Putty Hill by Matt Porterfield

Putty Hill director Matt Porterfield spent years on a project called Metal Gods — winning awards for its script and recruiting a cast of non-actors from malls and local metal shows — before funding (what else?) fell through at the eleventh hour. From the ashes of Metal Gods came Putty Hill, a brilliant film that weaves narrative storytelling and documentary-style filmmaking. Roger Ebert gave it a four-star rave and The New Yorker gushed, “if there’s an independent cinema, this movie is it, and if there’s a new director, here he is.” Audiences can see for themselves in February when Putty Hill opens in theaters.
  
Honorable Mention: We fell hard for the underdog story behind 95ers: Echoes, a true DIY production; Todd Chandler’s lush Flood Tide was among the standouts at the Kickstarter Film Festival; and who can forget the amazing story of Blue Like Jazz?