In 2014, the idea of an international film festival in Las Cruces was merely bandied around the community, often with little energy. As a Professor at New Mexico State University and an award-winning filmmaker who has attended over 60 film festivals, Ross Marks seized the idea and created the Las Cruces International Film Festival at New Mexico State University. Over the last 9 years, the Las Cruces International Film Festival has grown to become the largest film festival in the country run by a university. LCIFF is committed to bringing world-class independent films, filmmakers, training panels, workshops, and celebrity guests to the community of Las Cruces—and to the campus of NMSU. The hard work and dedication of the LCIFF team have made the festival grow to where it now attracts approximately 12,000 attendees every year. Since its inception, the festival has drawn more than 80,000 visitors from all over the world, served more than 700 student participants, and brought in almost 1,500 filmmakers. Positioned as it is in the Borderlands, it also serves as a bridge for filmmakers on either side of the border to showcase and share their talents. The festival is run by students in NMSU’s Creative Media Institute. While at the festival, through its various screenings, workshops, and panels, people learn everything from screenwriting, directing, acting, independent filmmaking, casting, producing, and marketing to distribution.

Every spring, the festival brings the best of independent film in all genres for 5 days to Las Cruces and works to promote the film industry in Southern New Mexico and the borderlands. With its vast on-site workshops, panel discussions, and seminars, the Las Cruces International Film Festival is a rich educational opportunity for filmmakers, students, and the public. It is hosted to create a purposeful space that is both inviting and educational for those who may not otherwise have an opportunity to explore the film and entertainment industry. The Las Cruces International Film Festival is now considered one of the most prestigious film festivals in the Southwest and is often referred to as “The Sundance of the Southwest.”