Tucumcari hosts second film fest

The second annual Tucumcari Film Festival likely will have a repeat competitor when the event returns next April.

That would be Brandon Martinez, a student who just completed his third year in cinematic arts and technology at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. He won the Best New Mexico Student Works honor for his short film, "Foresight."

Martinez explained during the awards ceremony Saturday night at the Tucumcari Railroad Museum it was the first honor he'd earned for one of his films.

"My heart was racing," Martinez recalled when he heard his film mentioned during the ceremony.

Martinez explained that "Foresight," which he produced for one of his classes last spring, was about a man who'd held regrets in his past and used his abilities of time travel to correct those.

"I've always had an interest in storytelling, and film is a great medium to do so," Martinez said.

"I'll be back next year," he added.

A total of 13 films of varying lengths were screened Friday and Saturday at the railroad museum and nearby Odeon Theatre in downtown Tucumcari.

The festival also included several discussion panels about the film industry, including a special effects makeup demonstration in the Odeon by Tucumcari Jasmine Hernandez, who did makeup for the "Border Lord" movie.

Within minutes, she crafted a fake bullet hole with blood oozing from the bicep of Ricardo Chavez of Tucumcari. She also created a realistic-looking gash onto the arm of Halle Qualls of Portales.

Bobby Hockaday, liaison for the Film Tucumcari office and a key organizer of the festival, said peak attendance was about 50, which was a bit higher than the 45 the previous year.

"I think it went fantastic," he said. "We went through some technical hiccups here and there, but you adapt. We worked it through. And we're going to plan to be bigger and greater next year."

One outdoor screening on scheduled for Friday night was moved indoors to the depot due to cold, windy and rainy weather earlier in the day.

Hockaday said he likely would begin screenings at 10 a.m. instead of 9 a.m. for the 2024 festival.

He also said he wants more homegrown entries.

"We're really trying to aim for fostering film production in Tucumcari," he said. "We really want local filmmakers and video makers to participate."

Hockaday said he was pleased with the festival's partnership with Tucumcari MainStreet and the Odeon Theatre, and he wanted to continue those. Last year's festival was at Mesalands Community College because the Odeon's renovations and technical upgrades after the COVID-19 pandemic weren't finished in time.

Voted by a show of hands, whoops and hollers, the People's Choice Award went to "Hollywood's Last Real Cowboy: The Gene McLaughlin Story" documentary.

"A Few More Drinks" won two honors - Best of Westerns and Judge's Choice awards.

Other award winners:

- Best of Short Historical Documentary, "Marismeno";

- Best of Stories of the Southwest, "Mora is Burning";

- Best of Modern Westerns, "Time Will Let Me";

- Sheriff's Star Award, "Forgotten Song."

The festival's winning films also will be screened periodically during Tucumcari Rawhide Days on June 16-18.