Sean Chaffin
Roswell Tribune
The Roswell Shorts Indie Film Fest returns to the International UFO Museum & Research Center in Roswell Sept. 25-26. This marks the event’s second year, and organizers announced the festival’s 31 official selections on Aug. 12.
The festival received submissions from all over the U.S. and beyond, and this year 10 of those selections come from New Mexico-based filmmakers. The lineup includes filmmakers from Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Lamy and other communities across the state.
“Roswell Shorts was created to give filmmakers and audiences a focused two-day experience in a place unlike any other,” festival director Dewey Paul Moffitt told the Roswell Tribune. “This year’s 31 official selections bring together distinct voices, ambitious ideas and a broad range of filmmaking styles. We look forward to presenting them in Roswell this September.”
Festival launch to give New Mexico a voice
Roswell Shorts Film Fest launched last year as a sister event to the Puerto Aventuras International Film Festival, held near Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Moffitt brings a background in film production to his role organizing the event and it affords him the ability to share his love of movies with others.
“I’ve been coming to Roswell for years to work on live productions, and I spend a great deal of time here when I’m not producing events in my home state of Colorado or in Mexico’s Riviera Maya,” Moffitt said. “Roswell has truly become a second home to me, so it felt natural to bring what I love doing most, producing live cultural events, to a place I consider culturally significant.”
All film genres are accepted, but as the name implies, the event is dedicated exclusively to short-form filmmaking, each running 30 minutes or less. Fitting for a Roswell-based festival, many science fiction-oriented projects are submitted, but Moffitt stresses that original voices, strong storytelling, and films that will connect with an audience are what judges are looking for.
New Mexico has a thriving independent film culture, and Moffitt says that’s reflected in the submissions received from those local filmmakers. Many shorts reflect real passion, with films often produced on shoestring budgets.
For organizers, the festival also brings something unique and different to Roswell where the community can engage with the filmmakers and their process for producing their works.
“There’s an encouraging level of pride that you can feel in the filmmaking,” Moffitt says. “For me, curating a film festival means more than simply selecting from the projects submitted to us. It also means actively engaging in that filmmaker community and recognizing talent, encouraging filmmakers, and providing a public platform where audiences can discover and support their work.
“Earlier this year, I stumbled upon a small film festival in Albuquerque, where I discovered the film ‘A Family Matter’ and personally invited the filmmaker Rylee Norman to submit it to Roswell Shorts. That’s an example of why it’s important to not only submit your work to a festival, but to show up, be present and engaging.”
Provided by Sean Chaffin
What to Expect This Year
This year’s New Mexico selections span narrative drama, documentary, horror, science fiction, comedy and experimental filmmaking. The stories address subjects ranging from family relationships and personal loss to local history, unexplained phenomena, and the creative possibilities of genre cinema.
Renee Pezzotta’s short “Encounter” will be on tap at the event and she’s pleased to be adding to the New Mexico film scene with her production.
“Since moving to New Mexico, I’ve been studying film production at CNM [Central New Mexico Community College],” she said. “I’m looking forward to making more films here in Albuquerque and the surrounding area.”
“Vessel” was created by Ruidoso native Jacob McCaw, filmed in Capitan, and will also be featured in the festival. Other participating New Mexico filmmakers hail from Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Albuquerque and other areas of the state. For those new to a film festival, Moffitt says the audience can expect a comfortable environment that celebrates the filmmakers and their films.
“We invite the filmmakers to do a Q&A after their project screens which provides an educational moment and personal experiences you will only get in that room,” he said. “There’s an authentic bonding that takes place when you’re watching films with other enthusiasts and the filmmakers themselves. You find yourself rooting for them.
“People who love the art of film can participate by simply attending film festivals and interacting with the filmmakers and other enthusiasts. It’s a great way to show your support for independent films. We also want to acknowledge the support of the UFO Museum and Research Center, which has been the ideal host venue for our event.”
Recognized Films Part of the Lineup
Several films in the lineup arrive in Roswell after earning accolades on the festival circuit. Here’s a look at some of the shorts coming to Roswell receiving solid reviews.
- Hide – Directed by Brenden Hubbard and featuring Shakey Graves, this story follows a grieving father and daughter whose bedtime ritual protects them from a horror that visits their town each night. The film received four honors at the HorrorHound Film Festival, including Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Cinematographer and Best Supporting Actor. The production also won the Jury Award for Best Thriller Short at the Anchorage International Film Festival and other top awards
- Hivemind Deluxe – A science-fiction satire directed by Chris Alan Evans about a disillusioned woman resisting an alien collective that promises belonging at the cost of her identity. The film won Best Sci-Fi Short Film at Midwest Weirdfest and Best Director at the Cane River Film Festival, and was presented at several other festivals.
- Céremony – A dystopian visual fable created through a filmmaker-directed AI workflow and directed by Mark Wachholz. The film was named a top 12 finalist from more than 30,000 entries in the $1 Million AI Film Award presented by 1BFS and Google Gemini, among other awards.
Film fans may be surprised at the depth of storytelling that can be found in shorts as well as the unique filmmaking techniques some directors bring to the screen. Moffitt believes Roswell is the perfect fit for this kind of event.
“What better place to celebrate independent filmmakers and New Mexico’s important filmmaking community than Roswell?” he says. “It has artistic character, an unmistakable identity, a strong tourism culture, and the welcoming spirit of a small town. Everything needed to make this festival feel distinctive is already here.”
The 2026 New Mexico Official Selections are:
- A Family Matter, directed by Rylee Norman
- A Thousand Paper Cuts, directed by Sam Quinn
- Encounter, directed by Renee Pezzotta
- Hope You Come Home Soon, directed by Xander Ray Richard
- Lamy – Holding The Light, directed by Max Highstein
- Let’s Raid Area 51, directed by Frans Zayas
- María Carmen, directed by Nata Aguilar
- The Custodian, directed by Gabriel Vincent
- The Storm, directed by Lauren Trujillo and Taylor Trujillo
- Vessel, directed by Jacob McCaw
For the entire lineup, screening schedule, and ticket information, visit RoswellShorts.com.
