Real movie mavens don’t just settle for movies at the local multiplex. They hunt down film festivals no matter where they are. This year marks the fifth annual Santa Fe Film Festival, celebrating the best in contemporary cinema from around the globe this December 1-5, 2004.

The Festival has grown dramatically since its inception making it the fastest growing film festival in North America. The Santa Fe Film Festival is dedicated to providing a showcase for excellent cinema from around the world, surveying the best in contemporary cinema, and paying homage to the contributions of veteran film artists through select tributes recognizing their body of work.

This year the festival will feature more than 80 programs of premiers, celebrity tributes and showcases. In all more than 160 feature films, shorts, animation, documentaries and retrospective tributes from over 20 different nations will be presented.

Highlights include the initial Governor's Cup Challenge, a first of its kind competition featuring New Mexico film makers in 3 classes with finals airing at the Festival. This year the Instituto Cervantes, the cultural and arts arm of the Spanish Government, begins an ongoing collaboration with the Festival bringing film makers from the Spanish speaking world to Santa Fe.

As part of this new partnership, Alfonso Arau, who made "Like Water For Chocolate," Mexico's all time U.S. box office leader, will be honored. His new film "Zapata" will also be premiered.

There will be world premiers of local films, the premier of the Sci Fi Channel's new mini-series, "Earthsea," a revival of "Repo Man" on its 20th anniversary with a brand new print presented by the film's producer and Santa Fe local Jonathan Wacks and, because Santa Fe is the culinary destination it is, a food series featuring 10 to 12 titles.

Nine venues will be used throughout Santa Fe including the Festival's anchor theater, the 800-seat Lensic Performing Arts Center in historic downtown.

The festival box office opens Nov. 12, but VIP and All-Film Passes may be reserved in advance online or by phone. VIP passes cover admission to all films, panel discussions as well as Festival parties. Further information and festival details are available at www.santafefilmfestival.com or by calling 505-988-5225.

Best way to get there from Rhode Island

• Southwest Airlines 800-435-9792 http://www.southwest.com

Where to stay in Santa Fe:

• La Fonda on the Plaza 100 E. San Francisco 800-523-5002 www.lafondasantafe.com
  
• The Inn of the Five Graces 150 E. DeVargas Street T: 505.992.0957 F: 505.955.0549 info@fivegraces.com www.fivegraces.com
  
• Inn on the Alameda 505- 984-2121, 800-289-2122 www.inn-alameda.com
  
• Bishop’s Lodge Resort and Spa 800-732-2240 www.bishopslodge.com
  
• La Posada de Santa Fe Resort and Spa 505-982-5474, 800-5276 www.rockresorts.com
  
• Inn of the Anasazi 505-988-3030, 800-688-8100 www.innoftheanasazi.com
  
• Inn and Spa at Loretto 505-988-5531 http://www.hotelloretto.com

Where to eat in Santa Fe:

• Inn of the Anasazi, 505-988-3236
  
• Amaya at Santa Fe Hotel
  
• Geronimo’s 505-988-5531
  
• The Restaurant at the Inn and Spa at Loretto 505-988-5531
  
• The Compound Restaurant, 505-982-4353
  
• The Old House, Eldorado Hotel, 505-988-4455
  
• Fuego Restaurant, La Posada Resort,  505-954-9670 be sure to try the foie gras
  
• SantaCafe, 231 Washington Ave. 800-252-8570 or 505-984-1788
  
• Café Pasquals, 505-983-9340 (if you are traveling alone or in a hurry, ask to sit at the community table)
  
• Bumble Bee’s Baja Grill 505-820-2862. Healthy fast food, made fresh. Truly where the natives eat.
  

Best view of the chefs without their clothes on

Order the Santa Fe Nude Chefs calendar. Calendars are priced at a reasonable $19.95. All profits from the sale of the calendar will be donated to The Yaxche Learning Center Scholarship Program in Taos, New Mexico, the non-profit educational organization that benefits needy children from diverse indigenous backgrounds. Some chefs, like Tom Kerpon from Inn of the Anasazi, look as good as movie stars. There are four ways to get our copy. 1. Order Online: www.taoscooking.com 2. Email Lisa Cancro, Director of the Taos School of Cooking at: leela@newmex.com 3. Call: 505-751-4419 or 4. Mail: Taos School of Cooking, 4100 NDCBU, Taos, NM  87571

Bar with the best view

• Belltower Bar in La Fonda 505-954-3599, 800-523-50002

Best Sunday brunch

• El Dorado Hotel www.eldoradohotel.com 505-988-4455

Best Guacamole

• La Fonda

Santa Fe Black Book for Chocolate Lovers (maybe I should say dark semi-sweet brown book):

• Café Paris Bakery, 31 Burro Alley, (505) 986-1688
  
• Chocolate Maven, 821 San Mateo Road, (505) 984-1980
  
• Cloud Cliff Bakery and Café 1805 Second Street, www.cloudcliff.com
  
• Delectables, 720 St. Michael's Drive, Suite 2M, 438-8152
  
• Ohori's Coffee, Tea & Chocolate, 507 Old Santa Fe Trail, (505) 982-9692
  
• Senor Murphy Candy Maker, 1904 Chamisa Street, 1-877-988-4311
  
• Todos Santos Chocolates and Confections, 125 East Palace Avenue #31, (505) 982-3855
  
• Gourmet Fudge and Wedding Favors (505)856-8242 1-877-423-8343 1-877-42FUDGE sandra_todieforfudge@msn.com
  
• Bumble Bee’s Baja Grill 505-820-2862 Try anything baked by Katalyna Weil. She does a mean cowboy crunch and Mexican espresso brownies. I love the cowgirl kisses
  
• Kakawa Chocolate House, Mark Sciscenti, Chocolate connoisseur, Pasty chef and Certified Herbalist. 505-438-3402. sunsilver@earthlink.net Try his chocolate truffles and authentic historic chocolate drinks. My favorite was the chocolate chilli drink.

Favorite Flavors of Santa Fe

• Pear Mascapone Soup at Fuego in La Posada.
• Chocolate Terraine at Hotel Santa Fe
• Guacamole at La Fonda

Random Thought:

Why does it seem that everyone is Santa Fe is either a chef or a massage therapist or has a family member who is? Maybe that is why you get such great food and massages in Santa Fe.

What to do:

• Browse Canyon Road. This gallery row features an amazing assortment of fine art, crafts, antiques, jewelry, clothing and restaurants.
  
• Santa Fe School of Cooking
  
• Take the taste of Santa Fe home by enjoying cooking classes featuring Santa Fe’s top chefs whipping up everything from traditional Northern New Mexican cuisine to contemporary Southwest. 505-983-4511
  
• Santa Fe Opera. One of the most famous in the world. www.santafeopera.org.
  
• Flea Market. If you are there on a weekend, check out the flea market by the Opera. Tesuque Flea Market is the official name, but no one calls it that. The land it is on is owned by the Indians. Only open in warmer weather.
  

Shop for art and cowboy boots

• Stop by Back at the Ranch, where Wendy Lane has been making fashion cowboy boots for the past 15 years. I believe she pretty much "owns" this niche. She has lots of celebrity clients, including the Governor of New Mexico. www.backattheranch.com. 209 East Marcy Street 888-96 boots 505-989-8110

Art browsing:

• SITE Santa Fe is located at 1606 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM WWW.SITESANTAFE.ORG
• Minkay Andean Art The unique and original pieces on display include brilliantly-crafted, ceramics, evocative retablos with hand-made figurines using boiled potato and plaster by famed artist Nicario Jimenez. The collection also includes colorful and intricate Andrean textiles, Alpaca garments and objects used in the traditional folk medicine in the Andes. 233 Canyon Road www.minkay.com 505-820-2210
• The Turquoise Trail leads to Hotel Santa Fe...Just check out the fashion-conscious these days, and what you'll find is a plethora of turquoise, the deep blue of a summer sky, the perfect contrast for a summer tan, and the stone that for centuries has been the sacred stone and favorite adornment of Native Americans. So where would you expect to find the turquoise Mother Lode? Just follow the Turquoise Trail to the Picuris Art and Gift Shop at Hotel Santa Fe, where Manager Joan Greer has assembled a stellar collection of turquoise jewelry gleaned from neighboring reservations and pueblos and at prices that permit loading on the treasures, Native-American style. For example, there's a 5-strand necklace of turquoise beads or a single-strand necklace of turquoise heishi - the flat turquoise beads that are a specialty of Santo Domingo Pueblo -- mixed with nuggets. Hand-hammered coin silver beads are interspersed with turquoise beads, while oversize nuggets of turquoise make impressive earrings. The pièce de resistance: an impressive silver-and-turquoise concho belt, guaranteed to create a sensation back home.

Great times to visit (if you miss the film festival)

• Don’t miss the ArtFeast benefit event in late February. http://www.travellady.com/Issues/February04/OneofSantaFes.htm
• Souper Bowl Project contact Director@thefooddepot.org to reach Sherry Hooper, the Director of the Food Depot, which organizes this event; their phone number is 505-471-1633
• Wine and Chile festival info@santafewineandchile.org
• Annual Santa Fe Market, a free public celebration of the colorful arts, crafts, jewelry and cultures of Native Americans and the American Southwest. Usually the first weekend in April 619) 296-3161 or visit BazaarDelMundo.com

• Hidden Southwest By Richard Harris Ulysses Press www.ulyssespress.com
• Let’s Go Adventurre Guide Southwest USA 2003 St. Martin’s Press www.stmartins.com
• Ski America and Canada has the best and most detailed overview of Santa Fe from a winter tourist/skier/snowboarder's perspective. The new edition (15th) will be in bookstores about mid October. Available from most bookstores, Amazon, bn.com and www.worldleisure.com

More about New Mexico

• The Old West Travel Historic America Explore ghost towns, Pioneer trails, Spanish Missions and more. Fodor’s www.fodor’s.com
  
• Moon Handbooks New Mexico By Stephen Metzger Avalon Travel www.moon.com

For more information:

• Santa Fe: 800-777-2489 http://www.santafe.org http://www.skisantafe.com

Best Freebie

The Official 2004 Santa Fe Visitors Guide - A Free Guide to Santa Fe: The 2004 Santa Fe Visitors Guide produced by the Santa Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau has been updated for 2004 and is free for the asking. The 98 page guide has everything a visitor needs to plan a stay in Santa Fe including articles or listings of attractions, lodging,  shopping, day trips, restaurants and cuisine, the city's prolific art scene, activities for kids, the city's romantic side, edu-tourism, historic and cultural background of Santa Fe, a 2004 calendar of events and more. The four-color glossy magazine is filled with beautiful new images of Santa Fe and is THE resource for getting the most out of a Santa Fe visit.  For a free 2004 Santa Fe Visitors Guide call, 800-777-2489, 505-955-6200, or visit www.santafe.org.

Still can’t get enough of film festivals? Here is more for Movie Mavins

• New York: the Movie Lover’s Guide The Ultimate Insider Tour of Movie New York by Bu Richard Alleman Broadway Books www.broadwaybooks.com includes star-studded restaurants and trendy nightclubs, posh movie-star pads and hip hotels

• Hollywood: the Movie Lover’s Guide The Ultimate Insider Tour of Movie LA Also by Bu Richard Alleman Broadway Books www.broadwaybooks.com written by a former actor and writer, is book highlights classic and contemporary locations plus burial sites of the dearly departed

About the author, Madelyn Miller: Madelyn Miller is a member of the Dallas/Fort Worth Film Critics Association. She adores art house and foreign films and seems drawn to anything with a travel theme. She never met a film festival she did not like. Although she travels as executive editor of www.travellady.com about half the time, when home in Dallas you will often find her in movie theatres. Her film video collection is gradually replacing her cookbook library. Her favorite popcorn is heavily buttered; straight from a popcorn machine in a movie theatre. Chocolate inspires her to write better reviews. Website: http://www.travellady.com

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