Film makers spent about $6.8 million last year over about 200 days of production, according to a presentation from Film Las Cruces.
The information came as part of a presentation from Film Las Cruces, a publicly funded non-profit that connects film productions with state tax incentives, local vendors and helps handle permitting for productions – all in services of growing the local film industry.
Andrew Jara, Film Las Cruces’ Liaison, told the Dona Ana County Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 11 that things were trending up. Film Las Cruces also hosts workshops, keeps data on local film productions and provides mentorship to students.
“We had a very successful year last year,” Jara said, adding that much of the success came on the back of two locally filmed movies.
New Mexico offers various film incentives to attract productions to the state. According to Film Las Cruces, some films can offer incentives covering 50% of crew member wages.
According to a 2023 Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance analysis, the film industry generated about $17.28 million in economic impact across the county and city in 2022. That same study said the industry generated about $244,000 in new gross receipts tax revenue.
Film Las Cruces receives funding from the major municipalities in the region, including the county and the city of Las Cruces. The city and county each send about $95,000 to Film Las Cruces yearly.
But commissioners said that was money well spent.
“It’s pretty impressive,” Commissioner Shannon Reynolds said of the economic impact data. “For our investment of about $95,000 a year, we’re getting a return of roughly $350,000.”
Jara said one of the most important things Film Las Cruces does is location marketing.
“A lot of the productions we talk to are either in Albuquerque or Los Angeles. We had one last year from Germany. So, they’re not going to really know what's here in town,” Jara said.
To fill the gap, Film Las Cruces prepares packages to show them what’s available in Las Cruces. Jara said Film Las Cruces sent out 49 such packages last year. They do the same work to showcase local vendors and in-person scouts.
Jara also highlighted ads and articles in industry publications, some of which targeted ghost hunting reality shows and productions in Texas, and reported growth in the number of locations, vendors, and crew members used from 2023 to 2024.
