Screenplays and song: ABQ Film + Music Experience offers a platform for visual and audio creatives to connect

The Albuquerque Film + Music Experience is a celebration and recognition of the interdependence and equality of artistry in the two mediums.

It returns for its 12th year with a variety of experiences and activities that educate through industry panels and workshops, connect creatives through networking events and parties, showings of domestic and international films and live music performances from Wednesday, Sept. 25, through Sunday, Sept. 29, at various locations including The Historic Lobo Theater, 3013 Central Ave. NE, and Guild Cinema, 3405 Central Ave. NE.

Screenplays and song: ABQ Film + Music Experience offers a platform for visual and audio creatives to connect

The theater and cinema will offer film blocks including narrative shorts, animation, documentary shorts, student films and horror shorts. There will be 30-minute filmmaker Q&A sessions after each film block. Live music showcases will rotate at various locations including Tractor Brewery, Nob Hill Stage at Public House and The Smoky Note. A full schedule is available at afmxnm.com.

“We have Patrick Fabian from (AMC’s television series) ‘Better Call Saul’ coming in for his film, which is the closing night film,” said Kira Sipler, executive director of Albuquerque Film + Music Experience. “So that’s one highlight. I just actually got a call from Alejandro Montoya Marin and his film is screening on Friday night. ‘The Unexpecteds’ has been sold out in Los Angeles and New York, and the next stop is New Mexico. So we’re hoping that we can sell that picture out as well.”

Marin, who has connections to New Mexico, is based in Los Angeles but hopes to do a film in Albuquerque, according to Sipler.

“He wants to be in Albuquerque, to do film in Albuquerque, but there’s not quite the industry yet to do (that),” she said. “We’re getting a lot of productions coming in from LA, from Netflix, that bring in their own people. So it’s like you have to follow where the work is. And he, from my interpretation, he wants to be here supporting local as much as he can, but there just isn’t the work yet.”

Sipler said this is where AFMX fills the void to bring people like Marin to film in the Land of Enchantment.

“When I hear that, that makes me excited about AFMX,” she expressed. “How can we bridge that gap? How can we support independent filmmaking here in New Mexico and keep talent here and bring in LA when we need them, in a sense. So that’s a conversation that I’m having with him, and he’s just really excited, because part of the cast (of ‘The Unexpecteds’) is from New Mexico. It was filmed in New Mexico. I think he’s really excited more (about) bringing it back to New Mexico than the other cities, which speaks to his pride.”

Another component of the festival is Stowe Story Lab, which has a special place in Sipler’s heart. Sipler was a Story Lab participant during its inaugural year in 2022 in New Mexico. The organization supports screenwriters and producers.

“To be chosen to be one of their labers was a great thing for me and so we invited them to our festival,” Sipler said. “We will have a representative from Stowe Story Lab to talk and support the screenwriting community here. Her name is Katerina Eichenberger. She’ll be moderating and she’ll also be presenting the award for our inaugural short screenplay competition. For me, that was like my little love letter to the screenwriting community. Stowe (Story Labs) is great and they continue to be a great influence here.”

Something Sipler has been wanting to do for years has come to fruition for this year’s event.

“We started our own short screenplay competition and it started off slow, but when it closed, we had over 70 scripts, which was far beyond what I ever expected,” she explained. “The judges are from out-of-state, and they’re professional producers and screenwriters, so it’s not like their scripts are being read from inside the state. They’re being read from outside the state and that’s how you get our talent seen, at least that’s one way. So I’m really excited about that.”

Another competition also brought in more submissions than anticipated.

“Our pitch panel competition, tripled in our number of people from last year who submitted,” Sipler said. “We are starting to get momentum from our community that says, ‘Hey, I have something to show. Can you please give me some advice? Can you give me feedback?’ And I think that’s really important.”

Sipler said she has not seen this kind of energy at other film festivals that she has attended.

“I’m sure it’s there, but to actually break down components of music and film and screenplay writing and bringing in people to keep that conversation going,” she added. “I’m so thrilled that we’re able to do that this year. They’re starting those conversations and are starting to get bigger people reaching out.

“And it’s great because more people are coming to me, going, ‘What if we did this?’ And I’m like, ‘Yes, we’re going to find that for next year.’ I think we’re starting to get the attention of people that we’re here for them. There are people, organizations here in New Mexico that want to foster that creativity.”