The MPI Original short film Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up, written and directed by MPI filmmaker Trần Hoàng Calvin, will make its world premiere at the Sioux City International Film Festival—one of the Midwest’s longest-running showcases for short films, celebrated for discovering and elevating emerging voices in cinema. The film will screen on Friday, October 3, at 7 p.m., with an encore screening on Sunday, October 5, at 12 p.m. Get your tickets here.

The story follows the Clifford family, who hope to start a new life by selling their dilapidated farm. But when the discovery of an endangered bird on the property threatens to collapse the sale, their son Andy must decide whether to make the bird’s presence known—or to shoot, shovel, and shut up.

Developed in the 2021 MPI Short Film Lab and later produced through the Production Lab as an MPI Original, the film’s selection for this prestigious festival marks a major milestone in its journey from script to screen.