Vicky Jewson began her career at age 16, directing several short films. She founded her production company, Jewson Film, at age 18. Jewson made her feature directorial debut with the 2006’s “Lady Godiva,” starring Phoebe Thomas. In 2014, she secured a deal with Lionsgate for “Born of War,” an action thriller she co-wrote alongside Rupert Whitaker.

“Close” hits Netflix January 18.

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

VJ: Sam (Noomi Rapace) is a female bodyguard familiar with working in war zones. She takes on a rare VIP job protecting Zoe (Sophie Nelisee), a young rich heiress. These two women are from opposite worlds and immediately clash. They are thrown together when a violent attempted kidnapping forces them on the run. Sam is also running from a darkness within her, one that is haunting her.

Sam initially presents as a woman at the top of her field. She takes action because it is her job. She has a professional controlled veneer, which suppresses the truth. There is ​a clear distinction between her personal and professional life. The two can never meet. Zoe is a young woman trapped in a gilded cage, completely isolated. She is surrounded by bodyguards and maids but has no close friends or family. She is alone in the world, similar to Sam.

I believe action films can only really resonate when the audience is connected to the characters; when the suspense and tension has an emotional pay off as well as a dramatic one. With “Close,” we wanted to create an authentic violent action drama. There needed to be brutality about the action — a frenetic energy that would not let up.

I wanted the audience to feel genuine concern for the central characters and for those characters to make mistakes and occasionally fail. To feel the jeopardy, and to be invested in the scenes. I love the films which evoke atmosphere and emotion, that leave you with something, even if just for a moment.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

VJ: As a director I am interested in telling the stories of strong layered female protagonists in genre films. I grew up in the ’80s and ’90s as a huge fan of action films and thrillers. Subsequently most of my heroes were men — there were very few stories about women. I was driven to make the movies I wanted to see growing up, and to bring more authentic female characters to genre film. When thinking about my next movie after “Born of War,” I was conducting research into women in the real world who have extraordinary jobs which put them in the line of fire.

I came across an article in the Telegraph called “Women in Grey.” It was all about the world of close protection from a female perspective and detailing one woman in particular, Jacquie Davis. I phoned Jacquie up and asked if she would be interested in meeting. Prior to meeting I also read her book “The Circuit” which details her life, from being a policewoman in ’80s London to being one of only a handful of women bodyguards in the UK.

Jacquie’s life story encompassed much more than safeguarding a VIP client; she has performed child rescue, and has even moved a client covertly around Europe while 25 Russian assassins were trying to hunt and kill them.

Meeting Jacquie gave me a momentary insight into the type of person who was able to live that life. Jacquie’s real struggle is in having a normal balanced life amid the bullet-dodging and rescue missions. I wanted to explore the emotional toll. When a person is constantly dealing with the dark underbelly of society — kidnapping, murder, torture, constant life-threatening events — how does it affect them? Jacquie viewed life through a totally different filter.

“La Femme Nikita,” “Thelma & Louise,” and “True Romance” were all huge influences on this film. I felt the world of Jacquie would give me the opportunity to tell the story of a strong female character, similar to these other remarkable characters who inspired ​me. Furthermore, I wanted to tell a story about sisterhood and female relationships, which is what I think we have between Sam and Zoe.

W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?

VJ: I would love to believe there is a bit of a message about female empowerment in this film. I didn’t set out to achieve this –I just wanted to bring these characters to the screen.

I want my films to give an audience a great piece of entertainment but also to resonate on a deeper level, whether that be with the atmosphere I have created or the emotional journey of the characters. I hope I have created something different for women in action and delivered on my want to create a film that ensnares audiences in its world. I want the action to feel real and involving and for audiences to care about the characters and join them on their journey.

Hopefully they will feel like they have been through an intimate action film, which connected to them on an emotional level as well as a visceral one.

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

VJ: Financing the film was one of the biggest challenges we faced. I vividly remember the phone call that changed my life: we were in prep hoping that the momentum would close the finance gap we still had, and trusting our nerves to hold out! Rupert Whitaker, my producer, came into my office and told me that the final investor had been found, and their message was, “Tell Vicky to go and make her movie and pursue her dream.” We had finally reached the point of no return, and such a sweet, sweet relief!

In terms of the biggest on set challenge, I would reference the opening sequence. The whole opening sequence set in Sudan was by far the most challenging aspect of shooting “Close.” We were beset by production issues, and a four-day schedule to shoot the​ ​sequence was reduced to one.

There is always a pressure on the opening of a film: it has to captivate your audience and get them on your side. Plus, you are setting the tone for the whole film. In this sequence we were setting up the credibility of Sam and delivering an action piece. I knew the answer was not to sacrifice the buildup and the tension. I needed to drill down to what makes a sequence like this work. For me it was the fear that builds in the car before. It is about Sam’s behavior when she is in this dire situation – that hypnotic calm and control, her inventiveness and ability to adapt and think her way out of the situation. She’s no superhero, but she wins.

We shot for 14 hours in the desert at 104 degrees, and we were able to pull it off by working together. It was difficult not just because of the amount of work that had to be done in one day, but because of the pressure I felt to make sure I delivered. There would be no second chances and this was the beginning of the film.

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

VJ: This was an independently financed movie. It came together through a package, including a very intrepid bridge financier, BCP, Barclays Bank, and our own fund, which we raised through our production company and sales company, West End Films.

West End have a specific label for female-led content called We Love, and when we first met I knew I had found a home for this film. We all shared the same vision for the movie, and they moved very quickly. They secured a raft of pre-sales in 48 hours, brought on board Piccadilly Pictures, an industry financier who provided GAP and cash-flow for the UK tax credit and pre-sales. There were a lot of pieces and it was hair raising but thankfully it all came together.

Netflix acquired the film when we were on our first week of post, and we were all delighted.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

VJ: I have made films from a young age. When I was six years old I got hold of my dad’s old video camera and it became permanently attached to me! I have always had a huge love of storytelling, and used to write comic books, short stories, novellas, and scripts.

Every summer holiday all my friends would gather together at my parents’ house and we would make a movie. We did this every year, and each year it grew in ambition. We ended up screening some of the films in cinemas in Oxford, where I grew up.

I felt very supported by that community and by my friends, including my sister, who is an actor and one of my constant sources of inspiration. My parents are not in the film industry, but they would jump in and run wardrobe for me, source props, and even get in front of the lens!

It was a very special time in my life and I think it really founded my love for making films. I find film such a brilliant method of telling a story: I am a very visual person and I love every process, from the writing to directing and the post. Each part is integral to telling your story.

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

VJ: The best advice I have had is from my folks. They instilled in me the will to never give up and to believe in yourself. They always see a solution to every problem, and believe anything is surmountable. I have had to seriously persevere to get to where I am now and to pick myself up from the floor constantly. I don’t think I would be able to do what I do without that innate self-belief which I really have to credit them for.

The worst advice I had was from a producer before I made “Close.” They told me if I made the movie I would never make another movie ever again! We were in a particularly stressful moment of the film’s development, and were losing our window to shoot with Noomi, as she had a packed schedule. I was determined we go forward and make our film with her, seizing the moment. They felt we would not be able to pull it together in time.

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

VJ: Surround yourself with good people who share your vision, but who aren’t afraid to challenge you. If you can find people you trust, who give feedback from a place of no-ego and just a shared passion in the project you are working on, then only good can come from that. I believe you have to always keep learning, so the people you have around you are integral to that process.

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

VJ: Can I have two films? Kathryn Bigelow’s “Point Break” and Lake Bell’s “In a World…”

“Point Break” was part of the action movie world I was totally absorbed in as a kid, and I loved the relationship between Johnny Utah and Bodhi, I found the action sequences totally thrilling, and I was hugely inspired that a woman directed it.

I loved “In a World…” because it so encapsulated a woman’s voice in Hollywood and I am a huge fan of Lake Bell.

W&H: It’s been a little over a year since the reckoning in Hollywood and the global film industry began. What differences have you noticed since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?

VJ: It has taken four years to get “Close” to the screen from inception to release. I sat in a few execs’ rooms when putting the finance together where I was told it would be that much harder to finance my movie because I was making a film about women with an all-female lead cast. I feel in the time it has taken to make the film, with the movement that is taking place, these conversations have not occurred it such frequency recently.

There have been some highly significant critical and commercial successful films made by women and starring women since then, which are also helping to change the narrative.

I think the old prejudices are still there but those voices would now more likely be challenged. I just hope the appetite for films which tell the stories of women continues to grow until we reach an equality. We are not there yet!