El Paso sure is feeling the love this awards season and it’s thanks One Battle After Another, the Paul Thomas Anderson film that dominated Hollywood’s biggest nights. The film swept through the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and Critics’ Choice Awards before taking home six Oscars at the 98th Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. 

For El Pasoans, the wins hit differently. The film was shot in El Paso for 18 days between May and June 2024, and contributed nearly $6 million in direct spending to the city. Locals even spotted Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro filming in the Downtown area and dining at Cafe Central, while del Toro was even captured attending a Chihuahuas baseball game. 

Watching our iconic streets and landmarks appear on an Oscar-winning screen was a proud moment for this community. That’s why it stings a little when Hollywood gets it wrong. 

Courtesy: Iris Lopez

Courtesy: Iris Lopez

Read More: How El Paso Became The Heart Of A Major Film Project

Netflix Film, Trap House Takes Place in El Paso but Filmed Hours Away

Over the weekend, I came across a Netflix film called Trap House. Pretty much the whole film is set in El Paso, our city’s name right there in the opening graphic. I was excited to see our hometown on screen again, but as the scenes unfolded, something felt off. The landscapes, the streets, the architecture, none of it looked like home. A little research confirmed that the film was actually NOT filmed in El Paso. *Gasps in Spanish*

Courtesy: Iris Lopez via Netflix

Courtesy: Iris Lopez via Netflix

Read More: $6 Million Movie Magic: El Paso Shines in New Warner Bros. Film

The film, Trap House, wasn’t filmed in El Paso. Instead, production took place a few hours away in Albuquerque, according to an announcement from the New Mexico Film Office.

The movie features a pretty recognizable cast including Dave Bautista, Jack Champion, Sophia Lillis, Kate del Castillo, and Bobby Cannavale, and follows an undercover DEA agent and his partner as they try to track down a group of thieves who turn out to be their own rebellious teenagers robbing a dangerous cartel.

Read More: How El Paso Became A Star In ‘One Battle After Another’

While there’s no denying New Mexico has built a booming film industry thanks to strong incentives and talented crews, there’s something special about productions actually filming in the city where the story takes place. 

One Battle After Another brought crews, dollars, and genuine representation to El Paso. Trap House brought our name and that’s it. Still, even that is something worth celebrating because it shows that El Paso is a city that filmmakers want to tell stories about. We’re on the map, literally and figuratively.

Whether it’s on the screen or behind the scenes, the Sun City clearly has a storyline Hollywood can’t ignore. So let’s keep pushing for productions that don’t just borrow our identity but actually come here and live it.

 

Is That El Paso?? Shots From WB’s “One Battle After Another”

Are these shots from Paul Thomas Anderson’s new movie “One Battle After Another” here in El Paso? These screenshots are from the first trailer dropped by WB and some of these are UNDENIABLY El Paso!

Gallery Credit: Grizz

Meet the El Paso Talent Making Waves in Broadway and Hollywood

Gallery Credit: Getty Images

From El Paso to Hollywood: Julian Kalel’s American Idol Journey

Julian Kalel secures a golden ticket on American Idol and delivers a message bigger than music.

Gallery Credit: Courtesy: American Idol