Director Jonathan Ignatius Green Talks SXSW, Social Animals and Salt Lick
March 7, 2018 |
By Dani Dudek

Jonathan Ignatius Green has been to SXSW before, but only to the tech conference and a few concerts.

Social AnimalsThe experience will be a bit different this year as he’s making his directorial debut with the SXSW documentary film Social Animals. 

Social Animals takes on the “Instagram generation,”  profiling three teenagers who are all looking for the same thing: a little love, acceptance and, of course, fame.

When asked what attracted him to the project, Green said he’s always been fascinated by the evolving relationship between technology and humans.

“My goal is not to create a strong polemic for or against any particular kind of technology or use of it, but rather, to provoke a more earnest and well-rounded conversation about the benefits and costs of the many technologies we continue to integrate into every facet of our lives and our relationships,” Green said.

Since he’s been to Austin before, we figured he’d have no problem singling out some of his favorite things about the Lone Star State. Turns out, narrowing down his favorite things about Texas was no easy task.

We’re right there with you, Jonathan!

Here’s how he answered our Totally Texan questions.

What are you most looking forward to in Austin?

“Mostly I’m looking forward to our World Premiere and all the friends and family that will be coming down to celebrate.”

What is your favorite movie and/or TV show shot in Texas?

“That is an impossible question. Probably No Country for Old Men. Also love There Will Be BloodGiantFriday Night LightsBadlands and on and on.”

Who is your favorite Texas musician?

“Favorites are hard for me, clearly. Willie Nelson is the obvious choice. Recently shot a commercial with Khalid* and got into his music.”
*Khalid graduated high school in El Paso.  Since we were not aware of that, we assume you may not have known either.

What actor would you call “totally Texan?”

“Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones and Sissy Spacek.”

What Texas food are you most looking forward to eating (and perhaps instagramming) while in Austin?

“BBQ, of course. Gimme some a dat Salt Lick.”

What advice do you have for Austinites looking to get into the biz?

“Storytelling is all that matters. And the good storytellers rise to the top even if they make tiny budget projects with no resources. Focus on becoming a great storyteller, not on production value. That stuff comes easy once you get the story part sorted.”

SXSW 2018

You can see Social Animals at the following times during SXSW:

Friday, March 9, at 9pm at Alamo Ritz.

Saturday, March 10, at 1:45pm at Alamo Lamar.

Wednesday, March 14, at 11:30am at Alamo Lamar.


For more SXSW, check out our list of celebrities confirmed to attend the fest here.

And see the top 10 TV events happening here.