ogg and Zoey Colletti and is directed by New Mexico filmmaker Keagan Karnes.
The Las Cruces International Film Festival and Rising Las Cruces Film Scene
The festival, promoted as the largest student-run film festival in the country, draws nearly 10,000 attendees each year.
“This festival is not only a celebration of film but also an extraordinary opportunity for our students whose hard work and dedication make this event such a success,” says Ross Marks, founder and executive director of LCIFF.
“Having been to over 60 film festivals as a filmmaker myself, it was my dream to create a world-class film festival in my hometown of Las Cruces, New Mexico with the students and for the students of New Mexico State University. The festival, now in its tenth year, has exceeded even my greatest expectations.”
Past recipients of the “Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment” award have included Richard Dreyfus, Giancarlo Esposito, Brendan Fraser, George Lopez, William H. Macy, Edward James Olmos, Ron Perlman, Cybill Shepherd, and Danny Trejo.
The festival comes at an exciting time for the Las Cruces film scene, and for New Mexico filmmaking in general. The city, just named for the third time to our annual list of the Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker, will break ground this spring on the New Mexico Media Arts Collective at New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Park, with plans to open at the end of the year.
The $15 million, 20-acre facility, with a purpose-built soundstage and other facilities, has issued a request for proposals from prospective partners who would benefit from a 40% refundable tax credit and other incentives.
To purchase tickets and for more information about this year’s Las Cruces International Film Festival, you can visit www.lascrucesfilmfest.com.
Main image: Helen Hunt in As Good As It Gets. TriStar and Sony.