This Sunday, April 26, the first-ever Silver Chance Film Festival will be held at Moxie Cinema, featuring indie and student-made films from around the world.
Filmmaker Efim Okov came to Missouri State University with a plan to tell stories. Originally from Russia, Okov strives to break boundaries in international film.
“My idea is just to show that there is no borders, and there should be no borders, especially in art," he said. "Art should unite people, not separate them.”
Okov began developing the festival in December 2025 with the idea of bringing a “global perspective to a local audience.” The theme of the festival is inspiring stories. Okov named it “Silver Chance,” meaning to take a chance and not give up despite struggles.
“We can see stories about people with physical, mental disabilities, immigrants having problems to start a new beginning in their life. Other people just going through personal battles — to show here that we are all the same,” he said.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for the festival with screening beginning at 6 p.m.
Attendees can expect an “emotional rollercoaster” according to Okov, with the films growing stronger throughout the program and the top finalists shown toward the end.
A total of 19 films will be screened, featuring the following categories: Short film, documentary short film, short student film, animation short film and music video.
The winners of each category will be announced online.
For more information Silver Chance website.
Okovis will graduate from MO State with his masters in screenwriting in May. He hopes the festival will become an annual event and will grow each year.