New Mexico has spent a rough average of $100 million a year on film tax credits over the past five years. And more often than not, the big studios and streamers reap the benefits.
And big productions are great! They bring jobs, infrastructure, and attention. But ... what fills the gaps between the giants? And what happens to the local filmmakers who want to tell stories right here, right now?
Here's a modest proposal: The Indie 50 Fund. A carve-out of just 1% of the state's annual film tax credit (~$1,000,000) to support small but mighty film projects that are rooted in New Mexico, made by people who live here, and accountable to the communities they come from. Efficient, effective, and all about us New Mexicans.
This would not simply be an arts grant. It would be a small, targeted economic development program with cultural side effects that happen to be beautiful.
Here's how it works:
- 50 short films funded each year at $20,000 each
- 1 per filmmaker max
- 100% for New Mexico residents
- Every project must bring a 50% match ($10,000) through crowdfunding, loans, private investment, or in-kind support. To keep the fund from quietly drifting back toward privilege, the match can be tiered:
- Early career and under-resourced filmmakers can meet part of their match with in-kind support (gear, post-production, volunteer labor, school facilities, etc.)
- More established filmmakers would be expected to bring more of that match in cash
- All grant + match money must be spent in New Mexico
- Must pledge to house pre-production, production, and post-production in New Mexico and use an all-New Mexico cast and crew
- Must carry film production insurance and abide by industry safety standards. All cast and crew must sign A Pledge to Sarah
- Selection based on creativity, storytelling, feasibility with a preference for filmmakers of modest means
- First dollars pay union Tier 1 wages to cast and crew
Once a year, the program would release an impact report: which projects got funded, how many jobs and paid days were created, where the money went, and what screenings, festivals, and distribution came out of it.
And if you have no idea what a $30,000 short looks like on paper (or think it's not possible), we're including a sample short film budget here so you can see how it works in practice.
Why This Fund?
Because it works on multiple levels:
- Paychecks first. ~$850,000 in wages each year, equating to over 2,400 paid days at fair rates. Real employment for crews and performers in the long stretches between the big shows.
- Vendor spending. ~$650,000 spent on New Mexico rentals, props, catering, hotels, fuel, post-production and other services. Money that stays in the state and supports local businesses.
- Total direct NM spend. $1.5 million annually (grants + required match). Before any multiplier effects!
- Leverage built in. Every public dollar pulls in private cash or in-kind support alongside it.
Why It Matters for New Mexico
- Infrastructure stays alive. Between Netflix shows and studio shoots, crews and vendors need continuity. Smaller films keep the lights on, the gear moving, and the skills sharp.
- Brain drain slows. Too many New Mexico filmmakers leave for L.A. or New York because they can't get a first feature off the ground here. This fund builds a pipeline. Make your first film here, make your second film here, build your career here.
- Marketing power. Microbudget films dominate Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca. Imagine festival programs, press kits, and distribution deals all stamped βMade in New Mexico.β That is free advertising and a global reputation boost we don't have to buy with a major marketing campaign.
- Equity and access. By prioritizing storytellers of limited means and backing that up with an equitable match structure, we're not just creating movies -- we're opening doors that otherwise stay locked.
Not only is this life-changing for New Mexico filmmakers -- it's also good for New Mexicoβs broader economy. We get to keep our trained, creative workforce rooted here and working here.
Message to the Haters
Some critics might dismiss The Indie 50 as government welfare or (cue ominous music) socialism. To which we say: so what? We already practice a form of collective investment through the Film Production Tax Credit program.
And it works. The tax credit has created thousands of jobs, supported billions in production spending, and built the infrastructure that brought Netflix and NBC/Universal here in the first place.
What we're proposing isn't radical. It's simply ensuring that a sliver of this proven program supports New Mexico's own filmmakers.
Right now, most of the benefit flows to the big guys. By carving out just 1%, we'd have an outsized impact on the local independent film scene. The cultural return β dozens of films made here every year, voices rooted in New Mexico telling their stories β would be enormous. And the marketing effect of fifty films stamped "Made in New Mexico" hitting festivals, streaming platforms, and press outlets annually? That's the kind of visibility you can't buy.
Message to the Haters II
Another line you might hear: "But are there even enough filmmakers in New Mexico to make this fund worthwhile?" To which we say, with love and exasperation: that's bullshit.
Dust Wave itself is living proof. We've built a community of dozens of filmmakers who are constantly creating, crowdfunding, hustling, and pushing projects forward with scraps of money and a whole lot of grit. And we're not unique β collectives, students, emerging directors, writers, and crews are everywhere in this state.
What they lack isn't ideas or passion, it's access to resources. Give them even modest support, and you'll see fifty films a year become not just possible, but inevitable.
The Future of Filmmaking
Big productions are important, but they don't define the future. Independent filmmakers do. The next generation of directors, writers, producers, and cinematographers are cutting their teeth on scrappy, resourceful indie films. If New Mexico wants to be the film capital not just of today but of tomorrow, we need to stake that claim now.
Not by hoping the next studio production is bigger than the last, but by backing the people who will still be here in ten years' time, telling stories in the places they grew up.
This fund is how we do it.
Let's Do Something About It Then!
We're taking this idea to to state legislators. But ... they need to know that filmmakers, artists, and New Mexicans want this.
- Email me at [email protected] with the subject line "Indie 50".
- Tell me your story. Why would this fund matter to you?
- Share this page with anyone interested in contributing to the effort.
With just 1% of New Mexico's film credit program, we can build a permanent $1.5M indie film economy every year.
Fifty films. A thousand voices. All New Mexico.