Cassie McClure

For Pulse

It’s time again for Las Cruces to inherit the air of Hollywood’s glamour at the Las Cruces International Film Festival (LCIFF).

Presented by New Mexico State University, the festival is set to showcase films and workshops from Wednesday, March 8 through Sunday, March 12. More than 2,000 people attended last year’s event and organizers expect more to attend this year. Eager filmgoers might need to hurry to get their tickets.

“There are only a limited number of VIP tickets available,” said Marsha San Filippo, executive producer of LCIFF.

Tickets for VIP are $150, but other tickets are available as well including an all access film pass for $75 and a student rate for $25. Tickets can be purchased online, at the Las Cruces Convention and Visitor's Bureau, 211 N. Water St., or at the NMSU Creative Media Institute Box Office located in Milton Hall at 2915 McFie Circle.

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Just added to the festival lineup is a screening 1992’s “School Ties” on 4 p.m. Thursday, March 9 at Cineport 10.

“It was like the Gentleman’s Agreement of my generation,” San Filippo said of the film, the first in which she had seen Brendan Fraser — the festival’s honoree for “Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment.”

Set in the 1950s, “School Ties” is about the perils of a Jewish students who is outed to his fellow classmates. The screening with feature a talk back with two local rabbi. San Filippo, who is also Jewish, related heavily to the filmed also in part that the writer was from her hometown of Scranton Pennsylvania

“It was poignant and eye-opening to me,” said San Filippo. Starring alongside Frasher is Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Chris O’Donnell, and she feels that the film is timely with the recent happenings in the United States.

“Stories that have value in our life need to be retold with more time-relevant actors to highlight activities that still happen every day; it’s a springboard for conversation,” she added.

San Filippo said the festival also aims to remind those in the film industry of Las Cruces being the Hollywood of the Southwest, and knows that the ties that the festival and industry has to the Creative Media Institute at NMSU and DACC will only lead to grow of the opportunities here.

“We have scenery and terrain that you won’t find anywhere else,” said San Filippo.

The festival selects outstanding short and feature length films, documentaries, student shorts and narratives of all genres from around the world as part of five days of festivities, workshops, after-parties and film screenings. The activities will be held at Allen Theaters Cineport 10 and at New Mexico State University.

Workshops are lead by recognized actor Johnny Galecki and writer and producer Don Foster of the “Big Bang Theory” who will give a comedy workshop. Other celebrities at the festival include John Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite” and “Blades of Glory”) and Rizwan Manji (“Outsourced” and “Wolf of Wall Street”).

It will be a return to home for Priscilla Moralez, who is originally from Las Cruces but spent the last 16 years working in Los Angeles. During the festival, she will take part in a Hollywood Casting Director’s Seminar, which will provide area actors, age 6 and older, a chance to hear what it takes to break into the business and what casting directors are looking for in an audition.

Some other workshops include a Screenwriter’s Workshop with Mark Medoff, Bill True and Paul Bernbaum; a Game Development Workshop presented by David Reichelt of Color Switch; a Film Workshop by Cinnafilm's Lance Maurer; a Getting Started in Show Business Workshop panel presented by Brian Espinosa, William Blaylock and Priscilla Moralez, at Hotel Encanto; a Make-up and Special Effects Workshop presented by Pepper Gallegos; a New Workshop in Minneapolis and an editor of the Los Angeles comedy magazine Laff Trakk; and a Color Correction and Post Production Workshop presented by Rob Bessette.

Cassie McClure is a freelance writer and may be reached at cassiemcclure@gmail.com.

If you go

What: Las Cruces International Film Festival

Las Cruces International Film Festival When: Event times vary. Wednesday, March 8-Sunday, March 12

Event times vary. Wednesday, March 8-Sunday, March 12 Where: Cineport 10, NMSU Creative Media Institute and Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces

Cineport 10, NMSU Creative Media Institute and Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces Cost: Individual tickets are available including an all-access pass for $75, student rate is $25, VIP tickets are $150 each

Individual tickets are available including an all-access pass for $75, student rate is $25, VIP tickets are $150 each Info: www.lciffest.com

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