Silver City, NM – Roll ‘em! The Silver Screen Festival, taking place March 12, 2017, is an event promoting cinema in Southwest New Mexico. Last year, movie, television, and gaming production companies spent almost 400 million dollars in New Mexico. Most of that money was spent in and around Santa Fe and Albuquerque. The Las Cruces film community is attracting filmmakers to Southern New Mexico. The NMSU Creative Media Department and events such as the Las Cruces International Film Festival have drawn Hollywood’s attention, and Silver City is building off of that momentum.
The LCIF Festival (www.lciffest.com), taking place March 8-12, 2017, offers a variety of activities including screenings of 40+ independent films in seven different categories, workshops by industry experts, celebrity lectures, receptions and awards ceremonies. The kick-off film, “The Tiger Hunter,” will be introduced Wednesday night by its star, Jon Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite”), followed by a buffet reception at La Posta de Mesilla Restaurant. Film screenings begin at 10:00 AM Thursday morning in Allen Theatres Cineport 10, Mesilla Valley Mall. Brendan Frasier will present a lecture at NMSU following Thursday’s luncheon and his film will screen that evening. An outstanding achievement award reception will be held that evening at Hotel Encanto. Films run throughout the day on Friday. A screenwriter’s workshop with Mark Medoff (“Children of a Lesser God”) will be held in the afternoon followed by a “Getting Started in Show Business” workshop. NMSU will host a filmmaker reception catered by Andele’s Restaurant. Film screenings begin at 11:00 AM on Saturday. Johnny Galecki will be the guest at a private VIP luncheon and he will host a comedy workshop that afternoon with “Big Bang Theory” writer Don Foster (NMSU alum). The competition award ceremony at the Rio Grande Theater begins at 6:00 PM, followed by an awards reception at the Pecan Grill and Brewery.
Film lovers and other community-minded folks have the opportunity to support the LCIFF and the Silver Screen Festival. The Silver Screen Festival’s VIP raffle winner can attend all the afore-mentioned LCIFF events, and that winner will be notified following the drawing on February 22, 2017.
On Sunday, March 12, 2017, the Silver Screen Festival begins in Silver City. A screening of the award-winning documentary, “Insatiable,” starts at 11:00 AM in the newly-renovated Silco Theater in historic downtown Silver City. The second film, “The Quiet American,” will be shown starring Brendan Fraser at 1:00 PM. The final Silco film, “Katie Says Goodbye,” will be at 3:00 PM. The venue will change to the WNMU campus for the final screening, the Grand Jury Prize Winner from the LCIFF. The film will start at 5:00 PM in WNMU’s Light Hall. A reception for filmmakers and guests will follow at President Joe Shepard’s residence. Advance tickets for the reception and films are available at VIP raffle ticket locations.
The Silver City Rotary Club, in association with Western New Mexico University, appreciates your support of this premier event. The Silver Screen Festival is one step in promoting cinema in Southwest New Mexico. The Silver Screen Society is planning future activities. Contact Mark Richard at 575-537-5988 or send an email to silverscreensociety.scnm@gmail.com for further information or to join the E-mail list.