Justine Bateman Opens Up About Her Film Violet – SXSW Filmmaker In Focus

The 2020 SXSW Film Festival is just a few short weeks away! Before you make your way down to Austin, TX, get to know films from our lineup a little bit better with our Filmmaker In Focus series.

Take a look at our Q&A with Justine Bateman as she tells us about her film Violet, making its World Premiere in the Narrative Feature Competition.

"If even five people come out of the theater realizing that that critical inner voice is lying to them about everything, I will have accomplished the complete purpose of the film. Realizing that voice is lying frees you to make instinct-based decisions instead of fear-based decisions, and that allows you to be who you really are." - Director Justine Bateman

In your own words, what does this film mean to you?

Justine Bateman: This is the film I wish I had watched 30 years ago. I would have become my true self a lot faster.

What motivated you to tell this story?

JB: For many years I, like others, made fear-based decisions. Later I realized that every time I did that, I was stealing from the direction in which I could have, and should have, been moving. The truth was that the critical inner voice that caused me to make those fear-based decisions was actually lying about everything. Because this realization freed me from those decisions that masked who I really was, I then wanted to tell everyone else who might be in the same situation, so they could more freely be themselves as well.

What do you want the audience to take away?

JB: Instead of watching the main character experience everything, the film is designed for the viewer to experience it themselves. The audio and visual components are assembled as a visceral coat that the viewer can put on to walk through the film. If even five people come out of the theater realizing that that critical inner voice is lying to them about everything, I will have accomplished the complete purpose of the film. Realizing that voice is lying frees you to make instinct-based decisions instead of fear-based decisions, and that allows you to be who you really are.

What made you choose SXSW to showcase your film to the world?

JB: The film programmers' enthusiasm for the film, and that SXSW still has that fresh passion for showcasing films they love. There seems to be no agenda at the SXSW Film Festival except to showcase great filmmaking. It's the perfect place to premiere Violet.

Add Violet to your SXSW Schedule. Stay tuned as we share more interviews with our SXSW 2020 filmmakers!

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Violet - Photo courtesy of film