Benh Zeitlin’s film, Beasts of the Southern Wild, is one of nine movies to be nominated for the Best Picture category for the 2013 Academy Awards. Of the nine movies, Zeitlin’s is on of the lesser known, and people are writing it off already as it seemingly will not be able to hold its own against blockbuster hits like Django Unchained and Les Misérables. Beasts of The Southern Wild, however, delivers one of the most powerful acting performances in recent times and should not be overlooked as a contender for Best Picture.

The film is fairly unknown as it is Zeitlin’s first major film. The two leading actors, nine-year old Quvenzhané Wallis and owner of Buttermilk Drop Bakery and Cafe Dwight Henry, also have not starred in anything prior to Beasts of the Southern Wild. Wallis was five at the time of auditions and had to lie about her age in order to try out because of a six-year old minimum, but her performance captivated the director and she was cast as the lead character Hushpuppy. Henry was working in his bakery when Zeitlin’s crew came in to hand out fliers for the audition and he figured it would not hurt to try out. Henry ended up getting the part as Hushpuppy’s father. The rest of the cast were natives of the set who had little to no prior acting experience, too.

Beasts of the Southern Wild won many awards at the famous indie film festival Sundance as it received constant praise from the viewers. Fox Spotlight Pictures bought the film and was able to show it in select theaters around the country. Not only have most critics given positive reviews of the film, but President of the United States Barack Obama has claimed it was his favorite movie of 2012. He then told his good friend Oprah Winfrey about the movie who promoted it on her hour-long television show. Beasts of the Southern Wild may not have broken box office records, but it certainly is able to hold its own as an apt candidate for Best Picture of 2012.