Narrative Short

Mabel

A completed short written and directed by James Alton, centred on the private grief and daily rituals of an older shopkeeper.

ProjectMabel

KFS roleEarly KFS narrative development

LocationKelowna, British Columbia

Period2018-2021

Project note

Mabel grew out of the early Mabelville story world and later received directing, acting and official-selection recognition.

Production relationship Mabelville / James Alton / early KFS development

Two men facing each other across the general-store counter in Mabel

Finished short

Mabel

Watch the completed short, written and directed by James Alton.

Recognition

Festival and industry recognition.

Best Directing (Short) - Calgary Independent Film Festival, 2022
Best Male Directing in Short - Toronto Independent Festival of CIFT, 2022
Best Actor in Short - Toronto Independent Festival of CIFT, 2022
Official Selection - SHORT to the Point International Film Festival, Bucharest, Romania
Official Selection - Canada Independent Film Festival, Montreal
Official Selection - Okanagan Screen Awards, 2024

Award Best Directing (Short) — Calgary Independent Film Festival, 2022
Award Best Male Directing in Short — Toronto Independent Festival of CIFT, 2022
Award Best Actor in Short — Toronto Independent Festival of CIFT, 2022
Selection Official Selection — SHORT to the Point International Film Festival, Bucharest, Romania
Selection Official Selection — Canada Independent Film Festival, Montreal
Selection Official Selection — Okanagan Screen Awards, 2024

Watch and read

Films, press and people connected to the project.

Finished Short Mabel James Alton Films James Alton Films: Mabel IMDb Mabel title page FilmFreeway Mabel project page Awards Calgary Independent Film Festival Awards Toronto Independent Festival of CIFT Festival SHORT to the Point nominees

The ask

What the project needed.

Build a contained short around an older shopkeeper, his private memories and the ordinary routines that keep him moving.

What mattered

What had to work.

The film needed to move between present-day routine and memory without making the small shop or the character's grief feel overplayed.

What we did

How KFS handled it.

James wrote and directed the short, Noah M. Dorsey produced and edited, and Harrison Mendel photographed the film. The compact team kept the story close to the shopkeeper and the details of his day.

The result

What came out of it.

The completed film received directing and acting awards in 2022, followed by official selections in Bucharest, Montreal and the 2024 Okanagan Screen Awards.

KFS services

Narrative development
Producing
Cinematography
Editing
Festival submissions
Festival and award recognition

Key collaborators

Key production roles.

Writer / director / executive producer James Alton Producer / editor Noah M. Dorsey Director of Photography Harrison Mendel Cast Phillip Wagner Cast Corky McMechan

Finished-film frames

The shopkeeper's daily world.

Frames from the completed short.

Quiet bedroom with a dresser and vase in Mabel — A quiet bedroom, dresser and vase establish the film's domestic world.

The shopkeeper standing at a small kitchen table with a mug in Mabel — The shopkeeper stands at a small kitchen table with a mug.

Small-town storefront beneath steep mountains in Mabel — A small-town storefront sits beneath the mountains.

Two men facing each other across the general-store counter in Mabel — Two men face each other across the general-store counter.

Typewriter, lamp and framed photographs beneath a window in Mabel — A typewriter, lamp and framed photographs sit beneath the shop window.

The shopkeeper walking toward a house in Mabel — The shopkeeper walks toward a house at the end of the day.

Plan the next production

Send the brief, schedule or gear list.