We spoke with director and actors of the film Juniper which just premiered at the prestigious Santa Barbara Film Festival. Katherine Dudas (Director) and actress’ Olivia Blue, Madison Lawlor and Decker Sadowski wrote, directed, and star in the film which is raw, real and explores the struggles of female friendship.

The film was produced during the COVID-19 pandemic for $75,000 dollars. Through Seed & Spark, they were met by over 1,000 people eager to contribute to the financing of the film and funding the campaign entirely.

Check out our in-depth conversation below about storytelling and Juniper.

When did you decide that storytelling was something you wanted to do?

Decker: My older sister would make up stories all the time and act them out for me when we were little. She has an incredible imagination and I loved getting immersed into her tales. I learned how much storytelling can bring people together. 

Katherine: I originally wanted to be an actor, but when I was in high school I had an acting teacher who gave me a funny look one day and said “have you ever thought about writing, too?” And then hearing the audience laugh and gasp at my one act play while I was backstage gave me a high I continue to chase.

Madison: I grew up pretty isolated in the Great Plains of South Dakota. This bred a wonderful relationship with imagination and started my passion for exploring different characters and storytelling from a young age. I remember in 3rd grade we had an assembly where every kid had to say what they wanted to be when they grew up and I said “actor.” I was shocked when no one else in my grade said “an actor” as their answer. I couldn’t imagine why every kid didn’t want to do what I considered the most amazing thing in the world, playing pretend for a living. My love for storytelling started at a young age and hasn’t really wavered since. 

Olivia: When I was a kid, I would make fake Orbit commercials and I would make my friends be in them. I also put on a play when I was a senior in high school (very Lexi in Euphoria) where I had interviewed a bunch of students and then made a play about all of our high school drama. 

What can you all tell us about your experience making Juniper?

Every phase of the process has been illuminating and educational. It has definitely been a trial by fire. Making a film from start to finish and being involved in every piece of the puzzle has made us feel incredibly powerful. As the Duplass brothers have said, “the Cavalry is not coming!” so we became our own cavalry. The actual 12 day shoot was the best 12 days. We quarantined together in a cabin and had family meals together each night. We slept in bunk beds, and watched Drag Race at night. We each had our own nervous breakdowns as first time feature filmmakers, but we trusted each other and led with love and respect for all of our crew, who were an incredible group of artists in their own right.  

Image via juniperthefilm.com

When people watch Juniper, what are you hoping they get out of it?

We hope people feel the big and raw emotions of Juniper and that they relate to them. They’ll be watching three young women explore grief, sexuality, and friendship in a very vulnerable way. Juniper is a movie you watch on the couch with your closest friends with wine and takeout. We hope they laugh and cry and think about their own friendships and why they’re so essential to their growth and joy. We also want it to inspire filmmakers to go out and make their own films!! You can do it!

What excites you about storytelling?

The universality of it! We love that the more specific a story is, the more universal it becomes. We are all having a human experience; no matter where we come from or who we are, our stories are shared. Films and books have the power to create great empathy, which is something our society needs now more than ever. We love figuring out the most entertaining and gut wrenching way to tell a story. 

What are some of your favorite themes and elements that stand out in Juniper?

We primarily wanted to explore evolving female friendships. Decker was intrigued by the different conflicts within the relationships, Olivia by the blurred lines of romance and friendship, Madison by healthy boundaries and the struggle of open communication, and Katherine by young women’s exploration of spirituality. We’re seeing a big shift away from traditional religion, yet there is still a collective yearning for a connection with the unknown and we think it’s really interesting to talk about how women today are going about finding that for themselves.

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