ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – More than a hundred projects chose the Land of Enchantment over other top film-friendly states, and this year we could see even more.

“The industry strike certainly brought a screeching halt to all production nationwide. We were not unique in that,” said Amber Dodson, director of New Mexico Film Office. “Now that the strikes are resolved, I think the outlook could not be more positive and more bright. I think we’re going to continue breaking records.”

Film workers clocking in for what could be a record year for New Mexico’s movie-making business. The state’s film office is already seeing a huge uptick in registrations. 

“I think what we’re going to see is a completely bananas spring and summer and fall with all of these productions trying to catch up on their backlog,” said Dodson. 

Films projects ramping up include “Tyler Perry’s Joe’s College Road Trip,” set to film in and around Las Cruces. They expect to hire 90 New Mexicans.

Another 100 workers will set up shop in and around Albuquerque next month for “Miss You, Love You,” a new film starring Oscar winner Allison Janney. 

That’s not mentioning those already in the works.

“Basically, there’s a huge bottleneck. And so New Mexico, being a premier production hub in this country, we’re going to be probably busier than ever is what it’s looking like,” Dodson said. 

Dodson points to recent trends. Last year’s film tax credit report shows movie productions skyrocketed from 78 in 2020 to a record-breaking 109 in 2022.

Despite the Hollywood strikes, 83 productions chose New Mexico in 2023 as their desired location. 

“We’ve been through this in another way with the COVID pandemic when production was halted for about six months. When we reopened, and it was safe to do so, we saw the busiest summer New Mexico had ever seen. And ever since, we’d been breaking records in terms of production spent,” said Dodson. 

The average spending on a project in New Mexico increased from $3.8 million in 2020 to $9.7 million in 2023.    

“This industry is growing and booming, and it offers an amazing opportunity for anyone looking to work in hundreds of different crafts, who have a great work ethic, and who like to be working in a team to make a great product,” said Dodson.