Tasha Oldham will be around for a long time in this business for several reasons. First, she has that rare shock-absorbing trifecta of intelligence, talent and beauty that helps one move along Hollywood's rocky road to success with minimal damage. Second, she's already paid her dues. That is to say she has made a movie that is profoundly important to her with little help and even less money. The 31-year-old's non-fiction debut, The Smith Family, has already received much acclaim. Chosen to kick off the latest season of PBS's "POV" series, the film also won the 2002 American Film Institute Audience Award, the Columbia/Alfred Du pont Award and this year's DGA Best Director of a Documentary Award. The movie documents the struggles of a Mormon family as they deal with the issues of AIDs and homosexuality, issues quite anathema to Mormonism. More importantly, the film deals with forgiveness and unconditional love. The strength of the film is Oldham's ability to tell the story objectively. "I wanted it to be about the Smiths, and not my take on the Smiths," she says. Oldham began her career as a production coordinator on David Lynch's Lost Highway, spent some time in development at Tri-Star Pictures and served as a script supervisor on several features and TV series. In directing, however, she's found her niche. With her own company, Smalltown Productions, she is in production on her next film, Sisters of Zion. Now that she has been validated with The Smith Family, she has found the confidence to follow through on her passion and continue to conquer the industry. It's safe to say that Oldham will continue to tell the stories that she wants to tell, not to ones that are handed to her. "Life," she says, "is not always wrapped up in a pretty bow like Hollywood wants it to be."