Ross Kagan Marks is a highly acclaimed film professor at New Mexico State University's Creative Media Institute. With an impressive portfolio of over 18 award winning films, Marks has worked alongside Hollywood legends like Al Pacino, Brendan Fraser, and Faye Dunaway. Marks has directed and produced numerous award-winning films, including "Walking With Herb," "The Twilight Of The Golds," "The Ritual," and "Homage." His films have won awards at prestigious festivals like Sundance, Chicago, Cleveland, and Berlin. As the founder and executive director of the Las Cruces International Film Festival, Marks has been instrumental in promoting the film industry in Southern New Mexico. The festival has grown to become the largest film festival in the country run by a university attracting over 80,000 visitors and 1,500 filmmakers since its inception. Marks' teaching philosophy emphasizes the importance of hands-on experience and collaboration. He encourages his students to take risks and learn from failures, citing his own experiences in the film industry. His classes are designed to be immersive, with students analyzing various film projects and gaining insight from Marks' extensive knowledge. Marks is a driving force behind nurturing young talent. He's worked with New Mexico State University students and alumni on various projects, including "Santa's Cousin," and "Love On Tap," providing them with real world experience and networking opportunities. He serves as Associate Deputy Director of the New Mexico Media Arts Collective, an organization tasked with growing and training the film crew base in the state of New Mexico. He is a mentor for the acclaimed Stowe Story Lab. In recognition of his contribution to the arts, Marks received the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2024. This prestigious award acknowledges his dedication to fostering emerging talent in the film industry, his outstanding artistic achievements, and his role promoting New Mexico as a film destination.
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Biography from IMDb.
- Director and producer
- 5 on MovieCove · 8 credits in all
What are Ross Kagan Marks' films like?
Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Society.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 5
Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 1
Grounded 4 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 1 · Intense 1
A split, not a type: Steady 2 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 1
Resolved 3 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet1
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Ross Kagan Marks' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 5 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Ross Kagan Marks' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
8 credits, 5 with a MovieCove page.
Love on Tap(2026)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Ritual(2025)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
Santa's Cousin(2024)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Walking with Herb(2021)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
The Heart Outright (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Homage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Holiday Hearts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 8 titles, 7 of them dated from 1995 to 2026.
Awards
Nominated for a Sundance award in 1995, Dramatic.
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Ross Kagan Marks' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 48th percentile, the median of all 5; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 42nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 5 titles are Mixed.
- Loved with Detractors1
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic1
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the atmosphere 48/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 68, detractors 38. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Ross Kagan Marks work with?
People who share at least 2 of Ross Kagan Marks' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Keagan Karnes shares the most, 3.
Writers
- Mary HaarmeyerShared titles: Love on Tap (2026), Santa's Cousin (2024)See all 2 shared titles with Mary Haarmeyer
Cinematographers
- Mitch FowlerShared titles: Santa's Cousin (2024), Walking with Herb (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Mitch Fowler
Producers
- Keagan KarnesShared titles: Love on Tap (2026), Santa's Cousin (2024), Walking with Herb (2021)See all 3 shared titles with Keagan Karnes
- Ian SimonShared titles: Love on Tap (2026), Santa's Cousin (2024)See all 2 shared titles with Ian Simon
- Kirk RoosShared titles: Love on Tap (2026), Santa's Cousin (2024)See all 2 shared titles with Kirk Roos
