After facing numerous challenges, El Paso finally has the opportunity to shine.

      El Paso, Texas, offers picturesque views, historic buildings downtown, and a rich history along its border with Mexico. Following the acclaim for Paul Thomas Anderson’s film One Battle After Another, which prominently features the city, El Paso may be poised to become a notable film destination.

      With the positive reception of the film and a new Texas film incentive that provides rebates of up to 31% for qualifying in-state expenditures, the expansive, predominantly Latino city of about 880,000 is experiencing a moment of opportunity and aims to capitalize on it.

      During the recent El Paso Film Festival, held alongside the September 26 release of One Battle After Another, local filmmakers enjoyed their time in the limelight and shared experiences of seeing Anderson, along with stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro, interacting with the community.

      Typically, film commissions worldwide compete vigorously to secure a DiCaprio film. So how did Drew Mayer-Oakes, El Paso’s film and creative industries commissioner, attract One Battle After Another?

      “They came to us,” he chuckles.

      Anderson has a history with West Texas, having filmed his 2007 classic There Will Be Blood near Marfa, roughly 200 miles from El Paso. In 2022, Mayer-Oakes remembers, Anderson and producer Sara Murphy traveled across the country scouting locations and seeking inspiration.

      Murphy reached out to Mayer-Oakes that summer without revealing Anderson’s involvement. However, after Mayer-Oakes expressed that El Paso would gladly host the production—“that’s what we do,” he says—others, including location manager Michael Glaser, got involved.

      Mayer-Oakes, who has significant experience in the Texas film scene including leadership of the San Antonio film commission, recalls an important phone call with Glaser: “He just confirmed his thoughts—‘Are you guys open to filming? Can we use your downtown? It might get a bit chaotic.’

      “And we responded, ‘bring it on.’”

      The excitement includes an impressive riot and chase scene where DiCaprio's character, Bob, escapes from authorities while searching for his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti). Bob receives assistance from del Toro’s character, Sensei Sergio St. Carlos, as they navigate various downtown El Paso locations, including the sensei’s dojo and the city’s richly characterized, atmospheric buildings.

      One particularly striking shot features a group of skateboarders—played by actual El Paso skaters—attempting to guide Bob across rooftops to safety.

      Mayer-Oakes notes that Anderson appeared to draw inspiration from being atop those rooftops, camera in hand. From a high vantage point in El Paso, one can see the border crossings and far into Ciudad Juarez.

      “He had a clear vision of what he wanted, but he was observant. I believe filmmakers like him are continually inspired by locations, helping him to concentrate on how he wanted to narrate the story,” Mayer-Oakes explains.

      The production of One Battle After Another employed around 300 crew members, mainly from out of town, while also hiring local production assistants and traffic control personnel, among others. Moreover, they sourced materials and supplies from local vendors for the construction of three sets.

      “Clearly, hiring individuals who understand the local community is vital when you need to act swiftly,” Mayer-Oakes adds.

      He estimates that the local economic impact in El Paso over the approximately 16 days of filming was around $4 million. The film also filmed at various locations in California, including the Sacramento rail yards and the Anza-Borrego desert.

      Benicio del Toro as Sensei Sergio St. Carlos in One Battle After Another. Warner Bros.

      Some members of the El Paso film community had concerns that their cinematic aspirations might be hindered by being located in the far reaches of West Texas. However, One Battle After Another has instilled hope that they can pursue careers in the city they cherish while still engaging with major productions.

      Celine Dipp, an El Paso native attending Brown University in Rhode Island with aspirations of becoming a filmmaker, discovered last year that Anderson was filming in her hometown when someone involved in production mentioned it to her sister.

      “And I was like, wait, go back: PTA is shooting in El Paso?” Dipp recalls.

      She had contemplated abandoning filmmaking, feeling she could not establish a sustainable career in El Paso. But upon returning home from college in June 2024, and discovering that the production was active at the same time, she was determined to secure a position.

      Much of the film revolves around Bob trying to recall a sequence of codes needed to reconnect with his renegade team, the French 75. In a similar fashion, Dipp had to decipher a few mysteries to become a production assistant on One Battle After Another.

      She reached out to local filmmakers, repeatedly expressing her enthusiasm until the production noticed her, she says.

      “And then I received a text filled with code words, followed by, ‘Can you jump on a call tomorrow?’ We connected over the