Latest posts from National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

Four walls and an abusive owner stand between a tiny robot and its quest for adventure.

Creative team

Writer/director/producer: Becca Johanson

Filmmaker’s statement

Making a film about a vacuum cleaner was not really on my to-do list as a director. But I like a good challenge, as well as a good laugh.

Compared to a traditional film with human actors, working with a robot presented some unique challenges and allowed for a different, and often hilarious, dynamic on set (remote control or not, giving direction to a household appliance is more difficult than you would imagine).

A Perfect Vacuum is a film about getting out even when you have nowhere to go and following your dreams no matter how big they seem. It also serves as an origin story for our ‘Littlest Robo’ – where will Roomba head off to next? Who will it befriend?

I can just imagine it now, whirring off into the sunset, cleaning for the greater good …

About Becca Johanson

Becca is a director and title designer who currently lives in delightfully rainy Vancouver. She is originally from rural Alberta and is a graduate of the Simon Fraser University film program.

As a director, Becca has several short films under her belt, including her recent works Necromance and Love TM; both of which have played in festivals across Canada as well as internationally, the latter film earning her a Leo nomination for best student production.

She specializes in comedy and science fiction, often touching on romance and fantasy.