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KTSM News – ‘Santa’s Cousin’ directed by NM filmmaker, assisted by NMSU students, premiers

Posted on December 4, 2024

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A holiday romantic comedy movie, which was filmed in Las Cruces with the help of New Mexico State University’s (NMSU) Creative Media Institute department, will be doing a premier showing at Allen Theaters including interviews with the actors.

The premier showing of “Santa’s Cousin” will be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at the Allen Theatres Cineport 10 in Las Cruces, located at 700 S Telshor Blvd.

“Santa’s Cousin” was directed by NMSU Creative Media Institute professor and Las Cruces filmmaker Ross Marks with the help of dozens of his students in the department, NMSU said in a news release.

“Making ‘Santa’s Cousin’ was the best experience I have ever had as a director and that includes 16 films and working with Academy Award winners Al Pacino, Faye Dunaway and Brendan Fraser,” Marks said. “It was because of the students. Not only was it an excellent professional set, but it was a classroom where students learned how to make a major motion picture.”

According to NSMU, the film was made by a groundbreaking and unique agreement between the university and its producers. The agreement allowed NMSU students to participate in the production of the film to earn an entire semester’s worth of credits toward their film degrees.

Filming of “Santa’s Cousin” in Mesilla, New Mexico. Photo courtesy to New Mexico State University.Actors in “Santa’s Cousin”. Photo courtesy to New Mexico State University.Eric Roberts in “Santa’s Cousin”. Photo courtesy to New Mexico State University.

“Before the movie has even been released, it is a huge success because the experience was life-changing for me and my 34 students,” Marks said. “New Mexico State University is the only film school in the nation where the students take a class and actually make a professional feature film that is the class. I am so very proud of this movie.”

Jonathan Stoddard and Alexandra Harris star in the film, along with Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts.

“I just want to tell you guys that I work with a lot of groups, a lot of big groups, a lot of small groups, a lot of professional groups, a lot of amateur groups,” Roberts said. “You guys are one of the best groups in 700 appearances on film that I’ve ever had, and I mean that from the bottom of my honest heart.”

New Mexico film company Inspirado Films and Heartstrings Media also assisted in the production of “Santa’s Cousin.”

The film will be available on DirecTV, Dish, Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, Vubiquity and Fandango.

Watch the trailer of “Santa’s Cousin” here.

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