'Girls' creator Lena Dunham recounts her start at SXSW

AUSTIN — Things Lena Dunham cares about: Creative energy. Strong roles for women. Tacos.

Things Dunham doesn't care for: Ratings. Republicans. Deadline Hollywood. Wrinkles.

Dunham, the 27-year-old star and creator of HBO's comedy Girls, shared her personal journey from babysitting and hostess gigs in New York City to internationally renowned filmmaker in a keynote speech Monday at SXSW. In a 40-minute speech, bitingly funny and filled with personal anecdotes,, Dunham recounted how her short film at SXSW five years ago, Creative Nonfiction, became the catalyst for her film career.

"SXSW marks the beginning of my life as a working artist," Dunham told a packed audience at the Vimeo Theater inside the Austin Convention Center. "And the only part of my life I've actually enjoyed."

Dunham's success with Girls – it premiered at SXSW two years ago – played a key role in creating a new "Episodic" category this year in the Film section of SXSW that focuses on narrative storytelling for the small screen, said Rebecca Feferman, a spokeswoman and programmer for SXSW Film. "We're really proud of what she's done with her career," she said.

In her speech, Dunham recounted how she began making short films of her family and friends in her early 20s. Her first cut of Creative Nonfiction was initially rejected by SXSW, but she touched up the 60-minute short and resubmitted it the following year, when it was accepted.

The festival "proved to be the greatest week of my life," she said. "I ate tacos. I drank milkshakes. I swam in Barton Springs. I drank a beer at a backyard rock show and talked to cute guys who would've never given me the time of day in New York."

More importantly, she met some of the collaborators and actors who would work with her on future projects, including Girls. Her first feature-length film, Tiny Furniture – a $20,000 production filmed mostly in her parents' apartment and financed with babysitting money and loans from family and friends – was accepted the following year at SXSW and won best narrative feature.

"It remains the most thrilling and least complicated moment of my career so far," said Dunham, who has won two Golden Globe Awards and been nominated for seven Emmys for Girls.

Dunham also shared with the audience her likes and a long list of dislikes, including Republicans ("I'm sure there are some really great ones but I haven't met them") and the Deadline Hollywood industry web site.

She also implored those in attendance, and the industry at large, to foster more intelligent roles for women in film. For example, she said, the lead male actor in Girls, Adam Driver, has been offered a slew of interesting parts in movies, while her three female co-stars still await smart, non-cliché script offers.

"Something has to change," Dunham said, "and I'm trying."