ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – With a close proximity to Los Angeles, extensive crew base, additional tax incentives, wide variety of filming locations, Netflix and NBCUniversal production hubs, and unique character, the Duke City has developed a strong film and television industry in the heart of New Mexico.
Albuquerque claimed the top spot in 2025, for the seventh year running, on MovieMaker Magazine’s annual list of “Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker – Big Cities.” The Duke City was chosen by the magazine because of its bustling production schedule, abundant natural beauty, excellent tax credits, light traffic, affordability, and commitment to growing its film industry.
Boasting hundreds of films, TV shows, documentaries, music videos, video games, and more throughout its long history of film production, the Duke City remains one of the most desirable locations for filmmakers in the world.
Here’s a list of films and shows produced in the Albuquerque area pre-2000.
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The earliest known film produced in New Mexico is “Indian Day School,” directed by James H. White in 1898 and filmed at Isleta Pueblo, just south of Albuquerque.
1900s
These four shorts, all produced in Albuquerque in 1903, were made by the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, the first company in the United States dedicated entirely to film production. Pioneering director D.W. Griffith and actors like Mark Pickford, Lillian Gish, and Lionel Barrymore called the Biograph Company home.
Carpenter Work, Albuquerque School (1903)
Fire Drill, Albuquerque Indian School (1903)
Girls’ Department, Albuquerque School (1903)
Indian Boys, Albuquerque Indian School (1903)
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1910s
The Biograph Company, Nestor Film Company, Lubin Manufacturing Company, St. Louis Motion Picture Company, and the Selig Polyscope Company all made shorts in the 1910s. Actor Tom Mix, the head of the Selig Company, took his productions to Las Vegas, New Mexico, in 1915. The Albuquerque Film Manufacturing Company was established in 1913 in New Mexico and was soon after reincorporated in Los Angeles before going bankrupt in 1918. The company was known for its 3-reel Westerns.
American Lumber Mill, Albuquerque, New Mexico (1912)
Elephant Butte Dam at Albuquerque (1912)
Pueblo Indians, Albuquerque, New Mexico (1912)
Masquerading in Bear Canyon (1913)
1940s
Nearly one third of all Hollywood films in the late 1940s were Westerns. This period, stretching all the way to the 1960s, was known as the “golden age” of the Western and led filmmakers to New Mexico’s iconic desert landscapes. After the U.S. entered World War II, the national film industry saw more morale war films as well.
Without Reservations (1946)
Ride the Pink Horse (1947)
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1950s
The “golden age” of the Western continued through the 1950s, and the introduction of television motivated studios to try new techniques to get audiences back in theaters. Gimmicks like 3-D, widescreen, and Technicolor film defined the industry during this decade.
My Friend Irma Goes West (1950)
1960s
The next Hollywood phenomenon: television. While televisions were commonplace in homes, businesses, and institutions after World War II, color broadcasting was first introduced in the mid-1960s. Many TV shows throughout history have filmed episodes in Albuquerque, while some shows were filmed in their entirety in the Duke City.
Stay Safe, Stay Strong: The Facts About Nuclear Weapons (1960)
Lonely Are the Brave (1962)
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1970s
The New Hollywood era of filmmaking in the 1970s saw some of the first film school graduates who had studied the history of the industry, utilizing past genre and style inspirations to create their own unique films. Because of this, the Western genre that dominated the industry throughout the 40s and 50s made a bold return, driving productions to the Land of Enchantment.
Gas! -Or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. (1970)
The Brotherhood of Satan (1971)
The Man with Icy Eyes (1971)
The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler (1971)
The Man and the City (1971-1972)
House Made of Dawn (1972)
Un uomo dalla pelle dura (1972)
Alistair Cooke’s America (1972-1973)
Counselor at Crime (1973)
Ginger in the Morning (1974)
Il consigliere imperiale (1974)
The Black Connection (1974)
Captain Space (1975-1976)
Nashville on the Road (1975-1983)
Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976)
John Baker’s Last Race (1976)
The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
Track of the Moon Beast (1976)
The Girl Called Hatter Fox (1977)
Every Which Way But Loose (1978)
Five Days from Home (1978)
Olly, Olly, Oxen Free (1978)
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979)
1980s
While the popularity of the Western declined, action and science fiction films dominated the 1980s. Studio-driven films were focused on easy marketing and high concept stories, pushing blockbusters and fighting for box-office success. The variety of landscapes in New Mexico made for a wide range of backdrops, even otherworldly locations.
Hide in Plain Sight (1980)
Policewoman Centerfold (1983)
The Prodigal Planet (1983)
V: The Final Battle (1984)
Outrageous Fortune (1987)
The Hairpiece from Hell! (1988)
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1990s
In the 1990s, independent and low-budget films saw a spike in production. The establishment of independent film companies and the widespread popularity of low-budget filmmakers in the United States, starting in the late 1980s, drew filmmakers away from the high prices in California, planting the seeds of the highly competitive tax incentives New Mexico’s film industry would be known for in the next few decades.
Sparks: The Price of Passion (1990)
Project Eliminator (1991)
Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
Revenge on the Highway (1992)
Crime Patrol 2: Drug Wars (1993)
The Fire Next Time (1993)
Cultivating Charlie (1994)
Kickboxer 4: The Aggressor (1994)
Natural Born Killers (1994)
Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie (1995)
Cops: Too Hot for TV 2! (1996)
The 77th/The Making of a Peace officer (1997)
Antiques Roadshow (1997-)
Banned from Television (1998)
World’s Wildest Police Videos (1998-2012)
Sex, Death & The Hollywood Mystique (1999)
Chicano Television (1999-)
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