Gallup, Grants invite film industry to make movies here

By Gaye Brown de Alvarez
Staff Writer

Lisa Rodriguez, left, of Gallup and Star Gonzales, right of Grants work at the American Films Commission Institute's convention in Santa Monica, Calif. last weekend to promote filmmaking to this part of the state. New Mexico is dubbed the "Leading state to film in with the leading incentives," according to AFCI. [Courtesy Photo]

GALLUP — What comes into communities, spends millions of dollars, creates jobs, emits no pollution and is fun to have around?

Not many things, that's for sure, but the answer to that riddle is the film industry. When a movie is filmed in a town, the studios and producers, directors, set managers, cast managers and crew and yes, even movie stars frequent the local stores, buy groceries and sundries, stay in hotels, eat in restaurants and spend money.

A couple of years ago, what possessed the film producer of "21 Grams" to feature the town of Grants in part of the award-winning movie?

And almost 20 years ago, why did the producer and director of "Enid Is Sleeping" which morfed into "Over Her Dead Body" choose Indian Hills and Gallup as the scene where a police officer gets involved in a murder?

It must have had something to do with the look of the town and the surrounding scenery. In the old John Ford westerns, it was easy to understand the director's choice of Monument Valley as a backdrop.

Gallup resident Lisa Rodriguez, who just came back from an international location trade show sponsored by the American Films Commission Institute in Santa Monica, Calif., said in an interview last week said that right now there are 14 movie projects being done in New Mexico and seven more are being planned for the state. These include short films, major studio productions, music videos and documentaries. And in-state casting calls are going on every week.

Rodriguez, who was appointed by the mayor of Gallup to be the New Mexico Film Liasion for Region One has worked in the volunteer position for several months.

Then the word came that she would be flying to Santa Monica to partner with Grants Chamber of Commerce Director Star Gonzales to work in the New Mexico booth to entice filmmakers to New Mexico to take advantage of not only our unique scenery and people, but also our strong incentives, such as a 25 percent rebate on any film made here and a zero percent loan program up to $15 million.

"This clean and multi-billion dollar industry is not coming to Gallup, but instead they're going to the Rio Grande corridor," Rodriguez said and added that she thought someone should be promoting Gallup to the film industry on a full-time basis to try to provide the incentive to film in this area.

Every continent was represented at the convention, and the booth representing New Mexico, which is currently dubbed "the leading state in the U.S.," competed against 300 other booth participants. New Mexico won first prize for its 36-foot-long informative booth located near the entrance, which everyone entering or exiting the convention hall saw.

Rodriguez said that while she worked the booth, she saw Steven Spielberg and people from Warner Bros., Disney, Miramax and other major studios.

"It's an exciting industry," Rodriguez said. "We need them here. And, to catch fish, you have to go fishing," she said.