SANTA FE —New Mexico Film Office Director Nick Maniatis announced today the feature comedy SEARCH PARTY will shoot in New Mexico.  Starring T.J. Miller (Cloverfield, How to Train Your Dragon), Adam Pally (Happy Endings, Iron Man 3), Thomas Middledich (The Brass Teapot, The Campaign), and Shannon Woodward (Raising Hope, Girlfriend), production will begin mid-June in Albuquerque.   

The production will employ approximately 78 New Mexico crew members. 

The film is produced by Paul Brooks (Perfect Pitch, Slither) and Ravi Nandan (Animal Practice, Best Friends Forever) and executive produced by  Scott Niemeyer (Perfect Pitch, Slither).  Scot Armstrong, who was the writer for The Hangover 2 and Old School, will make his directorial debut.  

SEARCH PARTY is the story of friends Evan and Jason who try to reunite their buddy Nardo with his estranged fiancé, whom they had scared off at the altar. After Nardo is carjacked and broke in Mexico, they begin a series of misadventures south of the Rio Grande.

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Visit the New Mexico Film Office online at nmfilm.com

SANTA FE —New Mexico Film Office director Nick Maniatis announced today the independent comedy SUN BELT EXPRESS to shoot in New Mexico, starring Tate Donovan (Argo), Ana de la Reguera (Nacho Libre), India Ennenga (Nobody Walks) and Rachael Harris (The Hangover).  Production will begin early June and end early July in Belen, Los Lunas and Albuquerque.  

The production will employ approximately 30 New Mexico crew members and 24 New Mexico principals and background talent.

Produced by Iyabo Boyd, an alumnus of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for Film & Television, and Jake Pokluda (Outside of Time, Red Mesa).  Evan Buxbaum (La Linea, Save Your Tears, Darling) to direct his first feature film based on his most recent short LA LINEA.

Set to the south of Tucson, Arizona in the Sonoran Desert, SUN BELT EXPRESS follows Allen King, an offbeat ethics professor who ends up on a disastrous – and often hilarious – run across the Mexican border with his conservative teenage daughter in tow, and four illegal immigrants in the trunk. It is a family road trip gone completely off the rails.  

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Visit the New Mexico Film Office online at nmfilm.com

SANTA FE —New Mexico Film Office Director Nick Maniatis announced today the production of the documentary television series COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey filming in May through early June in Santa Fe.  

The production will employ at least 80 New Mexico crewmembers, principal actors and background talent. 
 
COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey is the long-awaited follow-up to, COSMOS: A Personal Voyage, Carl Sagan’s stunning and iconic exploration of the universe as revealed by science. Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, American Dad, Ted) and Sagan’s original creative collaborator, writer/executive producer Ann Druyan, have teamed up to conceive this 13-part docu-series, which will premiere on FOX Broadcasting in early 2014.

Hosted by renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson (NOVA ScienceNow) and Franklin P. Rose, director of the Hayden Planetarium, the series will explore how we discovered the laws of nature and found our coordinates in space and time. 

Carl Sagan’s original series, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, was first broadcast in 1980, and has been enjoyed by more than 750 million people worldwide.

COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey is produced by Cosmos Studios, the Ithaca, NY-based company Ann Druyan co-founded in 2000, and Fuzzy Door Productions. Druyan and Steven Soter are the series’ writers. Druyan, MacFarlane, Cosmos Studios president Mitchell Cannold and Brannon Braga (Star Trek franchise, 24) will executive produce the series. Braga and Bill Pope (Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, The Matrix franchise) will direct the series. Jason Clark, (TED, 42) is the producer.

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New Mexico State Film Office is excited to announce the expansion of the New Mexico Filmmakers Program, which includes a new series of discussions entitled the "NM Filmmakers Experience” to be held at the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe. The New Mexico Filmmakers Experience consists of screenings and panel discussions, which take place the 3rd Sunday of each month from February to June. For more information, visit our website at: http://nmfilm.com/Filmaker_Programs.aspx  or contact Dirk Norris at 505-476-5671; dirk@nmfilm.com. These events are free and open to the public. 

The next and fourth Filmmakers Experience panel discussion is from the Native American Filmmaker perspective. What do Native American filmmakers think about making films in New Mexico? Come hear local Native Americans discuss their thoughts about filmmaking in the Land of Enchantment. The panel consists of Ramona Emerson, Jason Asenap, Socorro Gonzales, Melissa Henry and Pierre Barrera. 

Date: 		Sunday, May 19, 2013
Time: 		11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Location:	                Santa Fe Center for Contemporary Arts
		1050 Old Pecos Trail Santa Fe, NM 87505
		505-982-1338; contact@ccasantafe.org

Panelist Bios:  

Ramona Emerson (Navajo) is a filmmaker originally from Tohatchi, New Mexico.  She received her degree in Media Arts in 1997 from the University of New Mexico (one of the first two graduates of the program) and has worked as a professional videographer, writer and editor for over thirteen years.  

Jason Asenap (Comanche/Muscogee Creek): Jason Asenap is a writer and director from Walters, OK, now living in Albuquerque. He is influenced by art, music, and the southwest.  Asenap was a 2011 Sundance Native Lab fellow.  

Socorro Gonzales (Tewa/Ojibwe) born in Santa Fe but was raised in Stone Lake, WI, on the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation. She is part Tewa from San Ildefonso Pueblo and part Ojibwe from Lac Courte Oreilles. Shortly after enrolling at the Institute of American Indian Arts, she found her passion in film.

Melissa Henry (Navajo) is an artist and filmmaker, and the 2013 Eric and Barbara Dobkin Native Artist Fellow at the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe. Her latest film, Run Red Walk, premiered April 2011 at the Smithsonian National Museum American Indian Film + Video Festival and was awarded Best Short Subject at the 2011 Les Prix Présence Autochtone in Montreal.

Pierre Barrera (Klamath/Lakota) is a Native American filmmaker and actor who was born and raised on the Rosebud Indian Reservation and now lives in New Mexico. Pierre has directed six short films including The Burden Carriers and Whiskey Flats and has acted in many others such as In the Valley of Elah and Swing Vote.

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SANTA FE —New Mexico Film Office Director Nick Maniatis announced today the production of the Sci-fi thriller, The Signal, starring  Academy Award nominated Laurence Fishburne (Matrix franchise, Mystic River, 21, What’s Love Got To Do With It) and newcomer Brenton Thwaites (Maleficent), alongside Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel), Beau Knapp (You’re Not You), Sarah Clarke (Twilight franchise), Lin Shaye (Insidious) and Robert Longstreet (Take Shelter).  The production will begin filming mid-May through the end of June in and around Albuquerque, Los Lunas and Taos.  

The production will employ approximately 65 New Mexico crew members and over 35 New Mexico background and principal talent.

Directed by Will Eubank (Love) and produced by Brian Kavanaugh-Jones (Insidious, Sinister) and Tyler Davidson (Take Shelter, The Kings of Summer).

The Signal tells the story of three college freshmen who disappear under mysterious circumstances while tracking a menacing computer hacker through the southwest.  

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SANTA FE – Film Office Director Nick Maniatis today announced the State Film Office will host the New Mexico Film & Media Industry Conference. This two-day, networking event will include a series of panel discussions on incentives, financing, logistics, post-production and emerging media by industry professionals with exceptional credentials.  Attendees will also be able to meet representatives from a wide-variety of local vendors in the exhibit area.  

“This is a great opportunity for local filmmakers to get specific information about the industry in New Mexico,” said Director Nick Maniatis. “We have panels of experts to talk about a variety of aspects of filmmaking.”

This event is free to attend; however, space is limited and pre-registration is required.

		New Mexico Film & Media Industry Conference
		Friday, May 10. 2013 (Check-In at 11:30 am)
                                Saturday, May 11, 2013 (Check-In at 8:45 am)
                                Embassy Suites Albuquerque Hotel & Spa
		1000 Woodward Place NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102

To register, visit http://nmfoconference.eventbrite.com. For a complete agenda, visit the New Mexico State Film Office website http://www.nmfilm.com/2013_Film_and_Media__Conference.aspx.  Contact Outreach Programs Manger, Dirk Norris at 505-476-5671 or dirk@nmfilm.com for additional information.  

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SANTA FE —New Mexico Film Office director Nick Maniatis announced today that Brace Cove Productions is shooting “THINGS PEOPLE DO” in New Mexico starring Wes Bentley (Hunger Games, American Beauty), Vinessa Shaw (3:10 to Yuma) Haley Bennett (Untitled Malick Project V) and Jason Isaacs (The Patriot). Production will end early May in and around Albuquerque and Rio Rancho.  

The production will employ at least 25 New Mexico crewmembers and 100 New Mexico principals and background talent.

Produced by Sarah Green (Academy Award nominee - The Tree of Life), Hans Graffunder (Somebody Up There Likes Me) and Christos V. Konstatakopoulos (Before Midnight).  Saar Klein a two-time Academy Award nominee for his work editing Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line and Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous will direct.  Executive Producers include Doug Liman, Nicolas Gonda, Ryan Rettig, Michael Macs, Kurt Billick and David Klein.
“We’re delighted to be shooting “THINGS PEOPLE DO” in New Mexico,” states Producers Sarah Green and Hans Graffunder, “Great crew, great cast, great locations, and great weather.”

In “THINGS PEOPLE DO” Bill Scanlin (Bentley) loses his job and unable to tell his wife Susan (Shaw) for fear of losing his family, embarks on a life of crime.  He befriends a detective, Frank McTiernan (Isaacs), who has chosen to uphold the law for a living but believes very little in its value.  Ruby (Bennett) the first stranger to show him kindness inspires Bill to commit to a crime in her honor and he starts to enjoy his newfound power.  As Bill stays ahead of the law, he discovers that sometimes the only thing worse than getting caught is getting away with it.   

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Visit the New Mexico Film Office online at nmfilm.com

SANTA FE —New Mexico Film Office director Nick Maniatis announced today the production of the action Sci-Fi “Transcendence” starring  Johnny Depp (The Lone Ranger, Alice in Wonderland, The Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise), Morgan Freeman (Oblivion, The Dark Knight Franchise, Dolphin Tale), Rebecca Hall (Iron Man 3, The Awakening, The Town), Paul Bettany (Margin Call, the Secret Life Of Bees, The Da Vinci Code), and Kate Mara (House of Cards, Iron Man 2, 127 Hours).  The production will begin filming late April though the end of July in and around Albuquerque, NM.  

The production will employ approximately 250 New Mexico crew members and over 2400 New Mexico background and principal talent.

Produced by Andrew A. Kosove (The Book of Eli, The Blind Side), Broderick Johnson (The Book of Eli, The Blind Side), David Valdes (The Book of Eli, The Green Mile), Marisa Polvino (Brooklyn Rules, The Education of Charlie Banks), Annie Marter (Oh For Three) and Kate Cohen (Someone Marry Barry). The Dark Knight Rises and Inception cinematographer Wally Pfister will make his directorial debut.  

Transcendence is a visually arresting, original science-fiction thriller that explores the concept of identity and morality in the age of artificial intelligence.  

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SANTA FE —The New Mexico State Film Office is excited to announce the expansion of the New Mexico Filmmakers Program, which includes a new series of discussions entitled the "NM Filmmakers Experience,” to be held at the Santa Fe Center for Contemporary Arts. The New Mexico Filmmakers Experience consists of screenings and panel discussions, that take place the 3rd Sunday of each month from February to June. For more information, visit our website at: http://nmfilm.com/Filmaker_Programs.aspx  or contact Dirk Norris at 505-476-5671; dirk@nmfilm.com. These events are free and open to the public. 

Our third Filmmakers Experience panel discussion asks “What are the teenagers doing?” What are young filmmakers learning? What are their views of filmmaking in New Mexico? Our April panelists are Samantha Filer, Miguel Aguayo, Pria Jackson, Valeria Ojeda and Tatyana Zaval. This panel will be moderated by the Media Arts Collaborative Charter School Principal Glenna Voigt. 

Date: Sunday, April 21, 2013
Time: 11:00 am to 1:00 pm 
Location: Santa Fe Center for Contemporary Arts 
1050 Old Pecos Trail Santa Fe, NM 87505 
Phone: 505-982-1338; CONTACT@CCASANTAFE.ORG 

Panelist Bios:  Samantha Filer is a sixteen year-old home-schooled filmmaker who has written, directed, edited and composed music for a feature length narrative called, “The Sword of Arundel.” Miguel Aguayo is a junior at Capitol High School in Santa Fe who says production has turned out to be a main passion in his life. Pria Jackson attends the Media Arts Collaborative Charter School in Albuquerque.  She feels exposure to film led her to the conclusion that she could create documentary films. Valeria Ojeda, at the age of sixteen, began the “Film or Flight” film festival, which allows high school and college students to create a film in three days. Tatyana Zavala attends Atrisco Heritage Academy and has an interest in editing, set decoration, and wardrobe. 

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SANTA FE —New Mexico Film Office director Nick Maniatis announced today that the high-profile action drama JANE GOT A GUN is shooting in New Mexico starring Oscar winner Natalie Portman (Black Swan, V for Vendetta), Australian actor Joel Edgerton (Warrior, the upcoming The Great Gatsby), Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook, The Hangover), Noah Emmerich (The Truman Show, The Americans), and Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro (300: Rise of an Empire, Rio).   Production will take place in northern New Mexico through the spring.
The production will employ approximately 100 New Mexico crew members, including New Mexico resident and Unit Production Manager Alton Walpole (Crazy Heart, The Book of Eli)  and over 400 New Mexico principals and background talent, including James Burnett (The Last Stand, Longmire), Sam Quinn, graduate of the Santa Fe University of Art and Design and River Shields (Beyond the Blackboard, Reunion).

Gavin O’Connor, who directed Nick Nolte to an Oscar nomination in the action picture Warrior and Janet McTeer to a Golden Globe win in the drama Tumbleweeds, is directing.

JANE GOT A GUN is being produced by Scott Pictures’ Scott Steindorff (The Lincoln Lawyer, The Human Stain) along with Portman, through her Handsomecharlie Films, Brillstein Entertainment partner Aleen Keshishian (Our Idiot Brother, Hesher), 1821 Pictures’ Terry Dougas (Swing Vote, The Invention of Lying), and Scott LaStaiti (Love in the Time of Cholera, Turistas). Australian cinematographer Mandy Walker (Australia, Red Riding Hood) is director of photography. 

Based on a script that was named one of the Black List best unproduced scripts of 2011 and written by Brian Duffield (Monster Problems), JANE GOT A GUN is a Western about a woman who hires her ex-lover to help save her wounded outlaw husband from the gang out to kill him and destroy her.  

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Visit the New Mexico Film Office online at nmfilm.com