One of the earliest examples of the so-called Acid Western, and perhaps the first feature film ever shot in Las Cruces, The Devil’s Mistress is an almost surreal story of robbery, racism, rape, and supernatural revenge in the American West. After four outlaws kill a man who welcomed them into his cabin, and then take his widow with them, the fun really begins, giving heft to the expression “Hell to pay.” The short (66 minutes) and rarely seen film has been resurrected by filmmaker Julia Smith, who will also show a selection from her documentary, Birth of the Acid Western, which grew out of the discovery of a largely unexamined film archive, and follows Smith’s exploration of Wanzer’s filmmaking legacy and the vibrant culture of student media production he helped foster at New Mexico State University. — Craig Holden
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