Building a Filmmaking Community Wherever You Live with Hafid Abdelmoula

Hafid will show clips from his film thesis film Broken Gaiete (also called Village) and discuss how he brought together a filmmaking community in his town of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Discussion points include making your environment work for you, networking, and finding local experts.

About Hafid Abdemoula:

Hafid Abdelmoula, a Moroccan-American polymath, uniquely combines creativity and cultural insight as a writer, director, producer, actor, and singer. His ability to fluently speak multiple languages allows him to create stories that cross cultural and geographical borders, engaging audiences with his meaningful storytelling.

Abdelmoula’s venture into filmmaking started in his twenties, following his education at New Mexico State University and Vermont College of Fine Arts, where he refined his craft. This period of growth led to 5 wins and 9 nominations for his work, particularly his VCFA thesis “Broken Gaiete,” which was awarded the Best Feature Film at the Santa Fe Film Festival and brought him the El Paso Filmmaker Award for Best Director. His portfolio also includes the awarded thriller “Baby” at the New Mexico Student Filmmakers Showcase and the well-received “The Wall in the Garden.”

Recognized as a “Rising Star” by the New Mexico Film and Television Hall of Fame in 2023, Abdelmoula is eagerly preparing for the premiere of his upcoming project, “Arto,” at the Santa Fe Film Festival in 2024. He is actively developing several projects, such as “Broken Gaiete II- Aevium,” “Invisible Shackles,” “The Painter,” and a new horror feature.