AFI Dallas video interview: filmmakers and star of Zombie Girl: The Movie

by Mike Bullock , John P. Meyer

Zombie Girl: The Movie is a fascinating documentary that ought to be required viewing for anyone - of any age - wanting to get into the movie-making game.

In addition to being something of a "don't try this at home"-style tutorial for budding filmmakers, it's also a touching chronicle of what happens when a junior high school kid with a lot of enthusiasm (i.e., Emily) and a mother who's (perhaps overly) indulgent of her daughter's avocation team up to make a feature-length film. Without really knowing what they're getting themselves into.

Documentarists Justin Johnson, Aaron Marshall and Erik Mauck set out to roll film (well, HD video, if you want to get technical about it) on Emily as she went about pursuing her dream of making a zombie picture. Since she lived in Austin (where it's weird), she found a lot of people willing to help her realize her vision - from classmates (who turned out for the casting call) to film critics (like Harry Knowles, of Ain't It Cool News fame) to a local grocery store owner, who actually shut down his store so Emily could shoot her big "zombie gathering" finale.

(Part of which she inadvertently taped over and had to re-shoot... but that's another story.)

After two years of shoots and countless hours of editing - and no telling how many miles driven by her mom (Megan Hagins) to purchase props and wardrobe items, engineer improvised booms and dollies and design sets, Emily finally called her movie finished and debuted it at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin - to a packed and enthusiastic house.

The film played at the AFI Dallas International Film Festival on Friday and Saturday (March 27 & 28); we interviewed Emily, Aaron and Justin on Saturday, prior to their last scheduled screening.

You can purchase a copy of Emily's zombie movie - Pathogen - on her website, where you can also get the latest news on the completion of her next film project (that's right, she's doing it again): The Retelling. Which, she tells us, is a ghost story.

Speaking of Emily telling us, have a look and listen at the appended video, which begins as we're discussing how young Aaron looks (even though he's actually - GASP! - over thirty).

Just don't drink the water.

Mike Bullock served as camera operator on this shoot and did post production on the video.