It was the second day of the South by Southwest Festival, and many films premiered for the film portion of the festival.
Saturday, however, marked the world premiere for "Galveston," starring Ben Foster (known for his roles in "Hell or High Water" and "3:10 to Yuma") and Elle Fanning (known for her roles in "Super 8" and Maleficent").
The movie centers on Roy Cady (Foster), a hitman suffering from a terminal illness who escapes a murder attempt by his loan shark boss. Along the way, Cady rescues young prostitute Raquel "Rocky" Arceneaux (Fanning), and they run away to his hometown, Galveston, where he plans his revenge against his boss.
The film marked Mélanie Laurent's English language directorial debut.
Laurent said she chose "Galveston" as her debut because she fell in love with the script. She helped adapt the screenplay from Nic Pizzolatto's 2010 novel of the same name.
"As a film director [working] in French, maybe there was something different to make here, instead of like a classic road trip film," Laurent said.
Laurent said more than anything, she wanted the screenplay to include "moments."
"I felt sometimes in many movies, you don't really know how characters react to violence, and I really wanted to apply this to my characters," Laurent said.
With both directing and writing credits under her belt for "Galveston", Laurent is no stranger to the many women filmmakers hitting strides in the business -- especially in the wake of the "Me Too" and "Time's Up" movements.
PHOTOS: GALVESTON SXSW Premiere red carpet event at Paramount Theatre
"It's going to be a long, long fight," Laurent said. "I'm not worried that we're going to make it, but since talking about film and direction is still a thing, I think we're just losing the fight right now."
Fanning said the conversation of recognizing women in film is only just beginning.
"We got to keep the conversation going. I think we've just scratched the surface, which is amazing," Fanning said. "One of my first directors I had ever worked with was a woman: Sofia Coppola. I've worked with many women since then, Melanie...tons. Women can direct."
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"Galveston" also stars Lili Reinhart, Beau Bridges, Maria Valverde, Adepero Oduye, and Robert Aramayo.
Screenings for "Galveston" will be held at the following times and locations during SXSW:
• Tuesday, March 13 at 5:30 p.m. at Alamo Lamar E
• Friday, March 16 at 8:30 p.m. at Zach Theatre
• Saturday, March 17 at 5:45 p.m. at AFS Cinema (Satellite Venue)