With no clear favorite in the category, I would have guessed that the screenwriting-turned helmers Glenn Ficarra and John Requa ballsy comedy might have a slight advantage, but the film’s troubled path to distribution certainly didn’t help. Instead director Kevin Asch (Holy Rollers) beats out a pair of fellow filmmakers who premiered their film at Sundance, and Lena Dunham (SXSW). Asch was influenced by my favorite cinema when he filmed Holy Rollers. He mentions in his interview with us, “I always planned the style to be a mix of cinema verite and Italian neo-realism. Film aesthetics are incredibly important to me and something I take very seriously starting in development. I made a comprehensive look book early on, that has served as the creative blueprint for about two years leading up to pre-production.”
Winner: Kevin Asch for Holy Rollers (First Independent Pictures)
Other Noms:
John Wells for The Company Men (The Weinstein Company)
Glenn Ficarra and John Requa for I Love You Phillip Morris (Roadside Attractions)
Tanya Hamilton for Night Catches Us (Magnolia Pictures)
Lena Dunham for Tiny Furniture (IFC Films)
Previous Winners
2009: Robert D. Siegel for Big Fan
2008: Lance Hammer for Ballast
2007: Craig Zobel for Great World of Sound
2006: Ryan Fleck for Half Nelson
