Interview: Gerardo Coello Escalante & Amandine Thomas – SUSANA (2025 Sundance Short)

Of all the major film festivals, it’s perhaps the Sundance folks who have built the deepest ties with the filmmaker community and much of this stems from the alumni relationships formed from having programmed a short and sometimes, as is the case here, the exclusive club sends you a second invite. After showcasing their short Viaje de Negocios at the fest last year, Thumper Films’ Gerardo Coello Escalante and Amandine Thomas return with SUSANA – a fish out of water portrait about an American tourist breaking out of her shell attempting to feel less isolated and make a connection but never truly grasping her surroundings (the rich tapestry of Mexico City and the people who reside there) beyond what it says in the guidebook. I had the opportunity to sit down with the filmmakers while in Park City to discuss the blueprint of this narrative, how their editing and framing add to the ironic humor found in the short and what is on tap for the future.