The Winners have been Announced! Check out the 2021 Desert Light Film Festival Awards Ceremony! Congratulations to all the students who participated and the teachers who supported them. You excelled in these difficult times!
Desert Light Film Festival is a low-cost, high-impact event. The cost is very low for students as there is no cost to students to attend. The cost for each entry is still only $5.00. We have never raised the submission fee. Located in Alamogordo, with a start time of 9 AM, many schools can drive to the festival in the morning and drive home that evening. Schools have generated a wonderful sense of pride in their efforts, and many school groups now design and wear special T-shirts on festival day. Because we can now include students via the internet, more students can participate without having to travel to Alamogordo.
Organizations represented in the above photo include New Mexico State University Alamogordo, TDS, the City of Alamogordo, the Flickinger Center for Performing Arts, and Otero County Economic Development. *Photo was taken in 2019.
Thank you, TDS for continuing to sponsor the Desert Light Film Festival. We couldn’t have this amazing competition for New Mexican Middle School and High Schoolers without you!
Call for Entries 2022
2022 Forms, Rules & Judging Criteria
Download the rules and entry forms below!
Rules for Entry: Entry Rules 2022
Entry Form: Entry Form 2022
Judge Criteria for Commercials: DL22 Judges Sheet Tourism Television Commercials
Judge Criteria for Music Videos: DL22 Judges Form Music Video
Judge Criteria for Experimental: DL22 Judges Form Experimental
Judge Criteria for Drama/Comedy: DL22 Judges Form Drama/Comedy
Judge Criteria for Animation: DL22 Judges Form Animation
Judge Criteria for Documentary: DL22 Judges Form Documentary
Keynote Speaker Ryan Turri
Click the following to find the NMTD Video Guidelines & Tips sheet, this will help you better understand the essence of the New Mexico True brand and voice.
In 2019 we had the pleasure of welcoming Producer, Director, and Writer Ryan Turri as our keynote speaker. Ryan Turri is an independent director, writer and producer best known for his films Abe Makes a Movie and The Bigfoot Election. Ryan is well-loved as a director for the spontaneous and fun working environment he creates on set. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with his wife and 3 young children, and is the owner of Turri Productions.
2019 Desert Light Film Festival - Best of Festival
2019 was the 16th year for the Desert Light Film Festival and as always, was a fantastic success. With nearly 400 students in attendance from across the state of New Mexico, incredible workshop leaders, and an amazing keynote speaker, we had a wonderful day. Entries were some of the best we have ever seen and they just keep getting better! We are proud to support the growth and development of young filmmakers here in the state of New Mexico. Check out last year’s schedule here!
