The MPI Original short film Pocket Change will have its Los Angeles premiere as an official selection of the Oscar–qualifying 2025 HollyShorts Film Festival—one of the most prestigious short film festivals in the world, known for launching bold, original voices and serving as a pathway to Academy Award consideration. Its selection is a powerful recognition of the film’s creative vision and a reflection of MPI’s commitment to supporting compelling, high-quality storytelling.

Before HollyShorts, Pocket Change will have its world premiere on Saturday, July 26, at 1:00 p.m., in Indianapolis, Indiana, as an official selection of the Academy Award–qualifying Indy Shorts International Film Festival. 

Starring Freddy Rodriguez (Six Feet Under, Planet Terror, Poseidon) and written and directed by MPI filmmakers Heston Roewe and Tanner Mobley, Pocket Change centers on a mysterious drifter and his seemingly worthless quarter—an object that may be the key to saving a group of strangers when the power goes out at a remote roadside diner.

Watch the trailer below.