The MPI Original short Pocket Change won Best Cinematography at Awesome Con in Washington, DC, one of the largest pop culture conventions in the country, drawing thousands of fans and showcasing standout genre films from around the world. The award recognizes the work of cinematographer Ryan Broomberg, a longtime collaborator who has partnered with MPI on several short films, including MPI Original shorts Melons and The Perfect One. 

Next, the film heads to Phoenix, Arizona, for the International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival at Harkins Theatres. Pocket Change will screen as part of the Sci-Fi Shorts A block, a lineup highlighting bold and imaginative entries in genre filmmaking.

Screenings in Phoenix will take place at the following times:

• Friday, April 10 at 9:25 a.m.
  
• Friday, April 17 at 8:50 p.m.
  
• Saturday, April 18 at 3:35 p.m.

Secure your seats here.

Developed by MPI filmmakers Heston Roewe and Tanner Mobley, Pocket Change follows a drifter who arrives at a remote diner in a barren wasteland with a single quarter—his last chance to buy passage to a distant outpost rumored to offer safety. As suspicion builds among the diner’s patrons and danger closes in, he must decide how to spend the coin in a high-stakes bid for survival. Watch the trailer.