Future of film: NMSU student production 'Santa's Cousin' to screen in Santa Fe

“Santa’s Cousin,” a film created with students from the New Mexico State University’s Creative Media Institute, will debut this week in Santa Fe.

Future of film: NMSU student production 'Santa's Cousin' to screen in Santa Fe

The special screening will take place at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31, at the Violet Crown Cinema in Santa Fe. The event is hosted by the NMSU Foundation and is part of NMSU Days in Santa Fe, which is intended to promote the university and the Las Cruces community, according to an NMSU news release.

The film is a “heartwarming story” about Santa’s reluctant cousin, Colton, who works to save a Christmas Jubilee in Ruidoso and finds love along the way, according to the news release. The production, which was filmed in Las Cruces and Ruidoso, stars Eric Roberts, Johnathan Stoddard and Alexandra Harris.

“Santa’s Cousin,” is the fourth feature film made by NMSU students in the CMI program. Students received a full semester of credits, between 15 and 18 credits, for working on the film. The production was made with a crew of 50, which included 34 students.

Filmmaker and NMSU professor Ross Marks and Mitch Fowler, co-professor and cinematographer, worked with the students to develop their filmmaking skills.

“We asked the students, ‘What would you like to do on this film?’ and they said everything from production design, costume design, hair and makeup, camera grip and electric assistant director, and producing,” Marks said. “We decided, rather than hire professionals (to be department heads), which was originally our plan, we were going to actually give the students the opportunity to be department heads.”

One of Marks’ former students, Keagan Karnes, who has an Albuquerque-based production company called Inspirato, called Marks and pitched him the “Santa’s Cousin” script.

“(He) said, ‘I’ve got this charming script, and I’ve got the financing, would you direct it?’” Marks said. “Which was a thrill right there, that one of my former students would offer me a job, as opposed to usually hiring former students. And I said, ‘Yeah, but let’s do it through the CMI program at NMSU, and have the students work on it.’”

Karnes agreed and supported the idea.

“I knew it was going to be a special movie, and it was the most I enjoyed making a movie as a filmmaker, as a director,” Marks said. “It’s the most fun I ever had because the students were so excited and enthusiastic to be on that set each and every day, versus what happens quite often, and has happened to me in a number of cases. You work with experienced crew, and they’ve been in the business 20-30 years, and they’re a little jaded.”

The students’ enthusiasm created a “wonderful” work environment, said Marks.

“That translated to the finished product and what’s on-screen,” Marks said. “The enthusiasm and excitement of the students is what you see on screen.”

When CMI students are not filming, they are helping put on the Las Cruces International Film Festival, which Marks runs. The film festival is one of the largest in the country operated by a university.

Marks teaches a class in the fall where students learn to put on the festival.

“They’re actually programming coordinators combing through, I think this year, we have over 800 submissions,” Marks said. “And then in the spring, which is now, the students put on the festival. They do the marketing and promotion. They do the celebrity handling.”

The film festival has brought in some big names, including Brendan Fraser, Edward James Olmos, George Lopez, Giancarlo Esposito and William H. Macy, according to Marks. This year, it’s bringing in Academy Award and Emmy winner Helen Hunt.

The film festival draws about 10,000 people each year, according to Marks.

“Rather than do a field trip to Park City, (Utah,) to Sundance every year, I thought, let’s just bring Sundance to (the NMSU) campus,” Marks said. “... It’s really my philosophy on teaching, which is to learn by doing. I think that’s the best way to learn film and entertainment, is by actually doing it.”

Rozanna M. Martinez is the arts and entertainment editor of the Albuquerque Journal. You can reach her at rmartinez@abqjournal.com.