Joe West is an award-winning songwriter, performer and director. In addition to his international touring schedule and nine full-length albums (including his newest, Rodeo of the Soul), he propitiously founded the Theater of Death production company. Please visit www.joewestmusic.com and www.theaterofdeath.org.
Andrew Wice is a novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of seven novels, including To The Last Drop (Bäuu Press, Colorado, 2008), as well as the best-selling smartphone app, The Oral History Tour of Madrid, NM. Please visit www.AndrewWice.com
Doug Speer is a retired producer, creative director and photographer. After 32 years in corporate communications, he joined the Theater of Death in 2018 as Technical Director for the inaugural Madrid Film Festival and continued with the fall productions of Invasion! and Freakatorium.
Laine Patterson joined the crew 3 years ago assisting with the Madrid Film Festival and the Theater of Death: technology, website, photography, and projectionist. She's the local technologist 15 years in the making. Find her at www.ninedottechnologies.com
Mission Statement
The Madrid Film Festival seeks to encourage local filmmaking by showcasing the best short films produced in New Mexico each year. Supporting amateur and minority filmmakers is a particular emphasis, especially in the small town of Madrid where educational workshops can directly reach aspiring filmmakers.
History of the Festival
Musician Joe West had the idea of a local short film festival and brought it to author Andrew Wice; when they added technical wizard Doug Speer, the trio of producers balanced together. The inaugural 2018 festival was a surprise runaway sold-out hit. They expanded the 2019 festival into three full days, and then took the prize-winning films on a successful short tour around New Mexico. Despite the limitations put in place by Covid, the 2020 Madrid Film Festival was another smash hit, and featured the first-ever virtual festival screening, which streamed for free. In 2021, the Madrid Film Festival screened movies outside for the first time ever, under the stars of the historic Oscar Huber Memorial Ballpark.