Keith Maitland

I've always been intrigued by questions of perception and identity-building, specifically how teens and young adults define themselves within their communities.

I appreciate a subdued performance, typically.

Active-shooter scenarios have become part of the education lexicon. I had fire drills. My parents had duck and cover - nuclear and atomic bomb drills. Kids today grow up with this idea that this could happen at any point in time.

As far as documentaries, 'Man on Wire,' 'Atomic Cafe,' 'Waltz With Bashir,' and 'Thin Blue Line' all offered me different perspectives to consider as we were designing the structure and approach to 'Tower.'

I'm a big fan of Robert Altman, and one of the things I love in 'The Long Goodbye' is the way that he plays with the theme; it's just used in all these different ways.

I love working with rotoscopic animation because under the incredible handpainted artwork are real actors and real human performances.

My first night in Austin was at SXSW in 1994 when I was a senior in high school. I came here for spring break and just fell in love with Austin. It's my home.

I love SXSW. I've made three films; they've all premiered at SXSW.

Two actors that I had particularly fantastic experiences with include Chris Doubek, a notable indie journeyman who also happened to live in the trailer behind my house, and Violett Beane.

Yes, I realize when I'm reaching out to people and asking them to talk about the most traumatic thing to happen in their lives, I have to be really sensitive and thoughtful.

I read Pamela Colloff's oral history about the campus shooting, '96 Minutes,' when it was first published, and my wheels immediately starting turning toward making a film and making it an animated re-telling.

I'm just one of those people that when there's a door that says 'Do Not Enter,' I have to know what's happening on the other side of that door.