Huh... Who'd have thunk it...

It's kind of a surreal thing, as a student filmmaker, to know that someone actually bought tickets and paid to see the film you worked on. It goes from surreal to amazing when they actually pick the film as one of the top 10 movies of the year. Very, very cool.

And, just so you know, if you ever see it, my name is the third one in the closing credits! Right after the Director and Executive Producer!

AFF programmers pick their top 10 of '09

MORE ON AUSTIN360.COM

• 
  In Austin, a smaller but still fun New Year's Eve party
• Fox expected to disappear from Time Warner Cable
• First months of 2010 filled with big TV events
• 'Bachelor,' 'Biggest Loser' among returning reality shows
• TV's second season: returning and new shows

By Kelly Williams and David Gil and SPECIAL TO AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Updated: 2:49 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009

Published: 1:25 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009

• Post a Comment
• E-mail
• Print
• Share
• Larger type

We asked Kelly Williams and David Gil of the Austin Film Festival to weigh in on their favorite movies of the year.

Williams is the film program director for the festival, and Gil is the film competition programmer.

WILLIAMS' TOP 10 OF 2009

1. "Where the Wild Things Are"

2. "The Messenger"

3. "Up in the Air"

4. "Gigante"

5. "The Hangover"

6. "Observe and Report"

7. "St. Nick"

8. "Funny People"

9. "The Informant!"

10. "The Vicious Kind"

GIL'S TOP 10 OF 2009

1. "Sin Nombre"

2. "The Messenger"

3. "Up in the Air"

4. "The Hangover"

5. "The Hurt Locker"

6. "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"

7. "Where the Wild Things Are"

8. "The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia"

9. "Collapse"

10. "The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans"