Table of Contents
Three Key Takeaways
- Gemini was born from Naomi Christie’s raw, fresh grief and personal betrayal, channeled into dark comedy.
- The film defies strict genre boundaries, blending romance, twisted humor, and body horror elements.
- Independent filmmaking’s strength lies in passion and scrappy collaboration, something Naomi embraced wholeheartedly.
Vietnamese-American filmmaker Naomi Christie brings her deeply personal and darkly comedic short film Gemini to FilmQuest 2025, one of the world’s premier genre festivals.
Starring Ren Holly Liu and Patrick Sanderson, Gemini explores the complexities of love, loss, and betrayal through a blend of intimate storytelling and genre-bending tones.
Naomi, who recently earned her MFA at the American Film Institute and boasts accolades including a DGA award, shares the emotional and creative journey behind Gemini.
What drew you to make this film? Why this story, and why now?
While studying at the American Film Institute, I was told to "write from your scars, not your wounds." But with Gemini, that’s not what I did. I wrote and shot this film from the most tender, raw parts of my gaping wound. When my dad passed in the spring of 2024, my grief felt debilitating. Then, just as spring brushed against the edge of summer, I faced the end of the most painful relationship of my life. It was a year marked by loss. But it was that second loss—a loss marked by betrayal—that sparked such intense anger in me, it eventually broke me out of my paralysis. I felt this surge of energy that had to be released, and I channeled it into this dark comedy about loss, betrayal, and heartbreak. Gemini is a dark comedy because, in the face of pain, I think we often find a sense of humor to navigate through it all.
"I wrote and shot this film from the most tender, raw parts of my gaping wound."
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process this time—creatively or logistically? Was there a moment on set or in post that completely changed how you saw the story?
I wrote this script rather quickly and a couple weeks after writing it we were shooting it, so I didn't get to workshop it a ton so we had to get scrappy with a last minute pick up shoot after watching the edit. But I was surprised to see how much could come together for a production when you work from an emotionally charged place. I don't always recommend that but in this case, it was either a now or never thing.
Is there a moment in the film that feels the most you—something only you could have made?
The twisted humor during a cinematic sex scene...
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making this film?
Since this was such a personal film born of a very FRESH traumatic experience, I struggled with how personal was too personal. Because everything was so fresh, those types of decisions felt amplified.
What do you hope audiences take away from your film?
I hope they laugh and squirm a little and can ultimately see the analogy I made for betrayal during grief. But really, that I just made something out of my grief and it doesn't change anything for me—my grief is still there, but at least it feels less like I'm pushing it around on a plate.
"You don't need to overthink and overproduce—you can make lemons out of lemonade!"
How has this film shaped or shifted the kind of stories you want to tell next?
Making this film has challenged me to avoid concealing the truth in my work.
What’s a tool, technique, or resource that really helped you during production?
My FRIENDS who were my collaborators! Labor of love and friendship for this one.
Independent filmmakers often rewrite the rules out of necessity. What do you think is the greatest strength of independent filmmaking, and how did you lean into that on this project?
You don't need to overthink and overproduce—you can make lemons out of lemonade! If you are passionate and want to make something with a skeleton crew, you can really surprise yourself with what you're able to create. Sometimes we fear something not being good enough because of limited crew or resources so we sit on a project for too long.
What does it mean to you to have your film selected for FilmQuest, one of the world’s top reviewed genre film festivals?
Incredible! I feel like I'm finally in the cool kids club.
"Making this film has challenged me to avoid concealing the truth in my work."
FilmQuest celebrates the majesty and might of genre filmmaking across fantasy, horror, sci-fi, action, thriller, western, kung-fu, and beyond. How does your film fit within—or push the boundaries of—genre storytelling?
It's certainly a mixed genre film. I've enjoyed seeing the different categories of film blocks Gemini has landed in various festivals. So far it's been showcased in blocks such as "romance", "twisted humor", "words for the wounded", and now the body horror block in FilmQuest.
Where do you see this film going next?
This is not a proof of concept for anything. Hopefully my dad is just having a good laugh in heaven whenever it streams for the angels.
“At the core of all my work is a desire to capture what is lost."
