From watching movies in an old theater to directing her own story on the big screen. Today, Rocío’s voice expands with Reina Japonesa, her debut feature produced by JUNTOS.
At the historic Teatro Centenario in La Serena, Rocío Huerta discovered her first fascination with cinema. “It was an old theater, full of magic. As a kid, we tried to recreate that feeling at home: we’d stage our own screenings and watch movies over and over. I think that’s where my obsession began,” she recalls.
The youngest of three siblings, Rocío grew up surrounded by images, books, and sketchbooks filled with hand-drawn figures. She dreamed of studying fine arts, until she discovered a camera. “When I got my first handycam, I felt: this is it. Cinema allowed me to combine everything I loved: writing, directing, imagining. It was something very intuitive,” she says.
Born and raised in La Serena, Huerta graduated in Audiovisual Communication from UNIACC University with a specialization in Film Directing, and later completed an Advanced Screenwriting Diploma at Maine Media College (USA). She has collaborated on projects with renowned creatives such as Cristián Jiménez, Nicolás Acuña, Julio Jorquera, Alex Anwandter, Nick Ball, Craig Gillespie, and Erin Heidenreich.
As a director, she has made over thirty music videos and commercials for Chilean artists, in addition to writing and directing the short films Javiera (2018) and María Mar (Best Shortfilm SANFIC, 2024); works that, like her debut feature Reina Japonesa, are set in the Coquimbo region.
Making a Film Together
Reina Japonesa was born almost by accident while Rocío was walking through La Serena. Between the beach and the desert, she suddenly came across the Japanese Garden and with Fernando Milagros’ song Reina Japonesa playing on the radio. “It always seemed like a beautiful, out-of-place spot. An oriental garden in the middle of northern Chile, a space that doesn’t quite fit, and that’s what makes it fascinating,” she recalls. “That’s when I connected the dots: mother and daughter, identity, that impossible place. That’s how the spark was born.”
The project arrived at JUNTOS after the shooting of her short film María Mar, where Felipe Egaña, partner at the production company, worked with Rocío. “I really liked her way of directing, of managing the set, her work with actors, and her understanding of cinematography. She has a very interesting approach to filmmaking and to teamwork.”
That collaboration led to a creative dialogue that materialized in the inclusion of Reina Japonesa in the JUNTOS catalog. “It coincided with something we’d been wanting to do as a company: add projects directed by women that offer a feminine view of the world. Although most of our films have been led by female protagonists, we felt we still had a pending debt when it came to direction,” says Moisés Sepúlveda, JUNTOS partner in charge of the project.
Set around La Serena’s Japanese Garden, the film tells a story about the bond between a mother and daughter, inspired by Rocío’s own teenage years. “I used to dress in black, listen to Nirvana, and feel like the world was somewhere else. I wanted to belong to faraway cultures and that inevitably distances you from what’s closest: your family. That distance is part of the heart of the film.”
“We found the project fascinating. With its unique sensitivity and a visual universe that connects deeply with its region. That mix of local identity and authorial vision is what convinced us to come on board,” says Felipe Egaña.
After joining JUNTOS, Reina Japonesa got the Production Fund from Chile’s Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage (MINCAP). Its script has been developed using the JUNTOS Method, in collaboration with Moisés Sepúlveda, Javier Manríquez, and Malu Furche, and has added Ferviente Films (Colombia) as a co-producer.
Recently, Reina Japonesa was selected for the first edition of CineLab 2025, a program organized by the Chilean Film Academy and Netflix that supports new female voices in Chilean cinema.
The film’s production is projected to begin in mid-2026.