The New Mexico Film Foundation, in partnership with The Stagecoach Foundation, is proud to present the New Mexico Above-the-Line virtual conversation series for 2021. This is the fourth of four, in-depth Zoom discussions with noted New Mexico producers, directors, writers, and actors. Whether you are a filmmaker, or want to be, listen and learn as above-the-line talent from across the state share their stories about making films and television in The Land of Enchantment.
New Mexico Above-the-Line: Actors
May 1, 2021
10am - 11:30am
Join this in-depth conversation and lively Q&A with four successful New Mexico film and television actors. Together, we will examine craft, project selection, preparation, process, collaboration, production, and career longevity, as well as the advantages and challenges of filmmaking in New Mexico.
Morningstar Angeline (she, her, they) is an actress, director, writer, producer, and performer. She is a queer Navajo, Chippewa Cree, Blackfoot, and Latinx woman. She began acting in theatre as a child and continued studying acting and writing throughout college. In 2014 she made her feature debut as Nizhoni Smiles in Drunktown’s Finest at the Sundance Film Festival. Since then, Angeline has starred in Paramount’s Yellowstone, Netflix’s Chambers, and HBO’s This Much I Know Is True. Behind the camera, she has worked in AD, camera, casting, and locations. In 2019, she co-produced and starred in Blackhorse Lowe's feature FUKRY. She is a 2018 Sundance Indigenous Lab Fellow for her directorial and writing debut, Yá’át’ééh Abiní. She is a 2020 Vision Maker Media Shorts Fellow for her co-written script Seeds, and is a 2020 Native American Feature Film Writers Lab Fellow for her script Rowdy by Nature. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the mixed media company Tse’Nato’.
Vic Browder has been working in New Mexico film since 2003. After graduating from Southern Utah University and spending several summers performing with Utah Shakespeare Festival, Vic headed to the MFA program at FSU Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training to sharpen his skill with some of the best acting teachers in the country. He eventually landed in Albuquerque, becoming a sought-after talent in the small black box venues around town (which can be great training for film). He finally did his first screen acting for a short film called The Family Sausage. Since then, he has been a part of dozens of short films helping young filmmakers tell their story, and has been in over 30 feature films and 25 television shows including Sicario, Waco, The Magnificent Seven, and Godless. He is a founding member of the professional Mother Road Theatre Company where he acts, directs, designs, builds and produces some of the best theatre in the Southwest.
Peter Diseth is a New Mexico-based actor. With dual degrees in Theatrical Performance and Directing from Southern Oregon University, Peter began his career on stage, working with a number of companies across the U.S. After acting with a nationally touring children’s production for two years, he and his wife moved to Albuquerque. A career in stage-acting turned to one on-camera when he joined SAG AFTRA in 2014. Since then, he’s appeared in a number of television shows, films, and web series including recurring roles on Better Call Saul, Roswell, New Mexico, Chambers and many more. His most recent role is in the forthcoming Netflix film Surrounded, starring Letitia Wright and Michael K. Williams.
Amber Midthunder recently shot the female lead opposite Liam Neeson in The Ice Road for director Jonathan Hensleigh. She can also be seen on the small screen series regular on The CW reboot of Roswell, New Mexico, and the Marvel series, Legion for FX. On the big screen she recently landed the lead role in the indie drama Centurion the Dancing Stallion. She was part of the cast in the Oscar-nominated film Hell or High Water, opposite Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine, as well as in Priceless, opposite David Koechner. Amber can also be seen in the sequel to the horror Thriller 13 Cameras helmed by Seth Fuller and Scott Hussion and the feature Highway alongside Josh Hartnett. Previously, she recurred on Cinemax’s Banshee and A&E’S Longmire in Season 3.
This series is moderated by Steve Graham, a producer, writer, director, and co-founder of the Santa Fe production company Goodwest Productions. Since 2005, he has produced 111 episodes of television and worked on more than a dozen films. He was co-executive producer for five seasons on the television series Z Nation (Syfy) and was co-executive producer on Netflix’s Black Summer. Recently, he produced the awardwinning punk puppet musical The Love That Would Not Die and is producing the New Mexico-based drama The Penny and the horror comedy Hermanos Muertos.