The University of New Mexico’s Interdisciplinary Film & Digital Media Department presents its annual Capstone Premiere, taking place this Thursday, May 9, at the KiMo Theatre (423 Central Ave. NW). From 6 to 9pm, this free public screening spotlights 10 live-action short films, 3 animated shorts and 1 interactive video game—all created by UNM students. The screening consists of two 75-minute programs separated by a 10-minute intermission. During intermission, the audience has an opportunity to play the student-created video game on a computer system in the KiMo lobby. For more information, go to cinematicarts.unm.edu.
Reel World: Scholarship Extended Scholarship Extended
Santa Fe-based author George R.R. Martin continues to give back to his New Mexico community. Through his Literary Fund, The “Game of Thrones” guru recently established one $15,000 and two $5,000 scholarships for students seeking a BFA in Cinematic Arts and Technology at the Institute of American Indian Arts. One of the scholarships, a $5,000 award for incoming freshmen or transfer students, has had its deadline extended to June 1, 2019 at 8am. To qualify the student must demonstrate “a passion for storytelling.” In addition to completing an online scholarship application, the student needs to submit a story sample (or script) and bio. For more information on who is eligible and how to apply, go to iaia.edu/newcomer. The GRRM Literary Foundation Scholarship Selection Committee will complete their selections, and the recipients of all three scholarships will be announced at the IAIA Annual Scholarship Dinner and Auction on Aug. 14 at the La Fonda hotel in Santa Fe.
Reel World: Big News Big News
In what can only amount to a shameless piece of self-promotion, I’m proud to announce that the shot-in-Albuquerque feature Big Mistake has finally landed distribution and is available now to buy/rent/stream via Amazon Prime Video. The film, directed by Michael Perez, is a brain-twisting desert-noir about a newbie bounty hunter (Samson Snell) who falls for a troublesome socialite (Sylvia Adelina Padilla) who has skipped out on bail. Soon, our confused protagonist is caught up in a world of sex, greed and violence. The film is based on a script by Weekly Alibi film editor Devin D. O’Leary (yup, that’s me). Hence, the “shameless self-promotion” part. A great local cast and crew put a ton of work into this film, and it’s exciting that it is finally getting out there for audiences to see. If you’d like to check it out for yourself, go to the film’s Facebook page (facebook.com/bigmistakefilm) or stream/download it from Amazon (bit.ly/BigMistakeFilm).
