The Albuquerque Film & Music Experience is back again this year, on the schedule for June 4 through 10. This coming Thursday, Jan. 18, however, the eclectic film festival will hold a special fundraiser event. Starting at 6pm at the KiMo Theatre (423 Central Ave. NW) you can catch a screening of the Dennis Hopper documentary Along For the Ride. Hopper had a long association with New Mexico, having lived here for years and having shot films like Easy Rider in state. With Along For the Ride, the famed actor/director/artist/collector is profiled alongside his struggle to shoot the infamous, self-referential South American drama The Last Movie. The documentary is based around stories of Hopper told by Hopper’s “biker-hippie right-hand man,” Satya De La Manitou. Tickets are $10 and can be reserved, in advance, through kimotickets.com.
Reel World: Get Blessed Get Blessed
The 2011 film adaptation of New Mexico author Rudolfo Anaya’s beloved 1972 novel Bless Me, Ultima screens this Thursday, Jan. 18 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Anaya’s original novel, a coming-of-age tale about a young boy mentored by a mysterious spiritual healer in rural New Mexico, is considered one of the hallmarks of Chicano literature. The 2011 film version was directed by Carl Franklin (One False Move, Devil in a Blue Dress) and shot in and around Santa Fe and Albuquerque. This is a free, ticketed event. To ensure a seat, pick up a ticket at the Bank of America Theatre box office (1701 Fourth Street NW) starting at 6pm. The film starts at 7pm.
Reel World: Go West Go West
On Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 19 and 20, Travis Miller—director and co-founder of Running Wild Films—will come through Albuquerque to introduce screenings of his small studio’s newest films at the Guild Cinema (3405 Central Ave. NE). On Friday, at 10:30pm, Guild will screen The Curse of the Dragon Sword—a low-budget kung fu film comedy lensed in Colorado. On Saturday, at 10:30pm, Guild will screen Blood Country—a down-and-dirty Western shot in Mississippi and starring Jeremy London (Mallrats, “Party of Five”). Miller isn’t just coming to town to show off his indie films, however. He’s launching an ambitious “12 Westerns in 12 Months” project. The project is set to begin in 2020. Miller and his team at Running Wild intend to produce a dozen moderately budgeted Westerns in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Mississippi. On Friday and Saturday, Jan. 19 and 20, Miller will hold auditions for this project. Over 50 actors have already scheduled appointments on Jan. 19, filling up the schedule. Saturday, however, will be an open casting call for all actors. All ages, races, genders and experience levels are welcome. These open auditions will take place Jan. 20 from 10am to 3pm at Far Horizons Studio (300 Washington Street SE). For more information on the casting call, go to bit.ly/2mLAvVA. For details on the films, go to guildcinema.com.
