“Inbetween Girl’ premiered at South by Southwest 2021 on Thursday as UT alumna Mei Makino’s feature film debut. The film is a coming-of-age story about Chinese-American teen Angie Chen. She grapples with her parents’ divorce and biracial identity while secretly hooking up with school stud Liam, who has a girlfriend.

The Daily Texan spoke to Makino about her creative process and how she hopes the audience responds to the film. 

The Daily Texan: What inspired you to write “Inbetween Girl?” What was the creative process like?

MM: I wrote a lot of coming-of-age stories growing up because there is always a good character arc as the protagonist struggles and attempts to resolve what she’s going through … I wanted to model my protagonist after a woman of color being kept a secret. I wanted to explore how she would contend with that. My original protagonist was half-Black, half-Mexican because I had a lot of Black and Hispanic students when I was a film teacher. It was easier to write about someone who didn’t look like me. I ended up wanting any non-white actress to audition and Emma Galbraith, who is half-white, half-Chinese, really knocked it out of the park, so I was able to write a script with her in mind. … What started out as a seed of a boy climbing through a girl’s window turned into something special. 

DT: How do you hope the audience will respond to the film? 

MM: I like that people can always take something individualistic when they watch a movie. Everyone sees something different. I definitely want teenage girls to know they’re not alone because some of the struggles they face are not particularly represented in the media. Emma and I talked a lot about being biracial and how I felt like a fraud in my Asianness because I have a white mom. … I want teenage girls to take care of themselves, love themselves and surround themselves with good people.

DT: What did you learn from directing and writing “Inbetween Girl” and how will you apply these skills in your next films? 

MM: Overcommunication is key. Without communication, we wouldn’t have been able to bounce around ideas for plot, design and production. The whole process would’ve been two-dimensional. … I (also) want to keep casting as organic as possible. I wrote my script around Emma Galbraith because I wanted her to really connect with the role and not have to over think any cultural nuances. If I casted a Black actress, the protagonist (in the film) would have been Black. If I casted a white actress, the protagonist (in the film) would have been white. I wanted to keep the connection from script to screen as authentic as I could.

DT: How does it feel to have your film premiere at SXSW? 

MM: It feels surreal. I remember having the opportunity to go to South by Southwest after I graduated (from UT) in 2014. The exposure and seeing panels became something I dreamed of being a part of. I’m kind of proud, and that dream happening is so amazing. … I have ideas to expand into different genres that are more experimental, but for now I hope everyone enjoys “Inbetween Girl” and the multidimensionality of Angie Chen.