Emma Higgins is a filmmaker drawn to the edges of emotion. A writer-director with a distinct visual sensibility and humanistic approach to complex, character-driven stories, Higgins has quickly emerged as a bold new voice in genre storytelling, unafraid to explore the messiness of adolescence and the complexity of human connection.
Her debut feature SWEETNESS premiered to standout acclaim at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival, praised for its tonal precision and emotional honesty and described by critics as “a movie that understands the aching loneliness that comes with adolescence, and how it can curdle into something more sinister” (The Austin Chronicle). SWEETNESS is a darky funny, emotionally raw coming-of-age thriller for the digital age, the film interrogates the blurred line between fandom and fixation, channeling teenage loneliness into something unsettling, yet so familiar.
Raised in Burnaby, Higgins’ creative voice was shaped by the rain-soaked landscapes, early 2000’s alt culture, her teenage experiences that she keeps close to heart, and the burgeoning local film industry. She is a self-taught director that cut her teeth across B.C.’s film and music industries, stepping into an impressive amount of roles and using all the expertise she gathers to create momentum. She has a hands-on and community-oriented approach across all avenues of her work, whether collaborating with Jessie Reyez on her JUNOs Video of the Year-winning “No One’s in the Room“, or helming commercials for major brands, you can feel the mark of her signature style and her enthusiastic approach.
Higgins continues to carve out space for stories that feel personal, specific, and unapologetically her own. With SWEETNESS, she not only delivers a striking debut, but also lays the foundation for a filmmaking voice that is as fearless as it is deeply felt. The film follows 16-year-old Rylee, burdened by teenage angst and loneliness, who has a chance encounter with her rockstar crush, Payton, lead singer of the band Floorplan. Having discovered he is a dysfunctional drug addict and driven by a desire to turn her teenage fantasies into reality, she takes it upon herself to help him detox, no matter the cost.
Fresh off a standout SXSW debut, Higgins sat down with us to discuss her formative experiences that led her to filmmaking, the creative journey behind SWEETNESS, and how she’s come to define and embrace her voice as a storyteller.
SWEETNESS marks your feature debut and is now reaching audiences after a strong festival run. For those encountering the film for the first time, how do you describe it and where it sits in your journey as a filmmaker?
I describe SWEETNESS as a film for the girls, the gays, the theys, the emos and the alt kids. It’s a film you’ll enjoy if you spent your teen years listening to loud music. It’s very much a film that falls into the “good for her” subgenre of thriller. SWEETNESS is hard to distill but always surprises people with how fun it is. For me, it was the first time I got to make something so personal. I see the influence of my teenage years and my time directing music videos. In many ways, it feels like the closing of a chapter, having had the opportunity to express these facets of myself. Hopefully it’s the first of many films.
You’ve described SWEETNESS as a project that’s been with you for over a decade. Can you take us back to when the idea first formed, and what kept drawing you back to this story over the years?
I had written the first draft of the script in my early 20’s and I felt like at the time I was trying to process something around teen angst. I think that core emotion is what continued to bring me back to the story, it’s not a movie about fandom to me. It’s a movie about trying to find love and belonging.
SWEETNESS lives in a tender emotional space that feels deeply lived‑in and distinctly adolescent. How did you work to protect that tone from script to finished film?
I was extremely lucky to be able to work with some trusted collaborators on this project. Everyone involved contributed a bit from their teen years to create the overall feeling of the movie. I felt like it became my job to nurture this and bring what felt the most honest to the screen. To me, adolescence is imperfect and I wanted to embrace that. I saw it in the smudge of eyeliner, a disgustingly messy room or an improvised touch of a hand that spoke to a real emotion (even if the framing wasn’t quite right).
A huge part of the overall tone was found in post. I don’t think I knew where to draw the line with the humour until I got in a room with my editor (Kat Webber) and composers (Blitz//Berlin). We found the film sat really well in this darkly earnest space, that also doesn’t take itself too seriously. Just like teenhood, SWEETNESS expresses BIG feelings, it takes risks, it is absurd, raw, moody and fun all at the same time.
As your first feature film, what did the day‑to‑day process of directing teach you about how you work creatively, and how you collaborate with a team on set?
I’d worked a long time as a director before SWEETNESS, and even longer in the film industry in general so in many ways, being on set is familiar territory. I asked a friend who had done a feature if he had any advice for me before I went to camera, and he told me I’d be fine, that a movie is just a series of music videos and short films back to back. I like that advice because it made it less intimidating, and did prove to be mostly true. The collaboration and the mechanics of the day to day filmmaking were areas I was well trained in, I was grateful for the reps I’d gained in short form. However, one thing that has always drawn me to this career is that I’m never ever done learning and growing. I learned so much about myself as a writer more than anything, that I can trust my actors to do the heavy lifting, they can say more in a look than I can in five pages of dialogue. A feature is also much more involved emotionally, I learned to trust my instincts. Most importantly, I feel fortified in knowing what my voice is.
Although the film was shot in North Bay, the film feels deeply rooted in B.C., particularly in its angsty energy and emotional terrain. How did growing up in Burnaby and beginning your career in Vancouver shape the world of the film?
SWEETNESS exists because of two things: Metrotown Mall and “The X-Files”. Let me elaborate.
Picture this: you are sixteen, your low rise jeans are soaking wet around the bottom from dragging in the rain over your off brand DC skate shoes. You’re wearing three layered camis under a hoodie you purchased from Urban Planet with the money you got from working at Save-on-Foods. You’re wearing Watermelon lip smackers and the bangs you fried with a straightener thirty minutes ago have already turned to frizz. You get off at the bus loop at Metrotown inhaling fumes from the 119 and go to meet your friends at the fountain. Someone has a digital camera, another person has a bottle of Growers cider. The world is your oyster. This is the feeling I wanted to capture with SWEETNESS. I’d know it when I felt it– with casting, a wardrobe choice or music decision. My teen years in Burnaby were my only measure in which I could compare the world of the characters to and guided every single decision.
Secondly, “The X-Files” filming in B.C. made a career in this field feel attainable. I remember distinctly watching Season 1, Ep 7 (“The Ghost in the Machine”) and seeing Mulder and Scully walking around the exterior of Metrotown. I recognized that building, it wasn’t a high security prison, nor was it a stage thousands of miles away! It was the Burnaby Public library, and it was just up the street. Seeing this unlocked something in me. The industry was here, people were working in it and maybe, just maybe, I could be one of those people too. “The X-Files” was a foundational show for the Vancouver film industry, and I hope to see the show back in our province again soon with the reboot.
You’ve worked across many corners of B.C.’s creative industries early in your career, from PA work to production design, locations, and the music industry. How did that path, with its challenges and opportunities, shape your perspective as a filmmaker, and how does it continue to inform the way you tell stories today?
My many various jobs across the industry in B.C. have made me the person I am. It’s impossible to summarize all the ways it’s shaped me but on a practical level, it taught me the skills to become a working director. I never went to film school, I learned in a hands-on way on set, and was graced by a lot of very generous mentors who were happy to teach. I was able to find what I loved to do, and find a purpose in the world of the arts. I hope to pass this along to others, lifting up the next generation. My early career years made me passionate about opening the door to different voices and paving the way for new points of entry to our industry. There are a ton of financial barriers to becoming a filmmaker, and hope to be an example of a different road to directing.
I loved my time in all my varied positions, and I love that I have insight to the many different roles on set. I know from experience that most people are on set because they love movies, or work in music because it’s their calling. Let’s be honest, it’s not about the money, there are easier jobs with better hours and salaries. We do it because we love it. That’s the main thing I feel stands out from this time in my life– the many passionate, creative people.
Looking back now that the film is reaching audiences, is there something about your voice as a filmmaker that became clearer to you through the process of making SWEETNESS?
Showing SWEETNESS to audiences in person felt akin to being naked in public. It was the first time I really had to stand on business and say “this is me! This is what I like and want to say!”. Then, of course, hearing critiques and feedback after that. This process taught me to be more comfortable with being perceived, and ultimately forced me to get to know myself better. There were themes I didn’t even realize I was trying to explore with the film, that bubbled through and were reflected back to me by audiences. There was no hiding, SWEETNESS is me, and I’d have to learn to be loud and proud about it. I found that other people could relate to me, I found connection and it healed a lot of my angsty inner teen. I think I came out the other side of this movie a little stronger, knowing myself a lot more and being less afraid to share that.
Aya Furukawa’s involvement adds another strong B.C. connection to the film. Can you talk about her contribution to the film and what she brought to the project, both creatively and personally?
Aya plays Sidney, who I would describe as a “relatable scream queen”. She’s the bestie we all need, the only reasonable voice in the room and her presence in the film adds a much needed audience proxy. She voices what they’re thinking. She’s an iconic fashionista, a genuinely watchable jolt of energy to any scene she’s in, and has perfect timing. Without her, the film lacks a huge amount of levity, and heart. Aya brought so much professionalism to the set, and was a thoughtful, genuine and kind person. Aya is an incredibly strong actor, she has a natural, raw quality on screen that I hope to see a lot more of. She’s the type of performer and person who listens and really wants to understand not only the character she’s portraying, but the people she is working with. I was lucky to see her in “The Midnight Club”, another B.C. production, and will be eternally grateful that she came out to join our crew of North Baes in North Bay.
What do you hope B.C. audiences and emerging filmmakers take away from both the film and your journey bringing it into the world?
I hope people have a good time with SWEETNESS! I hope they see themselves reflected in a fresh way and like it enough to tell their friends. Canadian filmmakers need as much support as we can get, and a share or rating goes a long way. I hope that the success of SWEETNESS will pave the way for more genre films, and we will be able to make more movies like it in B.C. Movies that compete with Hollywood theatrical releases, with equal quality and entertainment value and a uniquely Canadian voice.
Is there anything else you’d like us to know about the film?
I wanted to give a shout out to the legendary composing trio of SWEETNESS: Blitz//Berlin. These three gentlemen hail from Victoria, B.C. and not only did they score for the film, but also wrote three original songs for the movie’s fictional band “Floorplan”. (The debut EP for Floorplan is out now on 604 Records!). I first heard Blitz//Berlin in the mid 00’s, when the radio in my sister’s room would pick up 91.3 The Zone out of Victoria on a clear night. It’s been a pleasure to work with them for so many years, and watch them grow alongside me in this crazy business.
Learn more about Emma Higgins and her work on her website. Learn more about SWEETNESS and stay tuned for updates on the film’s Instagram page. The film is available to watch on demand in Canada on Prime Video and Apple TV.
All images featured in this article are behind the scenes from SWEETNESS, courtesy of Emma Higgins.
