Film Festival 2023

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Film Festival 2023

Mark your calendars for September 7-9 for an Unforgettable Cinematic Extravaganza at the Four Corners Film Festival 2023. Here at the historic Totah Theater in Farmington, NM


Special Emphasis on  "Veteran, Native American, Film Makers & Women In Film"

Film Festival 2023 Award Winners

VETERaN FILM

XPENDABLE  by Walter Ernest Haussner


Woman in Film

15 by Melody Brooke


Native American Film

Indigenous Resistance Now and Then by 'W`aats'adiyei Joe Yates


Made in New Mexico

Union by Noah McCay


Made in Colorado

Dreama Team by Chad Webber, Steve Vanderheide


Made in Utah

This is not Home by Kaylan Jeanne Walker


DOC Shorts

Footprints of Our Ancestors: Mesa Verde National Park by Jennifer Boyd


Narrative Short

Ghost Town by Molly Muse



Official trailer At The End Of The Santa Fe Trail

At the End of the Santa Fe Trail

A film by New Mexico award winning Director, Tomas Sanchez Chosen by Festival De Cannes Marche Du Film Screening Palais

H May 20, 2023 


 At the End of the Santa Fe Trail tells the true story of one of the most influential, courageous and iconic women in American history, Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Maria Rosa Segale, to be forever known as Sister Blandina. 

Sister Blandina, played by New Mexican actress Alma Sisneros, was a young and innocent nun sent by the Catholic Church to the western territories in 1872. At a time when lawlessness and brutality were in the norm; surrounded by cowboys, Native Americans, outlaws, and new immigrants from all over the world even encountering Billy the Kid, Sister Blandina displayed courage, tough-mindedness, an unyielding spirit and a deep and inspiring religious faith and belief that everyone deserves God's mercy and charity.


 "This is a story that must be told. At a time when we are faced with mass shootings on a daily basis, rising hate crimes and questions about our faith, Sister Blandina inspires us to rise above our fears and let the love in our hearts guide us,” 


- Director Tomas Sanchez


Premier Screening

6 pm - Friday evening SEPTEMBER 8TH At the Historic TOTAH Theater in Farmington, NM


Film Screening Timeline

Speakers - Friday, September 8

9:30am - 11am

ANNA DARRAH


Anna is a partner in Film Nest Studios, an all-female production company in Santa Fe, NM. In addition to developing, producing and sometimes directing projects, Anna has experience performing and public speaking, has been featured on numerous panels and seminars and in voice overs, musical albums and filmed performances. Anna worked in distribution for 2 decades, licensing over 1000 films in her 17 years working for Gaiam (Gaia) and Spiritual Cinema Circle. She has been an active player on the festival circuit and consults with filmmakers on custom distribution strategies. She and Jilann Spitzmiller offer a course on distribution online through Desktop Documentaries. Anna authored a chapter in Swimming Upstream: A Lifesaving Guide to Short Film Distribution.New Paragraph

EB LOTTIMER


Eb is an award-winning writer, actor and director known for his feature films Love

Matters and Divorce, A Contemporary Western. Eb has written over 15 screenplays and pilots

for hire, as well as spec scripts and adaptations. Eb has acted in more than 50 films, and has

taught Directing, Acting and Writing over his many decades in the entertainment industry.

Soft Skill & Resume Building  - Friday, September 8

1pm - 2:30pm

Dr. Elizabeth Kianu Stahmer


Dr. Elizabeth Kianu Stahmer, DAOM is the Executive Director of Stagecoach Foundation, Inc., has dedicated her career to helping people find health and wellness in their lives through education and workforce development, from preschool teaching to clinical practice to program development in higher education. She recognizes the exponential empowerment that comes from people having access to learning and rewarding career opportunities that supports themselves and their families. Today, she brings her experiences together to provide free training in front of and behind the camera and access to work for New Mexicans in our blooming film and tv industry. Dr. Stahmer received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Indigenous Liberal Studies from the Institute of American Indian Arts and has a Master’s from Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine and a Clinical Doctorate from American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.


MEET & GREET -Friday, September 8

Q & A After The Premier Of

At the End of the Santa Fe Trail

6pm - 9pm

Director Tomas Sanchez


 Tomas Sanchez, fresh off being awarded "Best Director Feature Film" at the 2023 Santa Fe Film Festival, has over 35 years of experience in the Screen Actors Guild in stunts and acting.


Tomas Sanchez is a true native New Mexican whose family has spent generations in historic Northern New Mexico. No one is more suited to capture the enduring relationships between the people, the culture, and the land. As a teen, he was introduced to the film industry in Albuquerque, NM. His company, Sanchez Films produced the award winning short film “Lost Pueblo” ( Amazon Prime) which Tomas directed. 

 

Written by Tomas Sanchez, Alfredo Castro and Robert Young, Frank Mayor producer with Cinevision Global Inc. and California Pictures this film is destined to be an instant classic.

 

There is no doubt the Festival of Cannes screening will lead to many others across the globe as the story of Sister Blandina in At The End of the Santa Fe Trail brings a message of love and charity to all races, cultures, faiths, and nationalities showing us that we are one people.


Meet New Mexican Actors

After the premier screening of At The End Of The Santa Fe Trail


JD Garfield & Freddy Lopez






Art Director Ray Gallegos  will also be in attendance

Sister S. Patrice Vales. with Tomas Sanchez

Speakers - Saturday, September 9

1pm - 2:30pm

Lara Dale – Foley Artist 

“Darkness Into Light: Cinematic Secrets for Successful Filmmaking” 

(Insider’s Guide to Great Filmmaking - Post Production Sound Secrets Revealed!) 

We all know the brutal heartache of rejection, but so many of us rarely receive meaningful feedback as to why we’ve been turned down by film festivals and distributors. 

 

Tired of putting your heart and soul into your favorite film project and getting rejected over and over again? Join New Mexico native and Professional Foley Artist Lara Dale as she explains how to increase your chances of getting noticed in a sea of competition. Here is her IMDB resume: 

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4081494/ 

 

Her co-host is the brilliant producer and composer Marcello De Francisci, who will guide you through the fascinating, transformative world of film soundtrack composition and recording. You will emerge from this presentation with a very high-level understanding of Post Production workflow. Here is Marcello’s IMDB resume: 

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1232058/ 

For the first time in the historic, newly renovated Totah Theater in Farmington, you will learn, in an entertaining and enlightening way, how to maximize Post Production Sound to increase the 

quality, professionalism and marketability of your film projects - from Documentaries, Features and Television Series, to Music Videos and Animated Shorts. You are guaranteed to be amazed 

and entertained, and you will never look at filmmaking the same way again! 

 

To quote a previous audience member: “Wow – I had no idea! I feel like I learned more about the filmmaking process from this workshop than in all my years in film school.” 

Lara Dale


Lara Dale is a New Mexico native, born in Santa Fe and raised in Corrales and Albuquerque. Trained in classical music and ballet, she fell in love with choreography in her late teens. She began creating works for ballet and modern at UNM, before moving to NYC to pursue a career as a choreographer. Her extensive background in movement became the perfect foundation for mastering the art of Foley, which she studied as an apprentice to Emmy Award winning Foley Artist Ellen Heuer of Wildfire Post.  


Marcello De Francisci


Marcello De Francisci is a composer based in Los Angeles, California. His studies furthermore career began as a visual artist while attending fine arts at an institution founded by the famed Baroque painter Bartolome Esteban Murillo in Seville, Spain. He furthered his education at the "Universidad Complutense" in Madrid and taught himself music to discover his true passion was to score soundtracks for the motion picture industry.


2006 - "Best Soundtrack of the Year G.A.N.G. Award" 

Sony Computer Entertainment's

"God of War" game


VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES


We are currently looking for volunteers for future festivals ,
locations scouting and documentation.

Screenwriter Testimonial

 Very honored to have my screenplay, "The Loser's Club," chosen as an Official Selection. This such a classy competition and extremely well-run Festival. Thanks you. I will definitely be entering again next year!

- Jonathan Turner Smith, Screenwriter

Director Testimonial

For sure this is a great festival. I am very happy with the excellent communication and professionalism of those who produce this festival! Thank you for this enjoyable experience and for accepting and honoring our feature film "Stowaways"

- Chen Liang, Director, Screenwriter, Actor

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