Two MPI Original shorts, developed in MPI’s Short Film Lab and produced through MPI’s Production Lab, are heading to the Sedona International Film Festival this week—one of the nation’s leading celebrations of independent cinema, set against the iconic red rocks of Sedona, Arizona.

Created by MPI filmmakers Brett Wietecha and Tim Hedberg, The Art of Inflation is set in Venezuela and follows two brothers forced to work on a militia-run coca farm as they secretly plan their escape. When the younger brother risks everything for freedom—and for the girl he loves—their bond and survival are put to the ultimate test. The film will screen in Short Block 4 on Wednesday, February 25, at 7 p.m., and on Friday, February 27, at 1:00 p.m. Get your tickets here. 

Written, directed, and produced by MPI filmmaker Mark Apicella, Grind follows John, an aspiring sneaker designer in East Los Angeles, who lands the opportunity of a lifetime to be featured in his idol’s pop-up shop—only to have his best friend and business partner threaten to derail everything by promising John’s design to a gang with its own agenda. It will screen in Short Block 5 on Thursday, February 26, at 1 p.m. and on Saturday, February 28, at 7:00 p.m. Secure your tickets here.

If you’re in Sedona, we hope you’ll join us at the theater. If you’re elsewhere, you can find a screening near you here.