MovieMaker lists Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces among best places to live and work as a filmmaker

Film continues to be an economic driver in New Mexico — and the industry continues to take notice.

Three New Mexico cities have earned bragging rights from MovieMaker for the second year in a row.

The trade publication released its annual “Best Places to Live and Work as a Filmmaker” on Thursday, with Santa Fe topping the list for “Smaller Cities and Towns” for the second year in a row. Las Cruces is ranked No. 8, down one spot from the 2023 list.

Meanwhile, Albuquerque rose to No. 2 in the “Big Cities” category. Last year, the Duke City was ranked No. 5, a drop after claiming the top spot for a record four consecutive years.

Las Cruces notches its second year in the ranking.

Santa Fe has been in the top five since the small cities category was created nearly a decade ago, and Albuquerque has been ranked on the list for more than 15 years.

“The ranking shifts around a bit because of all the movement within the film industry,” said Cyndy McCrossen, Albuquerque Film Office liaison. “What we offer in New Mexico is the accessibility to filmmakers. We don’t have a lot of traffic, the cities are film-friendly and the permit processing is easy.”

MovieMaker names Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces as best places to live and work as a filmmaker

MovieMaker compiles the list through questionnaires to film commissions, talks with moviemakers and research into financial incentives, cost of living and overall happiness, as well as with in-person visits when possible.

“Last year, like the pandemic years, was a time to reset, as much of the industry shut down so striking writers and actors could get the respect and money they deserve for their work,” wrote Tim Molloy, Deirdre McCarrick and Margeaux Sippell of MovieMaker. “We suspect 2024 will be a better year for the industry as a whole, and every community on our list, since almost no one working in the film or TV industry had a great 2023.”

New Mexico’s Film Production Tax Credit has a base amount of 25% with a maximum credit of 40% for qualified spending made in New Mexico.

Each city’s film office works alongside the New Mexico Film Office to help bring productions to the state. The Albuquerque Film Office has three employees, the Santa Fe Film Office has one and Film Las Cruces has two listed on its website.

Jennifer LaBar-Tapia, Santa Fe Film Office commissioner, credits a lot of the success of the film industry to the local crew and film schools in the area.

“It works as an ecosystem,” LaBar-Tapia said. “The Native lands have invested into the industry, and there are local businesses that have set up shop. All of this collectively is what keeps the industry growing and thriving.”

LaBar-Tapia, who handles film productions in Santa Fe County and the city of Santa Fe, said just being in Santa Fe, which is a destination, helps sell the area to filmmakers.

“If filmmakers have a good experience somewhere, they are going to come back,” LaBar-Tapia said. “That’s what our job is. The film incentive package lays the groundwork and each respective film office helps push it forward. Santa Fe is the gateway to the north. We work closely with productions in Albuquerque as well as those shooting in northern New Mexico.”

With the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes taking place for the majority of 2023, LaBar-Tapia and McCrossen both acknowledge the significance of independent filmmakers.

“We have a really strong independent film community working here,” LaBar-Tapia said. “Through the strike, there were many independent productions going on.”

McCrossen said one of the productions that kept New Mexicans working was filming for the third season of “Bands of Enchantment.”

Though the production had a tight schedule, the city of Albuquerque was able to help out with a successful production.

“When a production, especially an episodic, is on a tight schedule, they might only have a half day to film here,” McCrossen said. “We have some episodics that make three company moves in a day. You can’t do that in Dallas or Los Angeles. We are nimble to where film productions get their money on the screen and not on the road.”

The film offices are expecting a big rebound after the strikes — one that will include productions of all sizes.

“We’re already busier now than last January,” McCrossen said. “The first two weeks of this year, we’ve issued more permits than last year. We have big-name projects like the new Vince Gilligan project. I recently had a call for a $10 million project wanting to film in April.”