Janet-Rose Nguyen is quickly emerging as a standout voice in Canada’s genre film scene. An award-winning writer and director, her work boldly explores horror, queerness, and the Asian diaspora, earning recognition from the Screencraft Horror Competition, Tribeca Film Festival’s Creators Market, and Rising Voices Canada. With her feature debut, Welcome to Kurosawa House, in post-production, Janet-Rose is committed to bringing underrepresented stories to the screen. Through her distinctive blend of horror and humanity, she’s redefining Canadian cinema and establishing herself as a filmmaker to watch. We caught up with Janet-Rose to discuss her creative journey.
.
Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to speak with Occhi Magazine. Your films often explore the darker sides of human behaviour, blending comedy, horror, feminism, and queerness. What first drew you to these genres and themes, and how do you decide which stories are worth telling?
Ever since I was a kid, I was attracted to genre. I loved magic, vampires, ghosts – anything that represented the other and the mysterious. I think part of it was feeling like an “other” growing up, that and my overactive imagination. I got lost in books and became overly attached to movies and stories. When my aunts would put on horror films, I would be terrified, but I soon grew to love their craft and how the feeling of fear is so universal. I think most stories can be worth telling, but for me, I want to tell the ones that we haven’t seen in the zeitgeist. I want to explore flawed women and queer characters. I want us to see people put in impossible positions making hard choices. I want to tell stories that are the experiences of the people I know and love, but that haven’t been featured.
As both a writer and director, how do you balance your creative vision with the practical challenges of bringing complex, often unsettling stories to life on screen?
This is a good question! I think the biggest thing in being a writer/director is acceptance. You have to accept the resources you have and trust the team around you. And from there, as long as you have a good story and belief in the “why” you’re telling this story, you should be able to create something meaningful. I’d love to be able to create exactly what I see in my head, but I know there are limits, whether it’s time or budget, so you have to be able to pivot and play with the team. Everyone is going to bring something different to the team????
You’ve participated in prestigious programs like Rising Voices Canada and the Canadian Film Centre’s CBC Actors Conservatory. How have these experiences, and the mentors you found there, influenced your approach to filmmaking?
The best part of these programs is the community you build with your fellow cohort. Some of the people I’ve done these programs with are my dearest friends and trusted collaborators. They inspire me with their artistry, their vulnerability, and their talent – seeing the work that my peers do inspires me to be better and pushes me further as an artist. I think artistic work can be such an uphill battle, where you question and doubt yourself, so having a community of people to go to or provide feedback or work with makes it all the more bearable.
The film industry can be especially tough for women, queer creators, and those from the Asian diaspora. What barriers have you encountered, and how have you navigated or challenged them in your work and career?
The biggest barrier was believing in myself enough to pursue this career. Growing up, you rarely saw Asian representation on screen, and then it got even worse in the 2000s! Subconsciously, you absorb this and wonder if your stories are even worth telling. When I began acting, I remember people would never see me as a “lead” but as a supporting or something racially coded like the “nerdy tech girl”. It took a lot of self-work to unlearn these unconscious biases against myself and to gain the confidence to continue pursuing it. Ultimately, I just couldn’t do anything else but be a storyteller! Having a good community of friends was and is so important to my growth as an artist and in dealing with these barriers.
Your new project, ‘Do You See Her?’, is inspired by those visually impaired and delves into the fragility of perception. What inspired this particular story, and what message do you hope audiences take away from it?
It was inspired by my poor eyesight lol! I used to have terrible myopia. I’ve had eye correction surgery since then, but it was so bad that my phone had to be held one inch away from me to be clear. I always watched films and wondered about how everyone just had good vision. What about the people with glasses during a zombie apocalypse?! I really wanted to play with vision and use a film to explore what happens when you see something terrifying, ONLY when your glasses are off. After that, I wanted to make sure the characters and story were meaningful and not just a “scary” story, but something with heart.
Psychological horror relies heavily on atmosphere and subtlety. What techniques did you use in ‘Do You See Her?’ to create tension and uncertainty, both visually and narratively?
Part of the tension and uncertainty comes from questioning what Katie is seeing, and if she is really seeing it. The narrative was a great way to use the camera and low-budget techniques to frame our protagonist in a way that always makes the audience wonder if there’s something off-screen. We also knew we wanted to use the space of the long hallway and a darker atmosphere to create a story about Katie’s mindset.
Katie, your protagonist, can only see the entity when her glasses are off—a powerful metaphor. How did you develop this concept, and what does it represent to you personally or thematically?
I came up with this idea a long time ago, when more than once I was falling asleep and saw a creepy figure form out of the shadows because of my poor eyesight! When I put my glasses back on it ended up being a pile of clothes. I wasn’t sure how to get this concept from idea to story, and at first it was just a straight-up quick scare with death, but I knew I wanted to get deeper, and I was inspired by Parker Finn’s Smile – because that movie actually scared me, but it was also such a wonderfully done commentary on mental health and trauma. I wanted to explore that with Katie’s perspective – of not being heard, or listened to, and experiencing something that others can dismiss as “not real”. And, like in real life, the consequences of not addressing or finding help with mental health can spill out and harm those we love.
As an award-winning filmmaker whose work is being showcased at festivals like Blood in the Snow and Tribeca, how do you handle the pressure of audience expectations and critical acclaim?
Oh goodness, I am not near critical acclaim yet! I think the pressure I have is the pressure I put on myself. I truly want to be excellent and pursue my craft and artistry in a way that is true to myself but also healthy. I am a big believer in self-care and self-love. I meditate, journal, and do some form of exercise daily, and I believe in having fun and detaching from the pressures of trying to “make it” by doing something creative that has nothing to do with film. Lately, I’ve taken up oil painting. It’s all easier said than done, but my practices help ground me. Also, limiting social media, but I am a Reddit addict!
What can audiences expect from ‘Do You See Her? ‘ that sets it apart from other psychological thrillers, and how do you hope it will challenge or surprise viewers?
The film isn’t your typical horror film in that it builds on the relationship of two women and moves more slowly. Also, Vietnamese people and South East Asian people are not really represented in film, and the genre space still skews white and hetero behind and in front of the camera, so that the leads are two queer Vietnamese women is a big deal!
Looking back on your career so far, what has been the most difficult creative decision you’ve faced, and how did it shape you as an artist?
This is a really hard question! I feel like so many creative decisions are hard, and because independent filmmaking so often deals with unknowns and unexpecteds, you’re constantly adapting and making changes. The biggest lesson I have learned is that when your inner voice speaks up, you should listen to it! There have been times on set where I know I need another take, but due to time constraint,s I move on without listening to that voice. For example, in one of my shorts, I realized in the edit that I needed this one shot of our protagonist – but time ran out and we didn’t get it. I knew on set that we needed it, but with all the decision,s you get swept up and move on! It works out, but you have to be able to pick up on that inner voice and make sure you get what you need for your vision.
For aspiring filmmakers—especially those who want to address issues of identity, perception, and fear—what advice would you offer about finding one’s voice and pushing boundaries in a challenging industry?
Being a director is so much about knowing what you want and communicating it, and that only comes with practice and by making mistakes. My advice would be to create as much as you can. Use your phone and make little films, use figurines or your pets, or friends. There is so much about storytelling that you can only learn by doing. But also, you need to watch films as well and learn from others. Community is SO important in this industry – make sure you find people you can connect with and be your authentic self with and people you want to work with! Lastly, don’t feel so much pressure from the external world to be the best or compare your career to others. Focus on you and your art, and what you want to say, and be kind to yourself.
Learn how Occhi Arts & Entertainment empowers artists and creatives with expert PR, marketing, and event management services.
About Author
