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When N.C. filmmaker Jody Hill premiered his feature debut "Foot Fist Way" at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, it didn't win any awards.

But the low-budget comedy about a tormented redneck martial-arts instructor got a prize far more coveted than any award: a distribution deal from Paramount Vantage.

Then the flick languished on the studio's shelf, unreleased for two years.

"I don't know what the studio was trying to feel for, but I am sure they were waiting for some sign that this would be a hit," says Hill, a native of Concord and a graduate of UNC School of the Arts. "But I don't think anything was achieved by waiting."

That sign came in the form of Hollywood's comedy elite. DVD screeners of "Foot Fist Way" found their way into the hands of several A-list laugh-makers, including Will Ferrell, uber-producer Judd Apatow, and then-budding star Seth Rogen. Their interest jump-started "Foot Fist Way," landing the film in a few theaters.

The movie became more of a cult hit than a box-office smash, but it helped launch the career of Danny McBride, a friend and fellow School of the Arts filmmaking graduate, who went on to play parts in "Tropic Thunder" and the upcoming Will Ferrell comedy "Land of the Lost."

As for Hill, who played a small role in "Foot Fist Way," he managed to nab a cameo in the Rogen-scripted comedy "Superbad." After that, the two decided to collaborate again on "Observe and Report," which opens in theaters Friday.

In the film, Rogen plays a manic-depressive mall security guard who dreams of becoming a police officer while trying to catch a serial flasher who targets female customers.

The premise might sound oddly reminiscent of the recent Kevin James hit "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," but the two films are worlds apart in terms of tone. "Blart" is a goofy twist on "Die Hard" intended for families, but "Observe and Report" references violent dramas such as "Taxi Driver" and is very much deserving of its R-rating.

"I wanted to try to write a story about a seemingly average guy who goes insane. And I hate malls; they make me insane," Hill says. "I can't spend more than 20 minutes in them; so I kind of like combined the two."

Much of the crew who worked on "Observe and Report" graduated from the School of the Arts, which is no coincidence; Hill stays in close touch with many of his fellow alumni, a growing list of in-demand filmmakers that include directors David Gordon Green ("All the Real Girls," "Pineapple Express") and Jeff Nichols ("Shotgun Stories"), as well as prolific editor Zene Baker, who's originally from Raleigh.

"Danny lived beside me in the dorm our freshman year, and David lived on the same hallway," Hill says. "We've known each other for 15 years, but those are kind of like the people that you know and you trust, and they will give you notes and ideas and support."

Aside from his film work, which might include a prequel to "Foot Fist Way," Hill recently collaborated with McBride and Green on "East Bound and Down," a six-episode comedy miniseries that premiered on HBO in February. Despite a low-profile debut, the show, which features McBride as a washed-up pro baseball player coping with life as a high school gym teacher, became a modest hit for the network, leaving Hill and his friends to consider a second season.

"Right now, we're just talking about it, so it could still go either way," Hill says. "It's all about whether we want to take this guy and do more with him or leave it as its own piece."

Contact Joe Scott at movieshowjoe@gmail.com