The next big thing in the movies: your apartment

So you have the filmmaking talent of Steven Spielberg, but the bank account of that street bum who always forgets to wear pants, is a big problem, right? Not according to 24-year-old filmmaker Lena Dunham, who has been creating quite a stir with her low-budget, critically acclaimed film. Small furniture. Shooting for just under the price of a midsize car, there’s nothing midsize about the response Dunham has been getting. Small furniture. The film took home first prize at the South by Southwest Film Festival and has attracted big-name fans like Judd Apatow and Will Ferrell. Not bad at all for an article Dunham says he wrote in just five miserable days, right?

Small furniture tells the story of a young woman named Aura who returns home to live with her family after college in an attempt to figure out what to do with her life. The character of Aura is an exaggerated version of Lena Dunham herself, who in real life seems to have things pretty well worked out.

Dunham not only wrote, directed and starred in the indie darling, but he also shot most of the scenes in his own New York apartment. Dunham also decided to forgo the traditional casting process and instead filled his list of actors with real-life friends, his sister, and even his own mother. The result is a fun and heartfelt film that has delighted critics and film festival audiences alike.

So what’s next for this indie prodigy? She has a new HBO pilot named Girls, a drama about four women in their 20s that is being produced by Apatow. Dunham will return to write, direct and star Girls, but we’re pretty sure you won’t be using your own apartment this time.

Small furniture opens in select theaters on Friday, December 17.