Now we know that the Sundance Film Festival is over, but here’s a little gem of a film that you’ll want to check out… especially as the filmmaker was found dead in her Manhattan apartment in November, just after finding out her film would premiere at the festival!

Adrienne Shelly (a former indie actress turned filmmaker) was murdered, and a 19 year old suspect has been arrested and charged. The murder was set up to look like a suicide, with her hanging from the bathroom curtain rod by a sheet.

You might remember her from such independent films as The Unbelievable Truth (1989), Trust (1990), and Factotum (weird flick with Matt Dillon in 2005). She later branched off into making films herself and this new one, Waitress, is a serious story (written and directed by Shelly) but told with a quirky and interesting feel… and lots of heart. The story is about a waitress named Jenna (Keri Russell), who finds out she’s pregnant just as she’s about to leave her abusive husband. But don’t worry, there is a lot of support in the form of her doctor (who she begins to have an affair with) and the filmmaker herself, who plays an obscure friend. This is no cheesy ‘movie of the week’, but an honest to goodness slice of real life that’s a pleasure to watch. Throw in Andy Griffith as a horny old diner owner, and you got yourself a real nice film.

At the festival, her husband (Andy Ostroy) announced a foundation in her name that will offer scholarships to female independent filmmakers. Very cool. And even cooler, Fox Searchlight picked up the movie for a cool estimated $4 to $5 Million. That ought to help the foundation get off the ground! Keep your eyes peeled for this one when it hits the theatres…