Made for a budget of under $500,000, and featuring many first-time actors, "Quinceañera" ended up winning both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. It went on to win the Humanitas Prize, the John Cassavetes Prize at the Spirit Award in 2007, and many other international film festival prizes. It was picked up for the US by Sony Pictures Classics and distributed in over 25 countries worldwide. The plot focussed on a multigenerational Mexican-American family preparing for their daughter's quinceañera against the back drop of a gentrifying neighbourhood. The film was entirely shot in Echo Park, which is where the directors live. On release, it received strong positive reviews scoring 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. The lead actress, Emily Rios, went on to have a successful career starring in "Friday Night Lights", "Breaking Bad", and "The Bridge".