By Valeria Contreras
The state of Texas recently revised the film incentive program to include $300 million in funding every two years until 2035 through the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Fund.
This news has attracted attention from Hollywood, as productions continue to seek locations for filming. Now, with this incentive aiding the costs of production, stories about Texas can be filmed in Texas. According to Variety, “The goal is to nurture the local industry and ensure that films and TV shows that are set in Texas are also filmed there.”
This certainly makes Texas and El Paso an even more attractive location for Hollywood productions. The recent film “One Battle After Another” written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, is an example of that, with several scenes filming in El Paso before the Texas incentive had even increased.
For anyone who attended the Warner Brothers screening at the Plaza Theatre on Sept. 13, you could feel the way the theater completely lit up and roared with applause and pride as we saw our community represented on the big screen. Many El Pasoans who worked on this film packed the theater to support a film that not only contributed to the creative ecosystem, but also the local economy.
In tandem with attracting potential Hollywood films and supporting what it takes to bring those films to the community, El Paso has the unique opportunity to also look inward. For too long, too many films have depicted our vibrant, binational border region as a chaotic and turbulent place. Films that center “drug violence” and “narcos” alongside the U.S-Mexico border fail to encapsulate the joy and resilience in our stories. We know there is so much more to tell.
As the film industry continues to evolve with support from the state of Texas, we now have the opportunity to tell those stories and redefine ourselves on the global stage.
So, what is a border story, exactly? And what is a story that truly represents our region?
These questions are now open for discussion, as one film or one filmmaker does not hold the answer. But rather, how do we begin to contribute to a holistic picture of what an authentic, border story can truly be?
For those looking for stories that highlight the border region through a personal or grounded lens, look no further than the El Paso Film Festival, taking place this week through Saturday, Sept. 27.
The El Paso Film Festival, founded by Carlos Corral, a native El Pasoan, bills itself as “one of the largest in Texas to showcase emerging filmmakers on a bi-national stage, providing an inclusive platform where film lovers of every stripe can discover and support the next generation of regional movie makers.”
Since 2018, many films have gone on to find new audiences across the nation and win awards, including “Blood, Sweat, and Beers” by Robert Holguin, which was a film about the music group “The Sloppy Boys” filmed at Sonic Ranch. The film landed a nod on The Popcorn List, a national list aiming to highlight independent films seeking distribution and ultimately earned distribution.
The Popcorn List is a “discovery and visibility initiative to amplify independent films that deserve to be seen more widely, highlight the discovery nature of film festivals and the craft of film curation, and respect audience’s desire for story-driven movies.”
The festival also works in collaboration with the El Paso Film and Creative Industries Commission to include the “Creating Ways Conference” to provide local filmmakers and film enthusiasts continued learning opportunities. This year’s theme emphasizes the potential for the future of film to be regional, and thus, bringing the power of storytelling into our own hands.
EPFF has grown and was recently included on a national list of “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” by Movie Maker Magazine, two years in a row. This year, there are various shorts and features included in the program as well as many guest speakers, including Producer Elizabeth Avellán of Troublemaker Studios.
For independent filmmakers, festivals are an important part of our film’s journey towards discovering audiences and communities of future collaborators. Locally, festivals such as the El Paso Film Festival, Femme Frontera Filmmaker Showcase and Oculto Film Fest facilitate the opportunity to bring together cross-border collaboration and discovery in the region.
This year, EPFF highlights to watch include first features “Gloria” (USA) and “Lepes” (Mexico) by regional directors Hope Martinez and Rayell Abad Guangorena.
“Gloria,” written and directed by Martinez, was filmed in El Paso. The film’s synopsis describes Alex Vasquez, now in his 80s, as he looks back on the heavy-hearted and joyful times with his one true love, Gloria.
“Lepes,” written and directed by Rayel Abad Guangorena, was filmed in Ciudad Juárez, with support from the Mexican Film Institute, IMCINE, which aims to develop Mexican national cinema and filmmakers.
The film is about Pedro, a boy dealing with loneliness. “Lepes” has already begun to travel on the festival circuit, winning the Press Prize at the Guanajuato International Film Festival (Festival Internacional de Cine Guanajuato).
The El Paso Film Festival marks its international premiere, bringing the film home to celebrate regionally.
It is true that the film industry is shifting.
The future of film is, indeed, regional.
It’s in our own backyards.
And for those seeking to be a part of it, the El Paso Film Festival and Creating Ways Conference is a great place to find a community of like-minded filmmakers that can work together to continue launching regional stories out into the world.
You can find the full schedule for the El Paso Film Festival online.
Valeria Contreras is an award-winning filmmaker from El Paso. Her short film, “Homesick,” screened at the El Paso Film Festival and Femme Frontera Showcase in 2022, later screening at festivals globally. She is the current Artist-in-Residence for the Border Art Residency, a project of the El Paso Community Foundation, where she is developing a feature screenplay set in El Paso called “Oranges.”
The post Opinion: The future of film is regional – including in El Paso appeared first on El Paso Matters.
Read: Read More