From left: Bonnie Hellman Brown who stars as an American tourist in “Susana,” Geraldo Coello Escalante and Amadine Thomas, co-producers of the film. “Susana” premiered at Sundance on Jan. 22.
Amadine Thomas walked into the library auditorium at Park City, Utah where her short film “Susana” was premiering the first day at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 22.
“It was very exciting, surreal to see the space taken over by friends, the press.” She says 15 of the film crew of 25 were able to attend the festival as well.
Thomas says she and her creative collaborator of “Susana,” Gerardo Coello Escalante, had a film, “Viaje de
Geraldo Coello Escalante and Amadine Thomas enjoying a moment during a break while making “Susana.”
As a result of attending Sundance last year, Thomas says they know a number of people who are attending the festival this year. “There is a good platform here for filmmaking and supportive relationships. They are faces we have worked with and love; it definitely feels like a reunion. It’s a special feeling.”
Thomas, who grew up in the Arlington-McLean area, is now 31-years-old and a full time filmmaker splitting her time between Mexico City where Escalante grew up and New York City. Thomas co-wrote, co-produced and co-directed and edited “Susana” with Escalante. “Susana” takes place in Mexico City where an older solo female traveler is trying to find herself and encounters a number of new and exciting experiences. “It touches on the impact of foreign tourism and what it does to the local population in a place experiencing rapid changes due to the explosion of people.”
While she was growing up, Thomas acted in plays in McLean but there was never a time when she didn’t want to be in the film industry. “It was always my reference point.” Thomas graduated from McLean High School at 16 and headed to New York University for acting. “I didn’t go to school for film so I really learned by working on sets.”
“Susana” was shot in December 2023 in a number of locations around Mexico City, edited for a few months with post-production in July. “It took a year to get it done.” She says because it takes so long to produce a film from start to finish that they are always working on several films at the same time in different stages. “It’s a lot of work.”
Coming up next Thomas says she and Escalante are working on a documentary short which will be released soon about her grandmother getting into a romance online. “The romance turned out alright.”
Thomas says it was great to see their film in a different venue. “We didn’t produce “Susana” with the idea of going to Sundance. It was a surprise. We were over the moon.”