How the X-Files and a One Way Trip to Mars Led Director Julia 秀英 Ngeow to London
Director Julia 秀英 Ngeow grew up in Sydney, Singapore and Perth, before settling in Brooklyn and today is branching out to the UK. Her eclectic upbringing, grounded in Chinese and Celtic ancestry, empowered her to create empathetic, globally relevant films which beautifully depict interconnectedness and human vulnerability.
With a background in biophysics and neuroscience, many of Julia’s recent films revolve around nature, health and wellness – exploring the intersection between art and science.
She’s made films with people training for a one-way trip to Mars, with Australians seeking to change the world through meditation, and with young women exploring the importance of STEM using zombies (a Clio Gold winner in 2022, no less).
When Julia’s not making movies you can find her learning about sustainable gardening, reading about the untapped potential of the human mind, and photographing the night sky.
In a conversation with Bang TV, she reveals the story behind the Mars One programme, the projects that she has going right now and why she loves the ‘cross-pollination’ in the media landscape.
Q> You were commissioned to tell the stories of a group of volunteers who signed up for the Mars One programme, a one way mission to Mars. How did you get involved, and as a director, how do you sidestep the obvious sensationalism of such a story?
A> One of my friend's friends was a Mars One candidate, who I met on a photoshoot. When he told me about his plan to be one of the first humans to live in space, it was definitely a non-standard response! It stuck in my mind for years. I had a pitch meeting with Topic and they weren’t sold on any of my ideas so as a last ditch I said “Well… I know someone who plans to live on Mars,” and that got their attention.
I don't label people as 'crazy', and I live in New York! Even the people screaming, half naked on the streets of this city make sense if you take the time to unravel their story. To me going to Mars seemed like a horrible idea. I enjoy things like rain… and atmosphere. But, I knew there must be some line of logic that made sense for each participant, and I was really curious about what that was.
I came into filmmaking with an interest in human psychology and finding out what makes people tick. I have a genuine, open-hearted curiosity, and believe that all human behaviour makes sense if you really get to know someone. That's the beauty of documentary filmmaking, getting to connect with someone who may superficially appear quite different.
Q> Did you ever discuss the obvious risks? All the things that could go wrong? Surely there was a high chance of dying almost immediately even if they did land successfully, but weren’t the consequences of a successful mission even worse?
A> Yes, yes. There's a million ways to die when going to Mars, and the subjects were very aware of that. In some way we all make these choices every day, weighing our risk VS reward ratio for activities, such as driving a car, or flying in a plane. The risks with this mission were high, but to these candidates, so were the rewards. Whether it was fulfilling childhood dreams, helping advance humanity, or being part of something bigger than themselves in a way that wouldn't be possible whilst living on Earth – they all had this idea of 'we only live once, so let's do something radical'.
Q> When you can see that there is gold in a subject, how do you get the story?
A> I follow my own curiosity, and let that guide the storytelling. I think people can sense your intentions, whether you're intending to carry their story with care and respect, and involve them as collaborators in the process, or if you're simply wanting to mine them for information and run. I always put the human connection first, ahead of the filmmaking process. Getting to know the subjects as people, and also being open and vulnerable myself. If trust is established, then most people are an open book.
When making docs, or even scripted projects, I like to allow room for spontaneity and magic. I love the feeling of immediacy and realness – it brings the audience as close as possible to the people they're watching. So, I may set up a scene and ask questions as the subject is busy working on another task, distracted and thus unselfconscious – making it feel in-the-moment, like a couple of friends having a chat. For an actor, I may set up a scene or intention, rather than a simple action, to provide greater backstory and room to improvise around the required shot.
Q> You have a background in science - tell us about your path from that to storytelling, and how it influences the projects you work on.
A> I watched a lot of X-Files growing up and was very into forensics and the human mind. I found my way into studying neuroscience and biophysics at university, with some very interesting experiences having come from that. I've held a human brain in my hands, learnt about the quantum physics wave-particle duality of reality, and seen decomposing pigs dressed up in Simpsons T-shirts in car crash scenarios. I went on to spend some time researching the causes of childhood brain tumours, and also the anti-cancer potential of indigenous medicinal herbs with the Australian Cancer Council.
But while Science is on the cutting edge of discovery, there is always such a huge time delay between the discovery, and the global application, and I found that very frustrating. I was drawn back to my filmmaking dreams as a way to facilitate communication between scientists and the public, as well as express my own personal values.
Q> You’ve lived across the globe and have an interesting upbringing - tell us how that informs your work.
A> I was born in Sydney, grew up in Singapore, and also Perth Western Australia, and have been living in New York for the past 10 years. My dad is Hakka Chinese from Malaysia, and inspired my interest in Daoism, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Qi Gong energy work.
My mum instilled in me the artistry, music and mysticism from our Celtic ancestry. At home we light joss sticks for our family and a statue of Quan Yin, Goddess of Mercy, but I also used to go to Sunday School. This eclectic upbringing taught me that borders between people and ideologies are arbitrary and fluid, and being mixed-race myself, I don't feel a strong sense of ‘other’ when I see people. I have an innate desire to show we're all really the same; same human needs that simply come out in different arenas and trajectories. I believe this comes across in my projects and how I choose to represent subjects.
Q> Besides commercials, what other projects are you currently working on?
A> I’ve got a few documentaries cooking. One I’m directing in Nowra, Australia, a rural town suffering through a mental health crisis following bushfires, covid 19 and devastating floods. The film tests Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s hypothesis made in 1960, that if 1% of a population can be taught to meditate, then a seismic benefit will occur to the town as a whole through a collective coherence effect. We seek to confirm this through new science research at local universities and capture the process on film. I started meditating twice daily as ‘research’ for this project, and it’s been a fantastic experiment!
Another project in development explores ancient cultures and traditional healing practices across the globe. I’m working alongside National Geographic scientist and explorer Rosa Vasquez Espinoza who grew up in Peru, and is researching the science behind such traditional remedies. We have hopes to highlight the connection between nature, healing and science by sharing different methods of wellness and empirical science that have been used for centuries. It’s also our dream that by raising awareness, and leveraging legal aid, we may be able to work with communities in land conservation. It’s a big dream, but now’s a great time to start!
Q> You’ve moved from Australia to the USA, and now you’re branching out into the UK. What kind of work excites you, and what about your directing style makes you stand out?
A> I find it exciting when projects feel culturally conscious, willing to think outside the box, and there’s room to breathe creatively. Lots of different people are wanting to feel represented in the media, and audiences are really normalising authenticity and immediacy - now is a great time to make some change and adapt. At the same time, part of the fun challenge is working within certain creative constraints, yet still making the most amazing project possible. It’s all a balance - I’d say I aim to breathe freshness into whatever I direct, whatever framework I find myself working in.
Q> How have you seen the media landscape evolve over time, and where do you see it going in the future?
A> I love the growing cross-pollination that’s occurring in the media landscape. People from different places creating cool work all over the globe. It’s really going to keep things exciting and fun to watch.
I’m super excited to be teaming up with Jeremy and Tom at Bang in the UK. I love the work they’re creating, their ethos and the whole team they’ve put together. I’m looking forward to what’s to come!
