El Paso makes list for 'best places to live and work as a moviemaker'

The Sun City landed on a list for "The Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2026," released by MovieMaker Magazine on Jan. 14. El Paso was ranked No. 25, alongside places like Santa Fe, New Mexico (No. 1), Albuquerque, New Mexico (No. 2) Santa Clarita, California (No. 5) and a handful of cities in Canada. (The magazine clarifies that Los Angeles and New York City are not on this list because the cities remain "North America’s film capitals.")

"Fresh from hosting Paul Thomas Anderson’s "One Battle After Another," El Paso is riding high and looking for more large-scale films and TV shows," the magazine wrote. "It offers a close-knit, passionate film community — which comes out in force each year for the fast-growing El Paso Film Festival — as well as its inimitable location along the U.S.-Mexican border, one of the most storied regions in the world."

The official teaser for the film "One Battle After Another" was released by Warner Bros. on Thursday, March 20. Parts of the thriller were shot in El Paso and stars Leonardo Dicaprio and Benicio del Toro.

The magazine also cites new improvements to the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program, which now allows productions a grant rebate of up to 31% of their qualified in-state spending — up from 22.5%.

"In addition to charm, affordability and easy permitting — as well as very photogenic historic buildings you can see on display in One Battle — El Paso offers an array of production facilities, including the Rio Bravo Outpost and MindWarp Films," the Magazine said.

The Paul Thomas Anderson film was shot in El Paso for 18 days between May and June 2024 and contributed nearly $6 million in direct spending in El Paso, according to Destination El Paso, the city's marketing organization. A significant portion of the spending was building two major sets, which required extensive materials and labor.

Benicio del Toro was seen at Cafe Central while filming in El Paso. Leonardo DiCaprio is seen filming in Downtown El Paso.

El Pasoans were excited as local sightings of DiCaprio and del Toro began to surface — the pair were spotted filming in the Downtown area, and dining at Cafe Central. Del Toro was also captured attending a Chihuahuas baseball game.

Natassia Paloma may be reached at [email protected], @NatassiaPaloma on X, natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso makes list for 'Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker'