About Susanne

My name is Susanne – but please, you can call me Suus. I’m a Dutch documentary and commercial director, a graduate of the Netherlands Film Academy (2014).

Whatever project I’m working on, I go all in. I’m deeply focused on the why behind the story and the difference we can make together. I thrive on helping you shape your concept, refine your narrative, and craft films that leave a lasting positive mark wherever we go.

Aside from directing, I’m also a speaker and mentor, guiding creators to rediscover their purpose and reminding them that the world needs us to create.

Want to learn more about me, my work, and my journey? Scroll down or hit the button, and let’s meet up.

The search for belonging

The search for belonging is an important through-line in my work, and I’ve explored this theme through essayistic, cinematic films. A wandering camera. Natural light. Poetic narration. My work is real, but with a cinematic touch. With powerful narratives I talk about mayor themes that move you. And with light touches and nudges, I invite you to look at the world in another way. My film Nowhere Place (2014) received the Documentary Wildcard, awarded annually by the Dutch Film Fund to the most promising graduation film in the country. My latest film The Night that Looked Like Day was shortlisted by the Berlin Commercial Festival (2020). Currently I’m working on Where We Belong, a new documentary that made me travel the world for the past 10 years. Where We Belong was selected for IDFA Forum (2022).

In addition to my documentary work I also direct commercials. In this commercial work I try to add authenticity, sensitivity, and realism. The kind that hopefully inspires positive impact wherever we go. 

Influences

My films are only as good as the things that influence them. These influences come from all over the world, from many different disciplines. This adds to the international feeling my movies have. I try to tell stories about things bigger than myself, even though they live in me, my characters, and everyone else. My previous work has been voice-over driven, telling the story as time unfolds. I aim to create real, authentic cinematic essays. I travel with my subjects, through their world, or their head. I use voice-overs to get inside their inner thoughts and feelings. Because in life, we often don’t know which of the things that happens is relevant to ‘our’ story, and our journey. Only in hindsight these thing become crystal clear, as everything extraneous gets peeled off. That’s why I love making these movies. To guarantee the authenticity I pursue, I prefer working with real people, and tell real stories. Because I believe that the viewer recognises reality, and reacts to it.