Indie Film Sweeps Top Festival Awards
A low-budget debut feature was the surprise of the festival, sweeping three of the night's biggest prizes including best film and best director and instantly turning its first-time filmmaker into a name to watch.
Critics praised the film's restraint and its central performance, calling it the kind of small, human story that festivals exist to surface. Distributors that had passed on the project were reported to be circling within hours of the ceremony.
The director, visibly emotional on stage, thanked a tiny crew and urged the industry to "take more chances on first films."
