Santa Fe Film Institute Awards $40,000 to Fledgling Filmmakers
Four New Mexicans among this year's cohort of grantees
As has become tradition this time of year, the Santa Fe Film Institute has announced the up-and-coming filmmakers who have received funding in the form of its Regional and Los Luceros grants. The nonprofit that presents the annual Santa Fe International Film Festival doles these monies annually in various amounts to "benefit emerging filmmakers and support cinematic creativity in Santa Fe and the surrounding states," according to a statement, and this year's total amount granted reached $40,000—up from last year's $27,000.
Close to home, the institute's Regional Grant—which it awards in partnership with the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area—went to four New Mexican filmmakers, most notably Krystina Sibenaler, who picks up the largest grant at $10,000 for her film From Fireside to Film: Cuentos que Vien. The other New Mexico grantees include Shaandiin Tome, a Sundance Full Circle Fellowship alum who gets $5,000 for their unannounced next project; Frybread Face and Me Art Director Natalie Benally, who'll get $2,500 for her movie Within Me, There is Happiness; and Ryan Rox, who was also awarded $2,500 for the film Not Exactly Strangers. Additionally, filmmaker P. Antonio Marquez picked up the $10,000 Los Luceros grant for his forthcoming movie Taos Revolt, which will be shot at the Los Luceros Historic Site.
To sweeten the deal for New Mexicans, the institute offers grants up to $10,000. Filmmakers from out-of-state can apply for up to $5,000. For example, the institute has awarded $5,000 and $3,500 in Regional Grant funding to filmmakers Amy Martinez and Megan Tillman respectively, both of whom hail from Austin, Texas. Arizona filmmaker Sal Baldnegro picks up $1,500 for his project, with that part of the grant representing SFFI's first-ever forays into Arizona. This move, an SFIFF official says, should go a long way toward putting New Mexico film opportunities on the map.
"I think now that filmmakers can apply for up to $5,000, we got a lot more regional submissions, and that's how we were able to award to that project in Arizona," SFFI President and Santa Fe International Film Festival Artistic Director/co-founder Jacuqes Paisner tells SFR. "Even if you don't count the regional grant, we're the biggest public film grantor in New Mexico—but I'm very excited it's also regional, because it gets Santa Fe as a film destination into the surrounding areas and they get to find out about the exciting things we're doing here."
Paisner points out that grant recipients won't be considered in any special capacity when it comes to the Santa Fe International Film Festival, particularly as it became an Oscar-qualifying fest for animated, documentary and live action shorts in 2024. Meanwhile, the 17th annual iteration of the fest is just around the corner from October 15-20 and, perhaps because of that new Oscar component, received more submission than ever, according to Paisner.
In fact, he notes, 2025 promises to be the biggest year yet for the homegrown event. Regardless, Paisner adds, wherever this year's SFFI grantees' films end up, "we're very proud of the exciting projects and these up and coming filmmakers, these new filmmakers, because this is a really talented group of people we're awarding funds to, and it reflects well on the city of of Santa Fe to have so much local talent."
The final deadline for submissions to the Santa Fe International Film Festival is Thursday, July 17.