JULIE BABY

When a little girl gets called a whore for the first time, she discovers her place in the world but also her power to define herself.

JULIE BABY is a tour de force of powerful female characters in a story about womanhood and the complicated love that binds mothers, daughters, and sisters together forever. Elite model Vlada Roslyakova makes her dramatic debut as an immigrant single mother struggling to provide for herself and two young girls. Riley Cooper of Showtime's "George & Tammy" delivers a punch as an embattled teen and world-wise older sister. Newcomer Betty Jo Austin stars as the fierce, flawed and brilliant JULIE BABY.

  • Emily Grooms
    Director
  • Emily Grooms
    Writer
  • Sinead Keirans
    Producer
    Carol
  • Timothy Hao-Wei Chang
    Producer
  • Betty Jo Austin
    Key Cast
    "JULIE"
  • Riley Cooper
    Key Cast
    "LAURA"
    George & Tammy
  • Vlada Roslyakova
    Key Cast
    "OLGA"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama, Coming of age
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    25,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Arri Alexa Mini
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of Texas at Austin
  • Tacoma Film Festival
    Tacoma, WA
    United States
    October 12, 2023
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Pendance Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    February 24, 2024
    International/Canadian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Post Alley Film Festival
    Seattle
    United States
    March 30, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Hill Country Film festival
    Fredericksburg, TX
    United States
    May 31, 2024
    Texas Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Nevada Women's Film Festival
    Las Vegas
    United States
    June 20, 2024
    Nevada Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Emily Grooms

Emily is an award-winning filmmaker and casting director working in film and television in Los Angeles. She is drawn to stories of complex motivations and making mistakes. Her work has screened at festivals across the country and abroad including New Orleans Film Festival, Cine Las Americas, Doc NYC and Immigration Film Festival. A dual US-Canadian citizen, Emily grew up in Austin, TX sneaking into theaters and shows way too young and voraciously consuming the VHS film collections of the public library, Vulcan Video and I Luv Video one by one. She holds an MFA in Film Production at the University of Texas at Austin and a BS in Political Science from the College of William and Mary and was the Jesse H. Jones Fellow 2021 - 2022.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

JULIE BABY is about the first time a little girl gets called a whore, the literal meaning of the word, the way it is used and passed down, and the complicated ways mothers, daughters and sisters try to protect and care for one another. When I tell women about idea for the film, many of them recall for me the first time they were called a whore. Often it is by their mothers, often when they were girls, never in a literal sense. It is used to make girls scared, to make them dress differently or act differently, to keep them safe, to inflict harm. It is said in English, Russian, Urdu, Spanish, and countless other languages with a single, specific meaning but used in myriad ways.

JULIE BABY is also about the sticky, constant love of family that is built on sacrifice and forgiveness as much as it is on friendship and intimacy. In the end, Julie makes a courageous if imperfect sacrifice to save her sister from abuse. Then, she ultimately redeems the abuser, too, her mother, through a final act of forgiveness. A true heroine, JULIE BABY transcends her years and self-focus to lead the whole family from behind.