31. Rio Rancho Film Commission
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (505) 891-7258, (888) 746-7262
Address: 4011 Barbara Loop
Description: Productions shot in Rio Rancho include the ABC family series Wildfire, Jebediah Smith for the History Channel, Far Side of Jericho, Dreamland, and A Thief of Time. Commercials have been shot here for GMC, Chevrolet, Renault, Presbyterian Healthcare, the Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet, and Giant Industries. The Rio Rancho Film Commission offers assistance with locations, permits, equipment, accommodations, and other resources for filmmakers.
32. ALBUQUERQUE FILM FESTIVAL
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: The annual Albuquerque Film Festival made its debut in 2009, with an August festival over four days in venues that included the KiMo Theatre, Cell Theatre, and the National Hispanic Cultural Center. In addition to screenings of U.S. and international films, plus panels and workshops, the festival is an event “where the arts collide” and features flamenco, music, and theater.
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Tours & Attractions
34. Experiments in Cinema
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Presenting international indie and underground movies, organizer Basement Films aims to promote underrepresented film and video. The emphasis here is on the visionary, and there is an impressive showing of films from all corners of the planet. Usually held over four days in April, venues have included Guild Cinema, 516 Arts, and Southwest Film Center.
35. 48 Hour Film Project
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: The 48 Hour Film Project national tour comes to Albuquerque every summer for a mad-dash weekend, during which filmmakers have exactly 48 hours to make a seven-minute film. Teams write, shoot, edit, and add the music soundtrack in those 48 hours, and nobody can cheat in advance because teams are assigned a movie genre, character, prop, and line of dialogue that they have to use in the film. At the end of the weekend, the movies are premiered, usually at the KiMo Theatre, and a winner is picked to compete for the national contest.
36. Italian Film Festival
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: The Italian Film Festival shows Italian movie classics and contemporary award winners, plus it holds a gala dinner and a few other social events. Marco Tullio Giordana’s epic six-hour-long La Meglio Gioventù has been screened for the festival (over two sessions!). The event is a fund-raiser for the University of New Mexico Chidren’s Hospital and usually runs over eight days in February at venues that include the Guild Cinema and the South Broadway Cultural Center.
37. Local Shorts Film Festival
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: This accessible and friendly festival showcases local voices with an eclectic lineup of short movies up to 15 minutes long that all have a connection to Albuquerque or New Mexico. A real community gathering, it usually takes place in July or August at the Lobo Theater.
38. Sin Fronteras Film Festival
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Presenting Latino films and filmmakers, Sin Fronteras is organized by UNM’s Student Organization for Latin American Studies (SOLAS). The program’s range of films includes documentaries, animations, and shorts. Screenings are at the UNM Southwest Film Center, and the festival has previously run over a weekend in February.
39. Southwest Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (505) 243-1870
Description: A weeklong festival screening more than 80 features, documentaries, and shorts that showcase the richness of the GLBT experience. Organized by Closet Cinema since 2003, attendance has previously surpassed 4,000, making this one of New Mexico’s biggest film festivals. Programming includes international films, and there are audience awards for movies in various categories. The festival usually takes place in September/October, and screening venues have included the Guild Cinema and South Broadway Cultural Center.
40. Art! Attack
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (505) 298-3275
Address: 3137 San Mateo Boulevard NE
Description: This paint-your-own-pottery studio has great ceramic pieces for kids to stencil, stamp, and paint, including figurines of dogs, cats, lizards, fairies, ninja turtles, and dragons. There are also boxes, dishes, and other objects to use as canvases for creativity. The studio fee includes painting, glazing, and firing, and you choose your own item to decorate in a range of sizes and prices. Note that it takes three to five days for a piece to be fired and ready to collect, so if you’re on a short visit, it’s best to come here early in your trip. The price code shown is for up to two hours of painting time, plus at least one figurine, depending on the size you pick.
41. CAKE FETISH
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (505)883-0670
Address: 2665 Louisiana Boulevard NE
Description: Kids can decorate their own cupcake at Cake Fetish bakery in a party package—although you only need two people to count as a party! The price code shown is for a basic package including one unfrosted cupcake per person, vanilla and chocolate frostings, sprinkles galore, and a beverage. A deluxe party is also available with two cakes and more frostings. Both packages are for 2 to 10 people. Cake Fetish needs a week’s notice on reservations, then they’ll set up and reserve a table for you for an hour, and clean up afterwards. Available Monday through Saturday at both the Louisiana Boulevard store and the Westside location (Montano Plaza, 6200 Coors Road, Suite A9, 505-899-2425).
42. The Magic and Juggling Shop
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (505) 255-2303
Address: 3205 Central Avenue NE
Description: Budding wizards will be enchanted by this Nob Hill store that supplies professional magicians but has plenty for the novice, too. There are tricks with coins and cards, magic sets, books, DVDs, and kits to learn how to juggle. A free Magician’s Apprentice workshop offers an introduction to the craft each month, for participants 7 years and older. As we go to press, the workshop is at 1 p.m. on the third Saturday of the month, but that may change, so check with the shop before setting off. Closed Sunday and Monday.
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 523 Wyoming Boulevard NE
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 9721 Guadalupe Trail NW
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 2601 Central Avenue NW