‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ director Benh Zeitlin talks about getting an Oscar nomination and his pint-sized star Quvenzhane Wallis

This morning, alongside such cinematic heavyweights as Steven Spielberg, Ang Lee, and Michael Haneke, Benh Zeitlin garnered a best director nomination this morning for his breakout indie hit “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” beating out the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Ben Affleck, and, most shockingly, Kathryn Bigelow. Pretty heady stuff for a 30-year-old first-time filmmaker. “Beasts” also got nominations for best picture, best original screenplay, and best actress. At the age of 9 years old — she was 6 when she made the movie — Quvenzhane Wallis (her first name is pronounced a bit like “revenge” but with a “qua” at the beginning and an “nay” at the end) is the youngest person ever to get an Academy Award nomination.

Indie Roundup: ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ director Benh Zeitlin

This has been one hell of a year for Benh Zeitlin, director of “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”

The first-time director finished his movie a mere two days before its Sundance premiere, where it was immediately met with rhapsodic reviews. Critics hailed it as one of the most audacious movies to play at the festival in years. It went on to win the fest’s top prize, and then a few months later it won the Camera d’Or at the Cannes International Film Festival. And this week, “Beasts” hits the theaters in limited release. Given its track record, don’t be surprised to be hearing about this movie come Oscar season.