Keya Saxena of Junk Flower Films
Interview with our Managing Editor Aman Shahzad
Keya Saxena is a filmmaker & writer from Hartford County, CT and is currently based in New York City. She holds a BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts as a recipient of the Tisch Scholarship. Her short film A Tale of Wilting Flowers was selected for film festivals worldwide, and her thesis film Manjha had its world premiere at the 2024 Tasveer Film Festival.
This year, Keya and her co-founder Rose Knopper launched Junk Flower Films, a creative production & storytelling agency in New York City. Keya and Rose had previously worked together on the aforementioned films as well as more shorts, music videos, and visualizers.
Junk Flower Films also created a wonderful “Tea Stories” spot series for Brooklyn-based chai upstart Raazi Tea, and their “Kaju Girl” campaign for South Asian jewelry boutique Kaju Studios launched today. Keya’s work with these brands embodies how filmmaking can advances South Asian diaspora not just in the entertainment industry, but throughout our rapidly burgeoning creative economy.
Keya’s direction and Rose’s cinematography come together throughout these works to create simultaneous feelings of distance and familiarity through their shared understanding of color, framing, tension and closeness. In a matter of months, Junk Flower Films has cultivated a distinct visual identity and style that only leave us wanting more.
Keya is also a seasoned Rickshaw alum! She was a part of our Cycle 5 Writer’s Room cohort, and, through her work with Bungalow Collective, collaborated with us last summer for our joint Frames in Focus event in New York City.
Find our conversation with Keya below, edited and condensed for clarity:
I. Origins and Film School
Rickshaw: How did you become a filmmaker? When did you know that you wanted to be one?
Keya: I was always a writer. I actually published a book when I was ten, facilitated by my fifth grade teacher. Someone commented on the Amazon listing, "I see the story in my head like a movie." That was a lightbulb moment—I realized I also visualized my stories cinematically.
By middle school, around [the age of] 12, I knew I wanted to pursue film. Since no one in my family was in the arts, I didn't have much guidance. In high school, I participated in summer programs at Saint John's and NYU. The NYU program made me fall in love with filmmaking and the school itself, which led me to apply there.
Rickshaw: How would you say NYU fostered your creativity and ability to create art or community?
Keya: Film school's most valuable offering is community, especially if you don't already have one. Coming from a small town in Connecticut where no one pursued film, I met my best friends and collaborators at NYU—people I still work with today.
I think creativity is innate, but without community, it's nearly impossible to realize your vision, especially in film. You simply can't do everything alone.
II. Diaspora Tales
Rickshaw: What kind of stories do you gravitate toward?
Keya: No matter how I try to escape it, I always end up telling stories about the diaspora, exploring identity, assimilation, and similar themes. I work across different genres, including drama and psychological thriller, but these core themes remain.
I'm interested in giving a voice not just to South Asians but to all immigrants and people who exist away from their homelands. I also minored in South Asian Studies to better understand these experiences through history, art, politics, and music.
Rickshaw: Was your interest in diaspora stories what led you to take that minor?
Keya: Definitely. I was born in India and came here when I was about three or four [years old]. Unlike many immigrants, most of my family remained in India, so we visited almost every year. I have vivid memories of both places.
My storytelling comes from observing my community—how friends become like cousins when you don't have relatives nearby, the concept of found family, and mental health challenges that were often overlooked in the '90s. I wanted to understand why we experienced things the way we did.
III. Influences
Rickshaw: Who are some of your inspirations for directing or filmmaking?
Keya: For film, Alfonso Cuarón. I love his entire filmography, and Roma is one of my top films of all time. I recently also watched Joyland by Saim Sadiq, and it's become my new muse.
For writing, I've been a huge Kendrick Lamar fan my entire life. When I think of poets, I think of him and his ability to infuse meaning into everything he creates.
I also love Tyler Mitchell. I saw one of his exhibitions at the International Center of Photography in New York during my freshman year [of college], and it completely changed my perspective on what photography and film could look like.
Much of my inspiration [also] comes from discovering small artists who create compelling work on platforms like Instagram.
IV. Junk Flower Films
Rickshaw: How did you think of creating your production company?
Keya: It's deeply connected to my co-founder, Rose Knopper, who's a cinematographer and my best friend. We met as roommates in the East Village—literally sharing a bedroom with twin beds across from each other while taking intensive film courses at NYU.
She’s been my Director of Photography for every project I've directed in the past four years. I've never worked with another cinematographer. We've done at least 10 projects together, and we've developed this shared creative voice that's unique to us because we learned filmmaking together.
Since we already collaborate on everything, creating a production company was a natural step [forward]. Our joint portfolio is essentially my entire portfolio, so we decided to formalize what we were already doing.
Rickshaw: Tell me more about Rose.
Keya: Everyone who knows Rose loves her. She has a sense of gentleness and intricacy in her cinematography style. She's incredibly loyal, supportive, and committed to her craft.
My style originally leaned toward static, wide shots—very Wes Anderson—while Rose loves movement, soft focus, and a more delicate approach to storytelling. For my thesis film Manjha, I needed more of her style, and she patiently helped me step outside my comfort zone.
Rickshaw: What do you hope to achieve with Junk Flower?
Keya: We want to create meaningful, purpose-driven work. While we're leaning somewhat commercial right now, we believe that small brands and artists often have powerful stories that just need the right storytellers to help express them.
Long-term, we want to expand Junk Flower into something that gives back, by redistributing the resources and education we've been fortunate to receive. We're looking at community building initiatives and workshops, though we're currently focused on creating work and establishing our presence.
I'm super inspired by organizations like Rickshaw that selflessly help others reach their potential. That's something we aspire to emulate.
V. Thoughts on the Craft
Rickshaw: What have you learned about yourself through filmmaking?
Keya: Growing up as an only child until I was 12, I always saw myself as fiercely independent, someone who could do everything alone. Filmmaking taught me to rely on others. It was scary at first, especially coming from limited resources where I had to do everything myself.
But I've learned how to delegate, how to trust others with aspects of my vision, and how to be comfortable making mistakes in my art. A mentor once told me to think of art as a time capsule rather than a measure of ability. Every piece you create captures who you were when you made it, even if you might not love it years later.
Rickshaw: What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into filmmaking?
Keya: I'd return to that idea of art as a time capsule. Many artists get caught up judging their own work, which stops them from creating or sharing it. If you can train yourself to see each piece as capturing a specific moment in time, it becomes easier to overcome that inner critic.
The world needs art now more than ever. Don't let yourself stop you from making it.
Find Junk Flower Films on Instagram and TikTok.
Find Keya on Instagram and at her website.
so grateful for the feature 💌