September 18, 2026 | Filed under:
Anton Sigurdsson has found his cinematic muse – and it’s the state of New Mexico.
The Icelandic filmmaker has found that the New Mexico crews work well with the locations and the film tax incentive. This is part of the reason he brought his second feature film, “Pandemonium,” to Las Cruces.
According to the production company, the film explores the delicate balance between growth and chaos, and the lengths people may go to achieve personal evolution.
Sigurdsson previously filmed the feature film “A Better Place” in 2025 in Las Cruces. It has a 2027 release.
“The reason why I came first to New Mexico was all transactional,” Sigurdsson said. “It was because of the tax rebate, and I had producers who said, 'Can you look into that?’ The two films I was doing were set in Washington state. When a producer comes to me and says let’s get this done, we found the tax rebate and was recommended Las Cruces. I started scouting and just went into the script and took out rain and wrote desert. It just worked. Then we filmed there. I liked the crew. I liked the people. I liked everything around it. I liked the structure. It's just a film town. There's a lot of films done there, and you know the weather fit the story.”
In finding the location for the wellness center in the film, Sigurdsson said there was a top 10 list across the country. Then they found Radium Springs, just north of Las Cruces, for the shoot.
“Coming back for the second film made it easier,” he said. “It opened up the idea for coming back for a third time.”
Filming took place through May and Sigurdsson had to adapt to the 100-degree weather.
“Icelandic people are really good to adapting,” he said. “When we go to school, we learn other languages. We speak fluent English from the get-go. It’s just in our nature to be able to adapt.”
While filming in New Mexico, Sigurdsson fell in love with the sky and the desert.
“Everything around is just beautiful,” he said. “Now I have two films behind me that look really great on camera. It’s worth it.”
The production employed 30 New Mexico crew members, 15 New Mexico principal actors and 25 background actors.
With Sigurdsson at the helm of the film, Michael Byrne serves as a producer. The film stars Billy Campbell, Rosaline Elbay, Ana Cruz Kayne, and Sonia Ammar.