NMSU students, faculty participate in award-winning film to screen in Mesilla
Film shot in Las Cruces and Mesilla features NMSU students; opening night gala set for March 28 with director and producer appearances
Kyle Ivy, New Mexico State University
CORRECTION: This article has been updated. A previous version incorrectly stated that the book "Tao of Surfing" was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
The Mesilla Valley Film Society will screen “A Long Road to Tao” March 28 through April 3 at the historic Fountain Theatre in Mesilla. The opening night gala begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 28. Tickets are available for $18 at the film society website.
New Mexico State University Creative Media Institute professor Sherwin Lau was the director of photography on the film. He teaches undergraduate courses in film production. Since 2006, Lau has worked on independent films, documentaries, commercials and music videos and has collaborated with filmmakers around the world.
“A Long Road to Tao” was partially shot in Las Cruces and Mesilla and employed students from NMSU’s Creative Media Institute. Film students also assisted casting director Jennifer Schwalenberg.
The week-long event will include special appearances on opening night by producer Michael Allen and director Alex Carig. Lau and many of the local cast members also will attend the opening night gala.
Allen wrote the book “Tao of Surfing,” on which the film is based. Carig directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Allen. “A Long Road to Tao” follows a writer’s struggle as he learns his best friend, a former pro-surfer, is dying of AIDS. The film embraces philosophies of Taoism and Native American spirituality as the two friends help each other accept the inevitable.
Regular tickets for screenings of “A Long Road to Tao” from March 29 through April 3 cost $10 for adults and $8 for students. A special discounted showing at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 30, will be offered at $6 for students with a valid I.D. To learn more about the Mesilla Valley Film Society, visit https://mesillavalleyfilm.org. To learn more about NMSU’s Creative Media Institute, visit https://cmi.nmsu.edu/.
Kyle Ivy writes for New Mexico State University Marketing and Communications and can be reached at 575-646-1034, or by email at kslau8@nmsu.edu.