gordon-levitt's first film as director, the 24 minute-long "sparks", an adaptation of a short story by elmore leonard starring carla gugino and eric stoltz, was selected for the 2009 sundance film festival as part of a new program for short films. in 2010, he directed another short film, "morgan and destiny's eleventeenth date: the zeppelin zoo". it premiered at two houses during the south by southwest festival in austin, texas.