Way back in 2002, when the Shootout was still called Flicks on 66, writers Steven List and Astrid Neal won the Palm de Grease and the Audience Award for a little comedy called Shibubu. Since then, List has steadily made inroads into the business. As List noted in a recent email, “I expect to be directing my first feature in 2009, and without question, my experience at Flicks was a key factor in giving me the confidence to pursue that goal.” And New Mexico will still play a big part in his plans. Read more to find out what Steven’s been up to.

The year that List won, Flicks had a deal with the Fox SearchLab program (a subsidiary of Fox Searchlight) to help our winner produce another short. List subsequently made The Colony, which was shot mainly in New Mexico and has thus far been selected for 12 film festivals, including Santa Fe, Cinema City, Filmstock (UK) and Santa Cruz. It also won a Gold Medal for Excellence at the first annual Park City Film Music Festival.

“I was already working as a professional writer when I came out to do Flicks, and have continued to primarily make my living doing so. I have a comedy project with Our Stories Films called Mission: Intolerable (it’s about a guy whose job is to make other people quit their jobs) which is supposed to shoot this year, starring Katt Williams. Our Stories has a distribution deal with The Weinstein Company, so that will be my first produced and distributed feature.

“I also have another comedy project at Warner Bros. called Alien Vacation, although I’m not sure when that’s supposed to shoot.

“I’m currently working on a legal thriller script, based on a true story, which I will also direct. I expect to have a draft ready to go to actors with in the next couple of months. I would like to shoot that in New Mexico, but since the actual story took place in Kentucky, I don’t think the topography/architecture is going to work.”

List said the feature version of The Colony will “definitely” be shot in New Mexico. “The locations we got for the short were amazing (the Film Office was a HUGE help on that), and there are some excellent crew guys there I absolutely intend to work with again (notably Robert Johnson and Ben Lowney.)” Local producer Mike Miller has been pursuing some leads for getting that project funded. “Mike has been a stalwart ally ever since Flicks, I could never have gotten The Colony done without him.”