The 2011 Iron Filmmaker Contest winners have been announced in conjunction with the California Independent Film Festival currently underway in Moraga. It could mean Moraga's Ace Hardware and Lumber needs a new owner.

Bill Snider, the store’s current owner, won Best Performance with less than 20 seconds of screen time.

“When the kids from Campo came in and said they wanted to shoot their film in the store, I said 'sure,' — and here it was, the busiest day of the week," Snider said. "But it was fun and the fact that somebody liked my acting, well that’s fun too."

Snider tried to stay behind the scenes, but admitted, “sometimes, you just can’t.”

His only scripted lines made reference to change, the film’s theme.

Maybe this is a new direction and I should get into acting now,” he joked. At least we think he was joking.

The First Place and Audience Choice awards went to a team from San Ramon for Bob’s Off Day, the fantasy/tantrum of a disgruntled employee left alone in an office.

Writer Casey Defrenery said the script started to be developed in the car right after getting instructions for the 24-hour contest.

Two hours later, filming began, with Phil Grasso directing Best Actor Nominee Shayne Barrentine to bowl with a rubber band ball, make a snow angel in the carpet, ride a big wheel trike and cover his boss’s picture with graffiti.

Grasso and film editor David Erickson used their own offices for the shoot.

“We rent office space in an executive suite,” Grasso admitted, saying they did not ask ahead of time if they could use the location.

“We always ask forgiveness, never permission,” he said.

After 12 hours of filming and seven hours of editing, the team laughed at the results, but couldn’t predict the audiences’ reaction.

“We weren’t sure if we thought it was funny because we were so sleep deprived, or because it was actually funny,” Grasso said.

Second Place went to Team Ekco, an Orinda entrant, for Think Like a Woman.

Dream Team, last year’s first place winner, was honored with third place for Coin in a Wishing Well.

Adam Reeves, who directs the competition, said the Iron Filmmakers represent the true meaning of independent films.

“It’s immediate, independent and for most of them, it’s their only chance to see themselves on the screen,” Reeves said.

But not if you ask Barrentine, the star of the first place film.

“Where am I headed next?” he asked, “I’m going to Hollywood.”