Stories about the things we carry with us.

A close-up of a wall with a large, irregular hole that reveals the drywall and inner structure behind it.

Our story

Emperor Mine Films was founded by filmmaker Alexander Chen as a home for personal, independent filmmaking.

The company develops and produces films centered on complicated people rather than easy answers — stories about families, identity, guilt, memory, and the quiet ways people survive what has happened to them.

Our work often moves between naturalistic drama and psychological genre filmmaking, using horror, mystery, and surrealism as extensions of character rather than escapes from it.

We are interested in films that leave some bruises behind.

A dimly lit room with a window letting in natural light, old patterned rug, yellow runner, curtains, bench, and fireplace.

Our Approach

We like restraint.

We like silence.

We like contradictions.

We like characters who don't always understand themselves.

We like images that reveal something dialogue can't.

And we like genre most when the monster means something.

Sunlight casting shadows of a person and a railing on a white wall and a hardwood floor.
Modern hallway with large glass front door and natural light coming in, with artwork on the right wall.
Sunlight casting shadows on a Couch with a black and brown striped Pillow and a rectangular throw pillow.
A foggy outdoor playground with a multi-colored tube slide, exercise equipment, and a mouse-shaped rocking toy in a park.

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.

—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe