Jenna Suru always dreamt of working in the film industry. With the titles of Executive Director of the Paris International Film Festival, film director, CEO and actress for Belle Époque Films — the production company she launched in 2015, the ESCP alumna seems to have achieved her goal in a pretty brilliant way.
We talked to her about the film industry, and chatted to learn more about her unique perspective on cinema.
Hello Jenna, first of all, can you tell us a bit about your background, and what led you to become involved in the movie industry?
I started theatre classes as a child at 8 years old, I studied acting at Cours Florent later in life for about three years, and then I moved to Los Angeles to study at the Academy. I think having the American experience of acting really enabled me to understand all the dimensions of cinema.
I became involved in this industry because I was passionate about it, but also because I was very much attracted to the business side of cinema and its technicity. When I was a student at ESCP, I did my first internship at Panavision.
I gained a great deal of knowledge there. I graduated from the Media Management and Creativity Marketing Masters and worked at international sales of Gaumont with Cécile Gaget. This allowed me to work with more than 200 film festivals in the world, which was really inspiring and helped me understand what makes the distribution of a movie successful.
How did you achieve your dream to work in the movie industry?
It’s all about how to get there and how to bridge the gap between your dream and reality. As I was still at ESCP, I wanted to learn as much as I could, because, in order to achieve your dreams, it’s really important to be as prepared as you can. To do so, I attended a lot of movie festivals, any time I could. Then I opened my production company, Belle Époque Films, when I was finishing my master’s in London.
At the time, I started the company co-producing two films, one with Robert Sheehan (Misfits, The Umbrella Academy) titled “Bigger Picture”, and a British short film financed by the Northern Ireland Screen with Elliot Cowan (Da Vinci’s Demons) and Shauna Macdonald (The Descent, Filth), “Spitball”.
These gave me the experience and confidence to go further. Over the last seven years, I have been a location manager, an event manager, a line producer, and moved up relatively quickly to direct and write films.
One of the first films I have written and directed is “The Sparkling Homes”, a documentary on the homeless children in New Delhi and the foster homes that welcome them.
It’s all about how to get there and how to bridge the gap between your dream and reality. As I was still at ESCP, I wanted to learn as much as I could, because, in order to achieve your dreams, it’s really important to be as prepared as you can. To do so, I attended a lot of movie festivals, any time I could.
You released your first full-length, L’Âge d’Or, in 2020. What was it like to direct and star in the same movie? Did you encounter any challenges while making the movie?
“L’Âge d’Or” is a romantic period feature film. It is a tribute to the world of the sixties and the changes occurring in Saint-Tropez at that time. Making the film, what was new to me was that I was the employer and the employee at the same time: I was the manager and the crew member.
It was a very stimulating experience. So far I had managed teams but diving into this challenge helped me to grow and gain some knowledge, and also offered me a deeper understanding of everyone’s role in the team.
This movie is a tribute to artists such as Françoise Sagan, Mick Jagger, and Johnny Hallyday, and a variety of incredible artistic heroes. Directing and acting in the movie made me feel closer to these heroes.
Most challenges were due to the fact that the movie is a period drama, and this means so many elements have to be under your control, from the location and set to the acting and makeup, to the soundtrack. The second challenge was being on many fronts. My ambition at the time was to direct and write my film, so I thought I might as well be very ambitious.
And luckily this worked, we secured partnerships with very amazing brands such as Gibson or Vilebrequin and were able to film in amazing spots in Paris and Saint-Tropez.
What messages do you care about transmitting through your art?
I am very sensitive to all artists and their universe, and I want to promote their work and show how they influence our world. To me, it is really important to have a space to share positive messages from artists who entertain people and make them laugh, but also have that international aura.
In that line, I just delivered a documentary for the city of Saint-Tropez: “Galabru, an actor on all fronts”, which premiered on the 16th of April and will be playing until March next year. I also want my work to empower every individual to believe in themselves, and to make a difference. Everyone can bring change.
Our world is more virtual now, it is easier to give support and to bring change — and this is something I try to convey.
I am very sensitive to all artists and their universe, and I want to promote their work and show how they influence our world. To me, it is really important to have a space to share positive messages from artists who entertain people and make them laugh, but also have that international aura.
What is your view on diversity in the movie industry?
In my mind, this is a really exciting time for the movie industry right now. My wish would be, ideally, that we reach the point where we do not have to talk about gender or minorities anymore and that movies directed by women or produced by people of color are just part of the new normal.
I guess this is still a work in progress though, and I do believe people want to hear the stories that need to be told. From a personal standpoint, I can say I make sure the people I work with are trained and able to work towards more inclusion.
We want to be inclusive to everyone. This means not only considering gender and race biases, but also those related to religion, financial capacities and education levels. It’s definitely a goal of mine to diversify voices. In “L’Âge d’Or” for example, my character, Angèle, is a pioneer of her time and is underrepresented.
How has launching the Paris International Film Festival contributed to your goal of promoting talented filmmakers and emerging voices?
Launching the Paris International Film Festival (PIFF) is a great way to gather film lovers and filmmakers who can lobby and bring change through our community.
We gain strength by working as a group, and this also allows us to bring up new ideas, which we do celebrate. I do believe in a more eco-friendly movie industry. For example, the PIFF presented in February the international premiere of “Kiss The Ground”, an environmental documentary narrated by Woody Harrelson, with interviews with Gisele Bündchen, Tom Brady and Patricia Arquette.
It was also a pleasure to present “Cream”, Nóra Lakos’s romantic comedy which was recently acquired by HBO. During my career, I also was one of the first organisers of Canneseries at the Palais des Festivals, and in particular, the “In Development Forum” co-organized with MIP Markets. It was an amazing experience to accompany and promote independent authors and producers. I think it’s exciting to free these voices.
Launching the Paris International Film Festival is a great way to gather film lovers and filmmakers who can lobby and bring change through our community. We gain strength by working as a group, and this also allows us to bring up new ideas, which we do celebrate.
What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers, actors or producers?
With modern technology, it’s easy to make a movie and to self-distribute but it’s hard to exist amidst all the content.
Filmmakers have to find their audience. In order to do so, use social media and try to get into film festivals. If you’re an aspiring filmmaker, my piece of advice would be to watch tons of movies and TV series, from all eras and all countries.
This will help you understand the market and the kind of movies you want to make. At the end of the day, you need to find your niche audience, the one you want to spend your time with. Get inspired and do a lot of research.
Post-pandemic, a lot of festivals are partly-virtual and it’s cheaper to get in, more accessible. There, you can try to network and make some friends. Gather people around you to learn from. Use social media to connect with like-minded people in the film industry. Knowledge is power. Build on that.