Founded in 2016, New Mexico Girls Make Movies is a free state-wide program that provides education and job training to New Mexico girls and young women ages 12 – 25. Through filmmaking programs, scholarships, workshops, internships, set placement, and networking, we empower young women in New Mexico to create their own opportunities in the film and television industries and make their creative dreams a reality.

Through our film production, screenwriting competitions, Production Assistant Training Program, and workshop series, we have served over 250 young women. Our outreach efforts have generated interest among public and private schools and we will continue to expand our workshops into more schools and communities throughout the state.  With extensive radio, television, and press placements as well as our platform on the web and social media, NMGMM has reached thousands of young women across New Mexico. We embrace feedback from our Mentees to improve our programs and better serve their needs and interests. All of our programs are completely free to participants and our Mentees retain ownership of their creative work.

In 2019, NMGMM launched the New Mexico Girls Make Movies Film Education Scholarship Fund which provides scholarships of up to $2000 to provide young women with the means to attend film schools and programs to further their education and gain invaluable hands-on training.  Our first two scholarship winners were awarded in January 2020.

New Mexico Girls Make Movies is honored to be the New Mexico Women in Film 2018 Sage Award Winner for our contribution to the training and empowerment of young women seeking careers in the film industry.

What We've Achieved

  • 2 state-wide Screenwriting Competitions with Shooting Stars at the Governor's Mansion Gala, George RR Martin’s Jean Cocteau Cinema Event, Staged Readings, and One-on-One Mentoring for Finalists.

  • Production of the short film Bottled Up. Professional Mentors trained our NMGMM Mentees (Finalists from the Screenwriting Competition) in their area of interest. First all-female crew in New Mexico history.

  • Premiere of Bottled Up at the 2018 Santa Fe Film Festival attended by the community, our Finalists, and Mentors.

  • Panel Discussion at the Santa Fe Film Festival entitled: NMGMM: Empowering Women in the New Mexico Film Industry featuring our Judges and Mentees.

  • Creation of the NMGMM Film Education Scholarship to provide scholarships of up to $2000 for young women to attend film schools and programs.

  • Two NMGMM Film Education Scholarships awarded to Lizzy Embick and Dayana Calle in January 2020.

  • Our latest project, New Mexico Girls Make Movies Voices in Power, launched in July 2020, gives voice to the young women of New Mexico. A series of videos created by local young women will be sent to state leadership and distributed through traditional and social media outlets.

  • Screenwriting/Directing Workshops at Capitol High School, Santa Fe, NM, Santa Fe University of Art and Design and UNM Taos. The workshops served young women from over twenty-five elementary, middle, and high schools as well as universities and colleges throughout the state.

  • A Production Assistant Training Program (PATP) that offers real-world education to young women ready to enter the professional film industry. Recents workshops include a weekend at Public Academy for the Performing Arts in Albuquerque and Sol Acting Academy.

  • Internships and Job Placement for our Mentees to work as Production Assistants in various departments on sets in New Mexico. Recent placements include the Disney film, Stargirl, directed by Julia Hart, the Lifetime movie, Deadly Desert Vacation, directed by Tamar Halpern and the television pilot, Blackdom, directed by Kaaren Ochoa.

  • Partnership with New Mexico Women in Film for our NMGMM Mentees to work as interns on their PSA shoot for the Domestic Violence Prevention organization, Enlace Comunitario.

  • Vast network among our Mentees, Mentors, and Alums provide jobs and ongoing education opportunities. Recent events include a free screening of the documentary film, RBG with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.