SXSW hit a high note with the world premiere of the highly anticipated, and crowd funded, Veronica Mars movie on Saturday, March 8.

Veronica Mars, known for being the largest Kickstarter project, is gearing up for its Friday, March 14 release. The official SXSW premiere took place Saturday afternoon, but there was also a second premiere specifically for the film’s Kickstarter backers. Of the 92,000 backers who gave to the film, every fan who gave $750 or more received two tickets to the fan premiere and after-party. The Kickstarter campaign raised the most amount of money in Kickstarter history (about $5.7 million).

“I’m just shocked that I’m either on this stage or in the film. I thought I was going to have to be the $10,000 backer to have a speaking line,” actor Chris Lowell joked at the premiere.

The Veronica Mars movie finds the titular Veronica, played by the incomparable Kristen Bell, brought back to her hometown of Neptune, Calif., to help her ex Logan (Jason Dohring) after he is accused of murder (of course). When the first footage of the film was released, fans were shocked to find out that the film, which picks up nine years after the events of the Season 3/series finale, begins with Veronica living in New York with her college boyfriend Piz (Lowell).

The first feature ever funded by fans, for the fans, the cast of Veronica Mars appeared at SXSW and mingled with fans during their stay at the festival. Castmembers, including Bell, Lowell, Dohring, Ryan Hansen (Dick), Percy Daggs III (Wallace), Francis Capra (Weevil) and Enrico Colantoni (Keith Mars) took selfies with fans at various parties and premiere events.

Creator, writer and director Rob Thomas was also on hand, taking selfies with fans and taking the stage to introduce the film and thank all the fans who kept the idea of a Veronica Mars movie alive for over five years after the show’s cancelation, saying, “We would not exist without you.”

Bell, the film’s star and most avid supporter, and her fellow cast mates participated in a Q&A following the premiere where they, too, praised the fans for essentially producing the film.

“This is such an extra-special experience. It’s so humbling to know that the reason we’re here is because of our Kickstarter friends. We don’t take that lightly that you guys are the reason this movie got made,” Bell told the crowd.

Veronica Mars opens Friday, March 14, almost a year after the Kickstarter campaign launched.

Olivia Truffaut-Wong

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More on Veronica Mars:

SXSW Film Premieres Include Jon Favreau's 'Chef,' 'Neighbors' And 'Veronica Mars'

'Veronica Mars'™ Spin-Off In The Works, Riding Coattails Of Kickstarter Movie

'Veronica Mars'€™ Trailer Released

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