NMFO: First, why don't you tell me about yourself?
RM: My name's Ross Marks. I am a filmmaker. I'm also a New Mexico State University's Creative Media Institute professor. I am also the executive director and the founder of the Las Cruces International Film Festival. I made my first movie in Las Cruces, a short film called "Scrambled Love," when I was a student in the theater department of NMSU before there was a film program. I made that in '91, then went to the American Film Institute, got my master's, and made my first big feature in '95, a movie called "Homage." We also shot that in Las Cruces. The late Mark Medoff wrote and produced it, and I directed and made it. And it won the Best Director Award at Sundance in '95. So, it kickstarted my career with that award, and then I directed other films. I've enjoyed making 18 movies and working with Al Pacino, Brendan Fraser, Faye Dunaway, and many great and talented actors. So, I've been blessed to live and make movies in the most significant state in the world, New Mexico.
NMFO: That's amazing. You've been able to work with quite a roster of folks. But starting from the beginning, what made you want to get into film in the first place?
RM: I wanted to be an actor and was a student at UCLA. At the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television, I met my wife, Deborah Medoff-Marks, now my wife of 33 years and partner of 37. And Deborah was this gorgeous young theater student with me. We both wanted to be actors. I was doing a play at UCLA, and she asked if I could bring my father to watch you in the play. I said, my God, yes. Mark Medoff, who won the Tony and the Academy Award for "Children of a Lesser God," would come to see me in a stage play and put me in his next movie. He just put Neil Patrick Harris into a movie called "Claire's Heart" and made him a star. And I thought, okay, Mark's gonna do it for me. I did the play and then went to dinner with Deborah and her dad, Mark. At dinner, I said, "Well, what do you think?" He said, "Kid, you need a lot of work." I said, "Well, what advice do you have?" He said, "The best thing I can do for you is tell you to transfer to New Mexico State University, where I run the theater department." Mark ran the theater department at NMSU. And he said, "Come work with me for two years. At the end of two years of studying with me at NMSU, I'll tell you if you have any talent or if you should go work for your dad." So I transferred to NMSU, worked with Mark for two years in the theater department, and did a bunch of plays as an actor. And at the end of two years, he said, "You know, you've got some talent as an actor. You might be able to make a living, but I think you'd be a great film director." He saw something in me that I didn't see, that I didn't even know. I'd never thought about directing movies. Being this incredibly generous, fantastic mentor, Mark sent me to LA and set up many meetings with producers, actors, and directors. The whole purpose of the trip was to learn how to become a film director because that was the path Mark suggested I take. So, I met with all these people, and they said there are two ways to become a film director. Either you get on a set as a PA, and you work your way up, and you do more films, and you learn, and eventually you get to direct, or you go to film school. And I said, "Well, where should I go to film school?" And they said you should go to the American Film Institute. AFI is the best film school in the country. So, I was in LA, drove to the AFI campus, walked into the building, and said, "I want to go to school here." They said, "Well, get in line. We get literally 3,000 people a year applying to come here. Have you ever made a movie?" I said, "I've never made a movie." They said, "We have to make at least one movie, one short film, so we can evaluate whether you have enough talent to come here." So I came back to Las Cruces. I told Mark I wanted to go to AFI, but I had to make a movie, and I had no idea how to make a movie. And he said, "Have you ever seen a movie?" And I said, "Yes." He said, "If you've seen a movie, you can make one." So I made this short film, "Scrambled Love," and sent it to AFI. I got accepted and have been making movies ever since. And that was the origin story.
NMFO: That's amazing. So you went to AFI. What made you come back to New Mexico after that, after getting the schooling and education?
RM: I'd lived in LA for a long time and had two children. LA is an excellent place for a single guy. It's a pretty good place for a married guy, but it's a horrible place when you have children. I found that it isn't easy to raise a family in Los Angeles. So I knew I couldn't continue living the Hollywood lifestyle as a filmmaker and be a good dad and husband. At that same time, Mark had started the film program at New Mexico State University, the Creative Media Institute, with Bill Richardson. Bill had asked Mark to start a film school to grow the crew base in New Mexico because the film industry was growing here. And Mark said, "Hey, we're starting a film program. You've got a master's, and you've made a bunch of films. Why don't you come to Las Cruces and teach film?" I'd never considered teaching, but I thought it was a great idea. So I moved to Las Cruces and started teaching and making movies, so I have the best of both worlds. I teach young people how to make movies, inspire and motivate the next generation of storytellers, and then I do it. And when I get to do it, the goal is to hire as many of my former students as possible, and I've been able to do that. And then, in the case of a film I did in '24 called "Santa's Cousin," not only did I hire former students, but I took 34 current students, and they worked on the film. So, I try to grow the film industry and employ as many CMI students as a filmmaker, directors, and producers. And that's really why I have three goals in life. I want to be a good husband. I want to be a good father. I also want to grow the film industry in Southern New Mexico.
NMFO: We have previously interviewed Keegan Karnes. He was one of the first interviewees that we did for this. He talks about how getting that hands-on experience at the college level helped him hone in on his craft and fully understand what film and film production looks like. I know you two recently worked on another project at the Las Cruces International Film Festival; how do you feel that you get to bridge these two things of mentorship and being able to create these projects on your own? From your side of things, what do you see from these students as they're coming out of these projects?
RM: So, first of all, my greatest joy as a father is watching my kids succeed, and my greatest joy as a teacher is watching my students succeed. So Keegan Carnes has brought me so much pleasure with his success. He produced "Walking with Herb," which he and I did with Edward James Olmos and George Lopez Keegan did a fantastic job, and he produced "Santa's Cousin," and then he said, hey, I want to direct what you produce, so I produced "Brewmance." But watching him on set directing and coming to my house the day before he started shooting was the same thing I did before I made the movie, "The Twilight of the Golds." I went to Gary Marshall's house. He was the producer. I was the director, and Gary gave me great advice, not just on how to be a director but on how to navigate the movie industry. So I gave Keegan the same advice, even though I've been giving Keegan advice for years and years now because he was a student of mine. So, it's been so rewarding to see Keegan succeed and to work with him on several projects. We have another project we will be making in May called "Holiday Hearts" that Keegan's producing, and I'm directing and producing with Keegan. So we're excited about that. As a teacher, I find the greatest joy in the world is seeing students like Keegan succeed. And I recently went to the film set of "Protector," which is shot here in Las Cruces with Mila Jovovich. I walked and visited the set, saw 30 of my former students working, and smiled. That's a beautiful thing because you teach and train these kids to go out into the world and succeed, and when they do it, it's better than my success; it is.
NMFO: As we continue building up our local crew base here in New Mexico. It's just continuing to grow more and more. What do you see in Las Cruces, as an educator and then on these sets, seeing this crew base grow in Las Cruces becoming a production hub?
RM: New Mexico, as you know, and anybody better, is a vast film and television entertainment industry. And it's primarily been in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. So, for years and years and years, when a student graduated from our program at NMSU, they would have to move up to Albuquerque to work, even though they wanted to stay in Las Cruces because we didn't have the work. Then, films would come down to Las Cruces and say they wanted to make a movie here, but there was no crew base because they were all up in Albuquerque. So, rather than bring all the crew from Albuquerque to work in Las Cruces, they would go up to Albuquerque. So it was a chicken and egg. We didn't have the crew base, so we didn't have the work. We didn't have the work, so there was no crew base. But now that's starting to change. Over the past couple of years, that has begun to change significantly. We have a complete union crew base now. We've got about almost 50, 60 people. Our students who have graduated have been trained and teaching. They're staying here in town. In addition to teaching at NMSU, making movies, and running the film festival, I am the Associate Deputy Director of the New Mexico Media Arts Collective, an initiative our governor created to grow the crew base specifically. So, my job, specifically when it relates to the MAC, is to expand the crew base in New Mexico. So, we're doing several different seminars, panels, and workshops that the MAC sponsors. We did one last weekend, OSHA safety training. We did one, two, and three weeks before, exposing the industry to different IATSE jobs. And then we're doing another one this weekend. So we're teaching, training, and most importantly, retaining young people to work in the film industry and doing something on a cross training. One of the ways we're going to grow the film industry through the crew based out here is by taking people who are already working in similar areas and getting the work in film. Carpenters work in production design, electricians work grip and electric, and hairstylists work in hair and makeup. So that's also helping us grow the crew base. And people in Las Cruces in Southern New Mexico are super excited about the film industry, the jobs it creates, what it does for tourism, and what it does for the whole community. So I've gotten a lot of support through the film festival. I have a lot of support as a filmmaker and as a teacher. And now, with the Mac, we're seeing the crew increase significantly.
NMFO: Looking at these workshops and these training programs you're doing with the NM MAC, you're getting a large turnout. These folks in their regular work trade may not have previously understood that they can join the film industry or that their skill set is needed on a film set. It expands their capacity for work going forward.
RM: There are not many high-paying jobs in New Mexico. We're limited in our industry. I love that our governor has invested so heavily in film. The legislature supported her because these were high-paying jobs. I can look a student in the eye and tell them, hey, when you graduate, you can make an excellent living if you stay with it, commit to it, and do a good job. And they are students like Keegan and just dozens and dozens and dozens of my students. I was in Albuquerque just a few weeks ago, filled my car with gas, and went in to get a Gatorade at the gas station. I bumped into one of my former students. Said Professor Marks, I didn't see you forever. I said, how are you doing? She goes, I'm just leaving the set of "Dark Winds." I've been on the show for two years, working full-time, and things couldn't be better. And again, I make it feel great to hear those kinds of stories.
NMFO: I want to discuss the film festival. How did it start, and what made you want to ignite a film festival in Las Cruces?
RM: So when I started teaching at NMSU, I asked myself, what were the most important lessons I learned as a young filmmaker, and how can I then share those with my students? The most life-changing lesson I learned was attending the Sundance Film Festival 1994. I went for the first time just as a film fan, and it opened my eyes to independent film. I had been running around the studio system in LA; I sold a script to 20th Century Fox, but it wasn't made. I sold the script to TriStar, but it didn't get made. It was great that I got a little money and could keep eating and keep a roof over my head, but my movies weren't getting made. And then, at Sundance, I discovered you can make your movies. You can raise whatever money you can, figure out how to do it, and do it independently. Sundance was a celebration and convention for independent filmmakers. Were writers, directors, actors, producers, and production guys at Cinematar focused on independent filmmaking? And it changed my life. Then, I went the following year with a movie as a director, won an award, and went two years after that with another movie. And so, Sundance and that festival have been formative in my life. And so I thought, how do I give that experience to my students? I knew I could do a field trip to Park City. So, I started my film festival here in Las Cruces to parallel and chase what Sundance did. And then I thought, well, if I'm gonna do it in Las Cruces, for the students, I should do it with the students and have the students put it on. And 10 years ago, we started this thing. And I took the students, I said, let's figure out how to do this. It was a small festival 10 years ago. I had one guest, Danny Trejo, one person, and it was great. We had 1500 people and 60 films, and now you know, fast forward 10 years later, over 700 students have worked at this film festival. Over a thousand filmmakers have come to Las Cruces for the film festival. And this year, we'll have 160 films from 40 different countries. We'll have over 24 guests, including Academy Award winners Helen Hunt, Michelle Hurd, and SNL's Alex Moffat. And we'll have between 10 and 12,000 people. So I never imagined it would grow into what it's become. It's the most significant event in Southern New Mexico. At the legislature just a few months ago, the state tourism office asked me to speak on behalf of the film festival because it's crucial in Las Cruces and the state. It's the largest student-run film festival in the country. It's one of the most prestigious film festivals in the country. And it just became this, that was never the plan. I just wanted to create this kind of classroom for my students. So, and it's still that. The students still do the programming and marketing, drive our celebrities around, sell tickets at the theater, and do the Q and A's, panels, and workshops. So it's still very much student-run. So it's not just the largest film festival in the country. It's the largest classroom in the country as well.
NMFO: And bringing in that hands-on experience at that level of education is essential. Getting into my career was an internship that allowed me to navigate how things would go and that gave me a springboard into my next job and my next job. So, establishing that skill set at such a young age is remarkable.
RM: Mm-hmm. Yeah, the best way to learn is by doing. The best way of learning is through hands-on experience. You try something, it doesn't work. You learn. That's a great lesson. Please don't do it again. You try something, it works. I think it works great. You keep it, and you do that again. So I'm a big, firm believer in learning through practice, learning through doing it. And that's what the film festival is all about. I told the students last week that as we head into this thing, there will be high expectations from the audience, film fans, filmmakers, and guests like Helen Hunt. And I said, we're gonna make mistakes and fail, but the good news is we will learn a lot.
NMFO: And that's what it's all about because unless you try, you don't learn unless you've made a mistake or two.
RM: Yeah, the best teacher in the world is a failure.
NMFO: What can those attending or thinking about attending the festival expect?
RM: Our opening night film, as we mentioned, is "Brewmance," a locally made movie. Keegan Karnes directed that film. All Southern New Mexico crew shot in Southern New Mexico. So opening the festival with that film is important because it's not just a celebration of the festival and cinema; it's a celebration of films all over Southern New Mexico. So that's gonna be a great night. The two stars, Alex Moffat and Kennedy McMann, will be in town. Then, on Thursday, we pivot into Helen Hunt Day. Helen Hunt, of course, was a four-time Emmy winner and Academy Award winner. She's gonna speak on the New Mexico State University campus for free at the Center for the Arts. That's at two o'clock. And then that night, we'll do a screening of her iconic film "As Good as It Gets." She won the Academy Award, Jack Nicholson the Academy Award, the film the Academy Award, and James L. Brooks the Academy Award. So we're gonna screen the film that night.
NMFO: Such a good movie. The younger generation probably doesn't understand that movie, but that movie was so good.
RM: Yeah, and so we're excited to screen it. Then, you know, the cool thing about film festivals and our film festivals is you get to watch a movie and hear from the filmmakers. You see, I love movies. I watch a movie twice or thrice a week and have many questions. There's no filmmaker there, but they are at a film festival. So here you get to watch "As Good as It Gets" and hear from Helen Hunt. Ask her questions about the movie and her experience. And then, on Friday, we're honoring a filmmaker named Cyrus Nowrasteh. We're going to screen a film of his called "The Young Messiah." Cyrus went to New Mexico State University for two years and has received great acclaim and success as a director. We have a bunch of panels and workshops that day on Friday. We've got a screenwriting panel, we've got a Foley panel, we've got a stunt panel, we've got an independent filmmaking panel. And then on Saturday, we've got some great panels. We've got a casting panel at the Rio Grande Theater at 11 o'clock on Saturday the 12th. We've got an incredible panel exploring the "Star Trek" universe with actress Michelle Hurd, three writers, and another couple of actors. So, if you're a Star Trek fan or interested in how you create a series, that's a great panel to be on. And then our award show that night is always a lot of fun. Of course, every night, we have these killer VIP parties where you get to hobnob, and you get to interact with the filmmakers and sponsors and all the gas. So people love our VIP parties. I do, too. I usually don't stay out that late, but I do during the film festival.
NMFO: Well, it's very well-rounded, whether you want to learn how to get into filmmaking, screenwriting, or anything along those processes. If you're a film enthusiast and want to watch some films, it's a great place to be. I just attended a screening recently with a family member of mine. And, of course, I'm a film enthusiast. This is what we do. This is why we love it. But they're not as much into the film scene or the filmmaking. And there was a panel event afterward, and at the end of it, she was just like, that was the coolest part. Not only could I see what was made, but everybody talking about it made it much more fascinating. It sounds like you have everything well-rounded and buttoned up.
RM: All things film. My wife criticizes me all the time. She says you're the most one-dimensional person in the world. All you talk about and think about is film. Your only area of knowledge is film. All you want to do is watch movies or make films. She's like, I would love it if you had another area of interest. So I took up golf, and that's what it is.
NMFO: Hey, do what you know. If folks want to attend the festival, what would be the best way to do that?
RM: Exactly. So we've got a comprehensive website. That's lascrucisfilmfest.com, which has our schedule and synopsis of all the films. It talks about the panels, the workshops, the celebrity guests, and how to buy tickets. There's a link there to purchase tickets. So if you go to our website, lascrucisfilmfest.com, everything you need is there. The beauty of the...
NMFO: How do folks get to know you better if they want to get in touch with you or learn more about your teaching at New Mexico State and all the things going on down there?
RM I've got a Facebook page, I've got an Instagram page, and I'm a big believer in helping and mentoring young filmmakers. I've got a movie coming out in June that I did with Al Pacino, and I produced it for a young filmmaker I met at the film festival. I thought he was so talented, I said, wanna help you make your next movie. And now, coming out in June with Al Pacino, Dan Stevens is a film I produced called "The Ritual." So, I'm always looking to help, motivate, inspire, and guide young storytellers in this arena and this medium, as Gary Marshall and Mark Medoff did so graciously for me. Please feel free to contact me through my NMSU email, which you can find on the NMSU website. You can reach me; just come to the Film Festival and grab me and say, hey, I have a question, and I'll give you the answer. So, I'm accessible, available, and always want to help.