In this surreal comedy short, Chris, a door-to-door salesman can’t seem to move his product, no one is buying. After Chris is evicted from the cardboard box he calls home, his evil landlady presents him with a deal to secure an amazing new luxury apartment. The catch is, he’ll need to sell the last chocolate bar on earth, and in this tragic world very few people have even heard of chocolate. Chris gives up and eats the chocolate bar in a final act of self-reproach. Miraculously, the chocolate gives him a new found confidence and suddenly, he’s making sales left and right. But when he goes to rent the apartment, he realizes that, like many things in life, it was all an illusion. Even though he still has to live in his cardboard box, he’s found a new appreciation for making the best out of his situation.

The production of this groundbreaking short film experimented with mixing virtual production technology and live action filmmaking, including using a virtual camera with sets built in Unreal Engine and an optical camera tracking system.

Written and Directed by Sahra Bhimji

Starring Christropher Batres and Kathy Cristal.

Fair Trade

Black and white laurel wreath with text in the center reading, "Official Selection San Francisco Independent Film Festival 2025."
Official selection logo for the 2022 Broadmor Film Festival, featuring colorful letters spelling 'BROAD MOR' in the center, surrounded by black background, white laurel branches, and white text.
Award emblem for Albany Film Fest 2024, with white text on a black background, surrounded by white laurel branches.
A woman in a yellow jacket adjusts a virtual reality headset on a man sitting inside a vehicle. The man is wearing a suit and tie and is holding a dog in his lap.
Close-up of a young man with dark hair and a goatee, wearing a suit and checkered shirt, standing outside near a black vehicle, with a woman with curly blonde hair wearing a yellow jacket in the background.
A woman with light-colored hair and a yellow jacket sits inside a black vehicle, looking directly at the camera through the open window.
Interior of a modern office with large city view windows, a man in a suit standing and pointing at a chair, contemporary furniture, a spiral staircase, and artwork on the wall.
Title poster for the film 'Fair Trade,' featuring a man in a suit standing by a large window with city buildings outside, with bold yellow text overlaying the left side.
Laurel wreath surrounding the text 'Official Selection Albany FilmFest 2024' on a black background.
Award laurel wreath with text reading 'Official Selection San Francisco Independent Film Festival 2025' on black background.
Official selection badge for the 2024 Broadmoor Film Festival featuring colorful 3D letters spelling 'BROADMOOR', surrounded by laurel branches on a black background.
A woman operating a professional video camera with a boom microphone attached, filming outdoors near train tracks and an abandoned graffiti-covered building.
Group photo of eight people and two dogs on a wooden deck outside a house, smiling at the camera.
A man walking on a green screen studio set with a black leather sofa, a black and white striped rug, and professional lighting equipment overhead.
A person with red hair wearing a black beanie and a gray long-sleeve shirt sitting at a desk with three computer monitors, working on a computer.