For the last two weeks of October, Santa Fe, New Mexico will be an artistic feast for visitors and locals with appetites for art, architecture, music, history, film and food.<\/p>\n
From October 20-23, The Santa Fe Film Festival<\/a> will again serve as an anchor event to the Santa Fe Arts Festival.\u00a0<\/strong> The fall-colored aspens, warm days and cool nights are the perfect time to immerse yourself in creative works of film and art.<\/p>\n As a part-time resident of Santa Fe (and Phoenix), October is my favorite month of the year. I always try to schedule my writing and producing projects so that I can be in New Mexico for the Balloon Fiesta and the Santa Fe Film Festival. After Albuquerque\u2019s world\u2019s largest balloon gathering, it\u2019s time to drive up or take a relaxing Railrunner train trip to Santa Fe.<\/p>\n Santa Fean Magazine<\/em> publisher Bruce Adams created the Santa Fe Arts Festival<\/a> with the intention that the city of Santa Fe will continue as a cultural center for the world. He wants festival goers to come away with the feeling that they\u2019ve had a \u201ctotal Santa Fe experience: from art to music to film.\u201d<\/p>\n Under a second year umbrella of the Santa Fe Arts Festival, individually managed anchor events include the Canyon Roads Festival, the Santa Fe Film Festival and the Santa Fe Symphony. Proceeds from a number of Santa Fe Arts Festival events will go to benefit the Santa Fe Public Schools Music Program.<\/p>\n Canyon Road Festival<\/strong><\/p>\n This year, the Canyon Road Festival will include what Bruce Adams hopes will become an annual event: the Children\u2019s Parade. Just one-half mile from the Plaza, Canyon Road offers over 100 galleries, boutiques and restaurants.<\/p>\n If Santa Fe is an art lover\u2019s Mecca, then Canyon Road is surely it\u2019s cultural hub. The Canyon Road Festival brings together Native American, Spanish and Folk Art into a captivating experience.<\/p>\n This year, the Canyon Road Festival will feature:<\/p>\n During the outdoor Paint-Out! event, in a feast for the senses, artists invite guests to participate in their creations. Artwork is created, food is cooked and children play music. Proceeds from an after party at Canyon Road\u2019s El Farol restaurant<\/a> will benefit the Santa Fe Children\u2019s Music program.<\/p>\n In addition to the featured Canyon Road events, I especially like the fiber artists because it\u2019s just fascinating to watch a puff of cotton or wool be dyed into any number of colors, spun into thread and then woven into blankets and garments. For more info on the Canyon Road Festival, go to VisitCanyonRoad.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Santa Fe Film Festival<\/strong><\/p>\n The Santa Fe Film Festival, in its 12th year, isn\u2019t just for film fanatics. It\u2019s for everyone to observe, participate and appreciate. When I asked Bruce Adams how art could be necessary to the average citizen, he replied, \u201call art forms have a practical application in our lives as they give our minds and our souls a different place to live.\u201d In particular, \u201cfilm allows us to escape the pressures of daily life,\u201d if even for only a couple of hours.<\/p>\n In 2006, the first time I attended the Santa Fe Film Festival, I was struck by how accessible the filmmakers were. Here I was sitting in the middle of the gorgeous Lensic Performing Arts Center<\/a> watching Juno<\/em>. I didn\u2019t know until afterwards, that one of the film\u2019s producers was in the back of the theatre watching audience reaction. A few months later, Juno<\/em> was released and went on to gross over $200 million dollars.<\/p>\n Within the next two years, I was privileged to be in a relatively small room of writers listening to the likes of Kirk Ellis (just off his John Adams<\/em> Emmy win) and Bruce C. McKenna (who would go on to write and produce HBO\u2019s The Pacific<\/em>) talk about all things screenwriting.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s just to name a few. When you attend the Santa Fe Film Festival, the film is personally introduced and after the screening, the film\u2019s director, producer or principal actors take questions. You come away with a much different experience from a movie when you feel like you\u2019re a part of the process.\u00a0 In some cases, viewer feedback has resulted in \u201cwork-in-progress\u201d films being re-edited.<\/p>\n The Santa Fe Film Festival presents its screenings at several stunning locations. The architecture and history enhance the cinematic arts experience.<\/p>\n\n