Brotherhood
Writer-director Lena Dunhan's feature-film debut, Tiny Furniture was the jury prize winner for Best Narrative Feature at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival, currently being held in Austin, TX. The film follows a young college grad (Dunham) who returns to her mother's TriBeCa home only to find herself mired in the same old routine. Jeff Malmberg's Marwencol was voted the Best Documentary Feature. Marwencol tells the story of a man who creates a miniature "fantasy" World War II town in his backyard in order to recover from a brain-damaging coma after he was badly beaten by five guys outside a bar.
Winner of the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, Will Cannon's Brotherhood chronicles the emotional travails of a young man (Trevor Morgan) whose attempt to rob a convenience store — a last test before entering a college fraternity — goes terribly wrong. Jon Foster is also the in the cast.
Jim Bigham & Mark Moormann's For Once in My Life was the festivalgoers' choice for Best Documentary. The film focuses on the members of the Spirit of Goodwill Band, composed of mentally and physically handicapped individuals, as they get ready for "the concert of a lifetime."
The 2010 edition of the SXSW Film Festival comes to a close on March 21.