Nick Dixon's 13-minute short film Mine stars Andrew Diaz as a shepherd in the war-torn Gaza Strip searching for his sheep after they get scattered by stalking wolves. During the search, he accidentally steps on an old landmine and has to come up with a plan to step off without detonating it.

What may make Mine such a powerful film is just how normal everything feels as it unfolds. Dixon avoids histrionics, instead paints the portrait of a frighteningly normal day in the life of this shepherd. The film has proven to be wildly popular on the film festival circuit with over 15 festivals having screened the award-winning short film. Andrew Diaz gives a quietly intelligent and emotionally honest performance as the shepherd, avoiding heightened drama in favor of an aura not far removed from that of Tom Hanks in Cast Away.

The lensing by Jared Jakins captures both the beauty of the scenery and the suspense on Diaz's face as he wrestles with ways to overcome his life-threatening predicament.

Mine tells a short story, sort of a slice-of-life yet a slice-of-life with global implications. It's a meaningful film told through a personal lens. The film has picked up the Indy Film Festival prize for Best Short among the American Spectrum films. You can see it on July 21st at 12:45pm in DeBoest Lecture Hall at the Indianapolis Museum of Art or on the festival's closing day when they screen the festival's award-winners one more time with this film screening at 1:45pm in the Toby Theatre on July 24th. For more information, visit the Indy Film Fest website.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic