For three years, Mei Makino taught filmmaking to youth in the Austin area, inspiring her to tell honest stories about kids and teens. She’s written and directed short films that have played at The Dallas VideoFest, PBS, and ESPN’s Longhorn Network, and is an AFS grant recipient.
“Inbetween Girl” is screening at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival, which is taking place online March 16-20.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
MM: On its surface, “Inbetween Girl” is about a teen having a fling with the hot guy at school as a distraction from her parents’ divorce. But underneath that, it’s about a girl becoming a young woman — learning hard truths, taking responsibility, and discovering who she wants to be.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
MM: I wanted to write a coming-of-age story. Being a fan of coming-of-age films and YA novels, it just felt like the right place to start. While I love the genre, it was rare I had coming-of-age films that I genuinely related to — they always seemed to have a perfect bow tie at the end or were about white women who didn’t have to contend with being othered.
I wanted to make the story 16-year-old me would have needed. I wanted to write a flawed heroine who wasn’t given all the answers but had to learn them.
W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?
MM: Teenage girls are people too. Their feelings and problems are valid.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
MM: Getting funding!
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
MM: We crowdfunded through Seed&Spark and were finalists in its Hometown Heroes competition, where we were given a grant by Duplass Brothers Productions. We also received a grant from the Austin Film Society, raised additional funds by making our set an educational opportunity for teens, and managed to find a handful of private investors once we were in post-production.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
MM: I got into filmmaking around age 11 and just really loved it. I’m not sure if anything specifically really inspired me. It was just a fun hobby I enjoyed doing! There were so many elements involved: writing, shooting, acting, editing, etc. I found it all really energizing.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
MM: The best advice I received as a director was to pay close attention to casting and locations — which, when you think about it, makes a lot of sense. I received that advice during pre-production on “Inbetween Girl.”
The worst advice I received was to write movies about men.
W&H: What advice do you have for other women directors?
MM: Don’t be afraid to ask questions — it’s all a part of the process! Once I got over my fear of asking questions, my learning expedited. Also, focus on the process and not the end result.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
MM: I love, love, love Marielle Heller’s “Diary of a Teenage Girl.” It was a huge influence on “Inbetween Girl.” I remember watching that film on a whim by myself and I came out of the theater obsessed. Minnie was just such an honest character, and it opened my eyes to the types of characters I wanted to write about.
W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you keeping creative, and if so, how?
MM: I spent a lot of the pandemic working on “Inbetween Girl”! As I write this, we just finished three days ago. Right now, I’m still in resting mode, but I have a few ideas I’m excited to start exploring.
W&H: The film industry has a long history of underrepresenting people of color onscreen and behind the scenes and reinforcing — and creating — negative stereotypes. What actions do you think need to be taken to make Hollywood and/or the doc world more inclusive?
MM: People of color need to be in positions of power. They need to be telling their own stories and given the means to do so. In my opinion, training regarding power and privilege should be mandatory everywhere — so much contention regarding diversity is stemmed from a lack of education. Getting everyone on the same page in understanding systemic racism would be a good place to start.
