Local artist Virginia Maria Romero will design the poster for the 2025 Las Cruces International Film Festival (LCIFF). The artwork seeking to embody the spirit of the festival will be revealed at a poster party in March before the five-day festival in April.
Join the artist and fans of the festival to reveal Romero’s vision to represent the festival from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 7, at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Road. Tickets are $30 and include a signed collectible poster, food, drinks (beer and wine) and music. The original artwork will be auctioned off at the event. The artist will be on hand to sign limited-edition prints. Discounted VIP tickets to the film festival will be on sale for $150 only at the poster party, a savings of $50.
The 10th annual LCIFF, which runs from April 9-13, is supported by New Mexico State University and Visit Las Cruces.
Romero’s artworks have been selected for collections around the world. She is one of few non-Hispanic artists to master traditional New Mexican santero techniques. Although born in Ohio, Romero has lived in New Mexico since 1982. She and her husband moved from Santa Fe to Las Cruces in the 1990s. In 2013, Romero was recognized as a distinguished artist and poet by the American Council for Polish Culture. Her Polish ancestry is the other major inspiration for Romero’s religiously themed art.
“Romero is a visionary artist. I know her piece for the Las Cruces International Film Festival will be amazing,” said LCIFF Executive Director Ross Marks, an NMSU Creative Media Institute professor. “I encourage everyone to join us for the poster reveal party.”
Romero’s professional work and papers are in the NMSU Library Archives and Special Collections, as part of the Rio Grande Historical Collections Repository. Repository Link.
The five-day festival will take place at the Allen Theatres Cineport 10. VIP passes are $200, All-Access Passes are $100, Day Passes are $35 and admission to celebrity screenings are $35. Tickets are available now at www.lascrucesfilmfest.com.
When Marks founded the festival 10 years ago, he began teaching a class for NMSU students on how to produce a film festival. Since then, every year his students gain valuable experience working with him to produce the LCIFF. The event has drawn crowds of more than 12,000 attendees and more than 80,000 visitors to the region.
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CUTLINE: Local artist Virginia Romero’s artwork will design the poster for the 2025 Las Cruces International Film Festival. The original art will be auctioned off at the event. The artist will be on hand to sign limited-edition prints at a poster reveal party from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 7, at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. Tickets are available now. (Courtesy photo)