By Adrian Gomez / Asst. Arts Editor, Reel NM on Sun, Jan 29, 2012

Six years ago, filmmaking in Los Angeles started lagging. So filmmaker Brent Morris followed the film industry to the Land of Enchantment.

This was a move that he doesn’t regret.

“I think New Mexico has some of the best film crews here, and it’s a pleasure to work with them,” he said during a recent interview. “The film community here is so strong, and I moved here for the film incentives.”

Moving to New Mexico has been a blessing for Morris, who usually works as a line producer for movies. He’s worked on New Mexico-made films such as “Sunshine Cleaning,” “Beer For My Horses,” “Goats,” “Just Like Woman” and “Jackie.” He also directed the documentary “Flamenco School” in 2010.

“This is my bread and butter,” he said. “I’ve been very lucky, and I want to see the industry continue.”

With that in mind, Morris teamed up with David Jean Schweitzer for the documentary “Made in New Mexico.” It sheds light on many factors that make the state one of the premiere places to shoot motion pictures, television series and digital media. The film includes a brief history of filmmaking and a discussion about staying competitive in the industry. It also explores the state’s incentive programs.

“It’s not intended to be a political documentary, but you can’t talk about New Mexico film without mentioning the incentives,” he said. “This is more for educational purposes.”

New Mexico’s film incentive program offers a 25 percent rebate to film companies for most direct, in-state expenditures. Under changes approved last year, those rebates can be paid out over a period of three years, and there is a $50 million cap on yearly rebate spending for film and TV productions.

But with the battle in the Legislature last year over the incentives and Democrats wanting to remove the $50 million cap on yearly rebate spending for film and TV productions in this year’s session, Morris felt it was time to screen the film to a bigger audience.

“The film aims to educate and celebrate a healthy film and media industry,” he said. “It’s a perfect example of how the industry impacts jobs in New Mexico.”

The film was shot and edited over two years and was financed through Kickstarter, an online threshold pledge system for funding projects.

Morris said the film features producers Stewart Lyons from “Breaking Bad”; Tony Mark from “The Hurt Locker”; Kenneth Topolsky from “The Wonder Years” and Alton Walpole from “The Book of Eli.” Studio managers from I-25 Studios, Santa Fe Studios and Albuquerque Studios were also interviewed.

Morris said when it came down to editing the documentary, it was about finding the moments that touch an audience.

“We wanted to craft a complete story that resonated with the audience,” he said. “It was important to tell a captivating story while showcasing the economic impact that the film industry has in the state – especially small towns.”

“Made in New Mexico” will screen at 4 p.m. Wednesday at CCA’s Cinematheque, 1050 Old Pecos Trail in Santa Fe. It will be part of the annual Media Day at the State Capitol.

Additional screenings include:

• 7 p.m. Feb. 8 at Film Las Cruces/Rio Grande Theatre.

•  4 p.m. Feb. 10 at UNM’s Valencia Campus FilmFest in Los Lunas.

•  7 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Taos Community Auditorium.

SEND ME YOUR TIPS: If you know of a movie filming in the state, or are curious about one, email film@ABQjournal.com. Follow me on Twitter at @agomezART.

By S. Derrickson Moore / dmoore@lcsun-news.com

Hot rods. Ice cream floats. Poodle skirts. White bucks or saddle shoes. Audrey Hepburn’s famous pedal pushers and neck scarves, Marilyn Monroe’s curve-hugging glamour dresses. Gray flannel suits. Frank Sinatra’s fabulous fedoras and Elvis’ iconic black leather jackets.

It’s your chance to strut your favorite 1950s fashions and enjoy other treats of the times. The Doña Ana Arts Council invites you to “flashback to the Nifty Fifties, with hot rods, ice cream floats and good old fashioned Rock ‘n Roll,” from 1 to 4 p.m. Jan. 29 at the Rio Grande Theatre.

“We wanted to put the ‘fun’ back in fundraiser with an event for the entire family: a trip down memory lane to a simpler, more wholesome time, when Rock ‘n’ Roll was king, soda shops were the hangout of choice and the quickest way to win a gal’s heart was to take her for a spin in a tricked-out roadster,” said Heather Pollard, a former DAAC executive director and current volunteer who dreamed up the concept with David Salcido, manager of the Rio Grande Theatre, which will benefit from the event.

“We’ll start out with a vintage car show. Hot rods will line Main Street for an automotive blast from the past, courtesy of the People’s Recording Company and the locally-produced feature film ‘Desert Demonz.’ The public is invited to come dressed in their favorite ’50s apparel and join the fashion show and enjoy photo ops with Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Elvis,” Pollard said.

By Daniella De Luca / For Pulse

For those new to French, Le Chat means “cat” and Lunatique means “crazy,” and well, you can see where this one’s going. When put together, you get Le Chat Lunatique — a four-man “mangy jazz” band hailing from Albuquerque.The band returns to Las Cruces, specifically the Rio Grande Theatre, this weekend after a two-year hiatus. This performance is part of its mini concert tour with stops in Prescott and Tucson before arriving here.

Blending together the unthinkable through music is what Le Chat Lunatique takes pride in, and they promise that each concert is truly a unique jazz experience. Vocalist and violinist Muni Kulasinghe describes “filthy, mangy jazz” as a decorated jazz or swing style of sound that makes the experience more interesting to play and to hear.

Their raw, organic styles also emanate from their love of international sounds and a group called Hot Club of France — a gypsy, swing group from 1940s Paris, which included the combined genius of Django Reinhardt and Stephanie Grapelli — fused with Western swing and Latin rhythms to create a formidable groove that is wholly fresh and uncompromising.

Band members and self-proclaimed cat lovers Kulasinghe (vocals and violin), Fernando Garavito (drummer), Jared Putnam (bass) and John Sandlin (guitar) said if they combined forces, they would have eight pet cats.

Sandlin, from France, came up with the band name based on some common signs he saw in the United States and his home country.

“You know how here, we have ‘Beware of Dog’ signs? Well, in France, they have signs that say ‘Careful! Crazy Cats,’” Garavito says with a laugh. From there, it was clear what the band’s name should be.The band reassures those who have never heard their sound before that it makes a lot more sense when you hear it. Whether it’s taking a children’s’ song like “Frère Jacques” and giving it a jazzy, frantic pace or exploring a classic rock cover of “House of the Rising Sun” or improvising one of their own titles, the group plans to keep this performance lively. “Actually, we never really decide what we’re playing until that very moment we get on stage. It’s usually whatever we’ve most recently worked on, and we do honor requests,” Garavito said. He adds that the band banters between songs and often interacts with the audience as a way to incorporate comedy into their show.

“We’re really excited to play at the Rio Grande again. We have fond memories of playing in Las Cruces, and we’re glad it’s a reality again,” said Garavito.

Freelance writer Daniella De Luca can be reached at daniella.deluca@gmail.com.

If you go

What: Le Chat Lunatique — hot jazz with a Southwestern twist

When: 7 p.m. Saturday (doors open at 6:30)

Where: Rio Grande Theatre, 211 N. Main St.

How much: $10

Info: riograndetheatre.com, (575) 523-6403

Next up

Le Chat Lunatique is eager for its first music video, “Demonic Lovely” — written and directed by Marie-Michele Jasmin-Belisle — to release Jan. 20. The group plans to celebrate with a 1940s-themed CD release party at 8 p.m. that day with featured performances by DJ Limn, Felix y los Gatos, DJ/VJ Duo Clouf Face & Marie-Michele at Low Spirits, 2823 2nd St. NW in Albuquerque. Tickets are $6.66 and available at the door.

By S. Derrickson Moore / Las Cruces Sun-News

LAS CRUCES — Cristianna Smith is working to make a lot of future holidays — and every day — better for children and their families in Kenya, and she’s calling on her fellow Las Crucens to help.

Smith has organized Christmas for Kenya, a benefit concert featuring the Jazz Unlimited Big Band at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Rio Grande Theatre, 211 N. Main St.

The band will feature Cristianna’s dad, former Las Cruces mayor Ruben Smith, on lead saxophone, along with vocalist Judy Day, presenting big band arrangements of Christmas favorites.

“I know how difficult schedules are this time of year, but I do believe this is the first time in my musical career that I have extended a personal invitation to attend a concert. It will be a very enjoyable Christmas concert, but more importantly offers an opportunity to help the people of Kenya who are in desperate need,” Ruben Smith said.

Cristianna Smith, who graduated from New Mexico State University in 2010, has since worked in Haiti after the earthquake, and in an orphanage in Peru, following up on previous trips to help people in need in Uganda and Kenya.

“I made my first trip to Kenya in 2008 and it was an eye-opening experience. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do until this trip and it kind of fell into my lap. It was the first time I’d really experienced that kind of third-world poverty. It changed me completely,” she said in a phone interview from Atlanta, where she is working with the nonprofit group Adventures in Missions in preparation for a return mission to Kenya in January. The group works to help bring clean water and other necessities to displaced people in Kenya who have been living in tents, refugees within their own country, since 2007.

Fear has not been a factor as she has ventured into some of the world’s hot spots, she said.

“I’m just so passionate about what I’m doing and I’ve found that the longer you stay in a culture, it helps to build relations with people who will go the extra mile with you. Uganda was a little scary and dangerous, but I found people there will come to my rescue and help me out of situations where there could be risks,” she said.

She is planning to make a quick trip home to Las Cruces before leaving for a one-year mission to Kenya.

Admission to the concert is $10 at the door. Donations may also be sent to Adventures in Missions, P.O. Box 534470, Atlanta, GA, 30353. Make checks payable to Adventures in Missions, and write “Kenya Initiative” on the check’s memo line. For information, visit www.kenyainitiative.org.

S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at (575) 541-5450

If you go

What: Christmas for Kenya Benefit

Features: Jazz Unlimited Big Band

When: 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: Rio Grande Theatre

How much: $10

Benefits: Kenya Initiative, Adventures in Missions

By Amanda Green for the Las Cruces Bulletin

It started with a muffled moan of “Braaains.” The shuffling of feet, the dragging of limbs and pale faces covered in fake blood could only mean one thing: the Las Cruces Zombie Walk is back.

“What’s Halloween without zombies?” said event organizer David Salcido. “It was just supposed to be a one-time thing last year, but the response was so big we knew we had to bring it back.”

Salcido, originally from Arizona, moved to New Mexico a few years ago and said the zombie walk in Tempe, Ariz., which he’d attended multiple times, was his inspiration for starting one here in Las Cruces.

Last year was the first year the Mesilla Valley saw the ghoulish hordes, with a surprising turnout of nearly a hundred walking dead. This year Salcido hopes to see more zombies join their ranks and help convert the community into brain lovers.

“We had some problems getting funding this year,” Salcido said. “But events like this bring people into the heart of Downtown. It’s important for the business there, and the people who are looking for something to do for Halloween.”

There are nationally recognized “rules” for each zombie walk, in keeping with the spirit of the event. Each participant must be dressed in his or her finest zombie attire. The deader, the better. Anyone who wishes to be included in the walk must also remain in character, communicating only with grunts, moans and other zombie noises. This year, participating zombies can expect prizes for the most original, most disgusting and a best group or couple costumes.

The walk will be held Saturday, Oct. 29, and all zombies are asked to begin gathering in front of the Rio Grande Theatre, 211 N. Main St., at 5:45 p.m. The walk will take place through Downtown Main Street, and livemusic will be provided by local band The Phuzz. The zombie walk is open to all ages and is free of charge.

For those undead who want to keep the midnight oil burning, the Alameda House, 526 S. Alameda Blvd., is holding its fourth annual Halloween Disco/Zombie Ball Saturday from 8 p.m. to the witching hour. Join witches, ghosts and hostess Ivonna Bump for a night dedicated to “Decades of Decadence.” Tickets are $15 and $12 for students. Visit www.southernnmpride.org for more information.