Coverage by RCR Reporter, Noah Solomon
New Mexico film was alive and well on Friday, July 16, as High Desert Screening hosted its 5th annual event, showcasing trailers, movies, music videos, and live entertainment by local artists and talent at the Zing Social Club in Albuquerque.
The host for the evening, Steve Corona, lead the festivities with High Desert Screening’s Director and Founder, Carmen Dahlman, who welcomed the attendees with Hollywood, and Burqueño, hospitality.
The doors opened at 7 pm, with the event officially kicking off at 7:30 with live music by synth-rock band Dream Noise, followed by screenings of trailers for films released, and for films to come: Crawl, directed by attendee Ryan Rox, Super Stoned Scary Stories, Who To Save?, En Tus Brazos Esta Noche, Permafrost, Noon Time Legends, The Meter Maid, and Capitol Barbie.
Intermission between screenings was performed by Arie11e (Chelsea Arielle Kibbee), which segued into the musical portion of the night: showcasing music videos produced and directed by New Mexico artists.
Hand Made Blues directed by Kibbee, How Can I? directed by Capitol Barbie producer and director Riley Del Rey, Dark Side directed by John K.D. Graham and Dream Girl directed by Jefferey M. Williams were among those selected to view.
The screening event continued throughout the night with the second intermission of the evening: David Michael from Trinity Soul performed for an energized crowd. The cap of the night was the short film screening, viewing fully produced films with the majority of locations filmed in New Mexico, or produced entirely by New Mexico talent.
Realism, comedy, documentaries, and drama all shared the spotlight during the screening. One honorable mention goes to Zenophobia, directed by Angelique Midthunder, which showcased the life of Asian Americans during the COVID-19 self-quarantine period in its full glory of life: boredom, sadness, peacefulness, and anxiety when confronted by the growing anti-Asian racism that exploded in the United States following the quarantine in New Mexico. When racism hits home, the fear is brought back into the home.
Another honorable mention is 3 Day Nun, directed by Lava Buckley. This documentary shows her journey to the Wat Phaputthothiyan temple in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, where Buckley spent three days with her mother and aunt as novice nuns, servicing the temple and the locals the daily practices of community care and service. It was a gentle reminder that: no matter how busy the day is, there is always time to serve your community through patience, meditation, and kindness. No matter the obstacle.
The after-party continued at Zing well into the night, where wine and light noshing of fruit, cheese, crackers were served. Zing itself is a newly opened venue that hopes to continue to stay open and restart the life New Mexico had before the pandemic. With the diligence, hard work, and ethic Corona and Dahlman placed into their roles for the night, there will be many more High Desert Screenings to come.
Visit https://www.facebook.com/highdesertscreening or https://www.highdesertscreening.com/ for more info on this event.
