31-03-2025
Timeline of key moments in New Mexico filmmaking
1898: Before the turn of the century, inventor Thomas Edison and a crew of filmmakers travel to Isleta Pueblo to make Indian Day School, believed to be the first documented film footage shot on location in New Mexico. The 30-second movie — over in a flash — represents an early and consequential moment in the state's cinematic history, offering a glimpse into the lives of people from another era.
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Saturday afternoon in front of Paris Theater, Santa Fe, 1945.
Aug. 15, 1914: The grand opening of the Paris Theater, Santa Fe's first true cinema, is held on a Saturday in late summer. It features a screening of The Wrath of the Gods, a 56-minute movie directed by Reginald Barker with a Japanese cast portraying characters doomed by a cursed island volcano. The enormous success of the Paris Theater, at the time located at 123 W. San Francisco St., allowed for dramatic expansions in the Santa Fe amusement-house business. More movie houses would dot the downtown area in the years to come.
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Hollywood Western film duo Tom Mix and his horse, Tony, perform a stunt in 1923. Mix was known for his dangerous performances in films; according to newspaper reports, he once crashed through four floors on horseback.
1915: Tom Mix, the original cowboy film star of the silent screen, makes at least 20 short movies in and around Las Vegas, N.M., in fall 1915. Mix, a bold stuntman famous for flashing his smile and six-shooter, would go on to establish an American archetype that has endured for more than a century.
1940s and '50s: As the popularity of the Western genre soars, Gallup emerges as a filmmaking destination in the Southwest. The golden era of Western stars was good to the Western New Mexico town with its spectacular red canyons. Prior to automobile culture, trains were transit for filmmakers and actors — and New Mexico was no more than a night's ride from Los Angeles. All of that, plus the weather and other factors, made Gallup a center for Westerns in this period. John Wayne, Katherine Hepburn and Gregory Peck put in appearances. Starring Henry Fonda, The Grapes of Wrath (1940), partially shot in Gallup, was a highly successful film.
1969: Who could forget Easy Rider? The parade scene is filmed in Las Vegas, N.M., the jail scene in Taos.
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Dennis Hopper, left, and Peter Fonda in Easy Rider.
1988: The Milagro Beanfield War receives mixed reviews, and it was unlikely a movie about a dispute over irrigation rights would top the box office. Plus, Young Guns comes out the same year. But the film, shot in Truchas, puts a great focus on the people of Northern New Mexico, its plot set into motion when Joe Mondragon illegally diverts water to irrigate his bean field, winning support from his neighbors who resent water policy that favors the wealthy. Directed by Robert Redford and based on the novel by John Nichols, it has considerable regional relevance and is beloved by many.
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Director Robert Redford on location in Truchas for The Milagro Beanfield War.
1988: Young Guns is a sensation in New Mexico, where its "Brat Pack" cast helped reaffirm the belief that major blockbuster films could be made in the state. Shot in Cerrillos, Ojo Caliente and Santa Fe, the film follows a pack of young gunmen on the New Mexico frontier, led by William Bonney, aka Billy the Kid, who sets out to avenge the grisly death of a rancher who had hired the young men. It's one of several influential movies about the legendary gunslinger made in the state. Others include Billy the Kid (1911) and Billy the Kid (1930).
The poster for the film Young Guns.
1990s: In the early 1990s, during the administration of former Gov. Bruce King, the New Mexico Film Commission evolves into its present-day incarnation — the New Mexico Film Office. King, former Gov. Gary Johnson and former Gov. Bill Richardson are credited with helping to establish political support for the filmmaking industry in the Land of Enchantment.
2003: New Mexico becomes a pioneer with its film incentive program, the goal being to lure productions from Hollywood by offering a tax credit to film and television producers beginning in 2003. Other states and municipalities later follow suit.
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A scene from Breaking Bad. The celebrated AMC antihero drama remains perhaps New Mexico's most prominent contribution to popular media.
2008-2013: AMC's hit series Breaking Bad is set in Albuquerque and sharpens the concept of film tourism in the state; the show is so popular, guided tours take visitors to filming locations around Albuquerque. With a large budget per episode, the drama about a high school chemistry teacher who turns to a life of crime later racks up 16 Emmy awards. The spinoff Better Call Saul (2015-22) follows.
2018: Netflix spends $30 million to purchase what was formerly Albuquerque Studios, which sat on 28 acres and included eight soundstages. In the years since, the company has created a massive complex consisting of a dozen soundstages, three mills, a production office, two stage-support buildings and two dedicated back-lot areas. Lauded by members of the industry and state officials, the move marks a major streaming company investing heavily in the state.
2021: In October, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is fatally struck by a bullet fired from a gun actor Alec Baldwin is holding during a walk-through of a scene during the filming of Rust at a ranch in Santa Fe County. Baldwin is later charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with Hutchins' death. But in 2024, state District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismisses the charge against Baldwin during his trial after finding the state had failed to share all the evidence in the case with the defense.
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The court watches video of the scene being worked on when cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed on the set of the movie Rust during opening arguments on the first day of actor Alec Baldwin's trial. Baldwin says he did not pull the trigger when the weapon went off, killing Hutchins.
2024: Dark Winds, a desert-noir drama about Navajo police in the 1970s and is based on the Leaphorn and Chee books by late New Mexico author Tony Hillerman and daughter Anne Hillerman, enjoys considerable popularity and at one point jumps to being one of the top 10 shows on Netflix. The series has been praised for bringing Native voices and actors to mainstream cable television. The landscapes of Northern New Mexico — the U.S. 84 corridor near Abiquiú, for example, and other locations in the Santa Fe area — feature prominently in the show.
