BALLAST, the film shot in Mississippi and produced by Nina Parikh with a mostly Mississippi crew and an all Mississippi cast, won the “Breakout Director Award “ for Lance Hammer at the Gotham Awards in New York City. The Gotham Awards, sponsored by the Independent Feature Project, are the top awards for independent film on the East Coast. It was nominated for four awards: Best Picture, Breakout Director, Best Actor for Michael Smith, and Best Ensemble Cast for Smith, Tarra Riggs, Jim Myron Ross, and Johnny McPhail.

BALLAST has also received six nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards. The Independent Spirit Awards, sponsored by Film Independent, are the top awards for independent film on the West Coast. The six nominations are: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best First Screenplay, Best Actress (Tarra Riggs), and Best Supporting Actor (JimMyron Ross). The Awards are February 21 in Los Angeles.

BALLAST won two awards (Dramatic Directing and Excellence in Cinematography)at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and has been well received at festivals around the world. Despite a very limited release, it has been widely praised and is beginning to show up on Ten Best lists.