Emily Hagins is a 23-year-old writer-director living in Los Angeles. She wrote and directed her first feature film at the age of 12, a zombie movie titled “Pathogen.” This project was the subject of a documentary titled “Zombie Girl: The Movie.” Two of her films have premiered at SXSW: “My Sucky Teen Romance” and “Grow Up, Tony Phillips.” She wrote and directed “Touch,” a segment of ChillerTV’s horror anthology “Chilling Visions: The Five Senses of Fear.”

“Coin Heist” debuts on Netflix January 6.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

EH: When a crisis threatens to destroy their high school, four teens hatch a daring plan to raise $10 million by breaking into the U.S. Mint.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

EH: With coming-of-age stories, I am always drawn to characters that have to deal with the consequences of their actions — I feel like this is a big lesson when you’re growing up. After reading the “Coin Heist” novel, I was excited to explore the consequences of pulling off a heist, and figuring out ways of relating these problems to the teen experience.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when the film ends?

EH: I hope people think about how the teenage protagonists in this film aren’t mean-spirited, particularly selfish, or technology-obsessed the way a lot of teenagers are portrayed in movies and TV these days.

Even though technology has shaped our day-to-day lives, I don’t think the lessons of friendship, learning who you are, and connecting with others have changed since the iconic teen films of the ’80s. Those movies respect the teenage perspective without dumbing it down or infusing so many pop culture and current references to a point of losing the purpose of the characters or the story.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

EH: The biggest challenge for me was learning enough about coin making, collecting, selling, and buying to base our narrative around. Even though we took these aspects in creative directions, I think you still have to ground that information in reality.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

EH: I was hired by Adaptive Studios, a production company, to write and direct the film. Once we got the script in good shape, we worked with a casting director to get key cast attached. Then we took the project with attached actors to Netflix, and they decided to greenlight the project.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

EH: The worst advice I’ve ever received was that I should only write female leads. I do believe in writing what you know, but only to the extent that you should write what is most important to you.

I don’t think female filmmakers should be confined to only writing female protagonists, and I don’t think men should be confined to only writing male protagonists. I think writing for both genders is an important part of growing and understanding different perspectives.

The best advice I’ve ever received was to persevere no matter what, since you’re the only person who knows what you can and can’t do. It sounds simple, but this advice has been reassuring for me throughout several difficult projects.

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

EH: My advice is to tell stories that are important to you, that only you can tell. If you are drawn to filmmaking and writing, then don’t let anyone stop you from making the movies that are unique to your voice and vision. The technology is available, so just make something!

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

EH: This is tough! I am a big fan of Kathryn Bigelow’s “Near Dark.” I love the tone and style of the vampires. I am also obsessed with Martha Coolidge’s “Valley Girl” and Nic Cage’s goofy/charming performance. Most recently, I really liked Shira Piven’s “Welcome to Me.”

W&H: Getting onto Netflix is a huge deal. Can you talk about how that happened and offer any advice for the process of negotiating a deal?

EH: Netflix was interested in our project and it just sort of came together. My only advice is to have a confident and clear vision for your project when you’re pitching it to potential investors,producers, and companies.

W&H: Have you seen opportunities for women filmmakers increase over the last year due to the increased attention paid to the issue? If someone asked you what you thought needed to be done to get women more opportunities to direct, what would be your answer?

EH: I have, yes! Though I think there is still a lot of progress to be made. It shouldn’t be a big deal or unique for someone to hire a female writer or director — there shouldn’t be a quota to fill or a percentage to compare. It should be a no-brainer to hire just as many women as men in this industry!

I feel like the best thing to do, honestly, is to just start small and work your way to larger projects. Basically, don’t wait for someone to give you an opportunity. There are resources out there. Find people to support you and support them as well; the filmmaking community relies on the “community” aspect. Do a fundraiser, garage sale — whatever you can. Use your iPhone, and just keep making things until you can’t.