Sweetness is a psychological thriller, about sex, drugs, & rock n’ roll. It had its International debut screening at South By SouthWest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas on March 7th, 2025.
We subsequently had a chance to talk with Director Emma Higgins.
HNMAG: Where are you now?
Emma Higgins: I am in Los Angeles. I’m in the garage of a production company. I was not anticipating all the editing happening here today. It’s still nice.
HNMAG: When did you become interested in Film & Television?
Emma Higgins: I was always interested in movies. My mom was also a writer, so I I loved storytelling too. I didn’t think a career in that was possible until I was a teenager. I lived in Burnaby and there were so many productions happening all around us. I was fifteen the first time I was on a set. I was an extra on a commercial.
HNMAG: Was it a union commercial?
Emma Higgins: No, not at that time. I did some union one’s after that. I did some feature extra roles, then I got an agent to audition for commercials. Acting seemed liked the most obvious way to get involved. I was an extra on a movie set and I kept asking the Director of Photography (DOP) questions. “What’s that”? and the DOP would answer that’s a dolly. Then again, “what’s that”? His response, that’s a generator. Me; “what’s a generator…what’s a genie-op…etc”? Eventually he suggested I could PA (production assistant). I was surprised that was even an option. That’s how I got my first crew job on set. I became a PA.
HNMAG: Did you then work your way up through the Assistant Director (AD) channel?
Emma Higgins: It wasn’t direct through the AD channel, no. After being a PA, I became a production coordinator. I starting shooting my own stuff and worked in the camera department. Most of my experience as crew was in the art department, which is what drew me in the most. I was an on-set dresser and I did props. I was a driver. Shooting my own stuff then making my own music videos, really was the key. I got a DVX camera, stepped out of the track and made my own things. Eventually, I came back in as a director.
HNMAG: You wrote, produced, and directed your own music videos.
Emma Higgins: Yes. It was everything at first. I had around $300, so I was the DOP, the director, the producer, the editor, the colorist…etc.
It took a bit before I could finally hire some crew. The first positions I added to my shoots were a producer and a DOP. I had to scratch my way up a little bit at a time.
HNMAG: Did you start making music videos for your friends’ bands?
Emma Higgins: It started with friends’ bands. I used MySpace to message artists in 2008. I would offer to do their music videos for free in the very beginning.
HNMAG: Did you move into making commercials after the music videos?
Emma Higgins: I would still be doing a lot more music videos but the music industry no longer has revenue or the demand for them. Commercials were the next natural use of my skills before I moved into feature films. I still work in commercials. I still do music videos too but they’re so rare. I love them.
HNMAG: Is it also rare to make a union commercial?
Emma Higgins: It depends. Half of my commercials are union. In BC there are way less union commercials. Even though the Union of British Columbia (UBCP) is part of the national union, there have been way less union commercials made in that province for the past twenty years. In Toronto and the US, we still do union stuff.
HNMAG: What is your background in music? Do you sing or play an instrument?
Emma Higgins: I’ve always aspired to but I don’t have those skills. I’m a fan of music. I listen to music all day, every day.
HNMAG: Did you have a previous connection with Blitz/Berlin?
Emma Higgins: I did and they’re from Victoria. We knew each other from the music video scene. We had a similar path. We moved to Toronto around the same time and then Los Angeles. We have worked together a lot. For one of my short films in 2016, they were the composers for that. They have been on the journey and now they are big, successful composers.
HNMAG: Did they compose the original songs for Sweetness?
Emma Higgins: Yes. They did the entire soundtrack, the score, they composed all the original songs the band played, and they did two cool covers. One of them was a Jan Arden song. Their fingerprints are all over this.
HNMAG: In other rock music fictional movies, the music doesn’t come across as completely authentic. It’s incredibly believable in Sweetness.
Emma Higgins: That’s good to hear. It was a very unique experience.
HNMAG: Was it shot in North Bay?
Emma Higgins: Yes, North Bay, Ontario.
HNMAG: Have you shot there before?
Emma Higgins: No, but they were great to us. We had amazing timing. When we arrived there was a few feet of snow. Once we went to camera, the snow was gone. We were filming perfectly. We just really nicely threaded the needle. Just between the snow and bug season.
HNMAG: What attracted you to North Bay?
Emma Higgins: We were always going to film in Ontario because that’s where the production company was based. We got good tax incentives and we heard from friends who shot there, how great it was. It also fit the movie. It’s set in a small town. I did this writing trip to Ferndale, Washington. That’s where I wrote the first draft. I was inspired by that vibe. That would not be available to us in Toronto or Vancouver.
HNMAG: Is the movie set in North Bay?
Emma Higgins: It’s set in this fictional town of Fernvale, Ontario. So the movie is set in Canada. You might not be able to clock it, if you were American. The police uniforms, and the license plates are the main things but if you look closely, you can see Canadian flags in the background.
HNMAG: Are we going to get more movies set in Canada?
Emma Higgins: I hope so! Especially in genre spaces. One of my favourite movies is Ginger Snaps, that’s set in Canada. There is no reason why it can’t be. Being from Vancouver, how many times have you seen our home city play Seattle?
HNMAG: It’s a misconception that audiences will shy away from seeing a movie because it’s set in Canada. If it’s a good movie, that’s what matters.
Emma Higgins: It’s sort of an odd fear. There have been some films that were so Canadian, that it set that back with an agenda and what the Canadian identity means.
HNMAG: What is your biggest takeaway from thinking about the experience with your movie?
Emma Higgins: Sweetness is a really Canadian film that wouldn’t exist without my upbringing in Burnaby. It’s hopefully a fun new chapter for what we can make in our country.
Emma Higgins grew up in Burnaby, BC with a love of movies and storytelling. With so many productions being made in her home, it was possible to eventually write and direct her own music videos, short films, commercials, and now a feature film. She would love to share her unique Canadian experience with the world. For the past thirty years, Vancouver has been one of the most prolific film production centre’s on the planet. We are sure that there are more creative people who can follow in E