Susana Metzger is a well known Film Festival Director & Media Producer for over a decade. She is the founder of the Portuguese Surf Film Festival, at Ericeira – Europe´s first world surfing reserve – and a co-founder of What If ?- Women in Film Festival in Zürich, Switzerland. She is also an Executive Director of ‘Mind Act’, specializing in telling stories and providing the right solutions for film making and branding .
WahWoman team got a chance to speak to her and listened to her perspective on film festivals and their impact on women Worldwide.
Rajni Vohra: What was the moment that sparked your passion for films? Do you remember that? Susana Metzger: Growing up, going to the movies was always an important part of our family outings. My passion for storytelling was sparked by that first film that triggered my imagination and that was “Dead Poets Society ”, on how curiosity and daring to break the conservative norms can lead you to new and important discoveries.
Rajni Vohra: Movies are considered to influence political discourse and public opinion on important issues. How have surf movies impacted society’s perception of gender roles and equality?
Susana Metzger: I am a strong believer that films are a form of activism. And documentaries are often a window to societal issues in parts of the world we know very little of. In the film niches I have been blessed to work with though the festivals I curate, I often see portrayed topics of gender. With surf films, in places like Palestine, or Bangladesh for instance, we feel for those little girls who want to pursue their passion for sports and surfing in particular, but are chained up by their communities who hold high expectations of them marrying way too young and leaving their dreams behind. These are important calls for all of us to take action and help out. The filmmakers are often courageous and key to bringing light to these problems.
Rajni Vohra: Why have decided to focus on surf movies instead of mainstream commercial cinema?
Susana Metzger: I grew up in Ericeira, Portugal. And since the early eighties, we were all influenced by the growth of surfing in this region. When in 2011 Ericeira became a World Surfing Reserve (the only one in Europe until 2022), it was clear that we needed an event bringing the best international surf cinema from all around the world. This was, and is, an industry on the rise and it all made sense. We started the Portuguese Surf Film Festival in 2012, running now for 12 consecutive years. At the very beginning, an award in Britain for best short surf film, provided me with the right tools and platform, to carry on with my vision.
Rajni Vohra: You have also been the founder of the ‘What if ‘women’s film festival in Zurich as well. What made you exclusively concentrate and design the festival for women only?
Susana Metzger: I moved to Switzerland for a few years and I was confronted with a disparity I was not expecting, with regards to gender inequality at work. Although this is, unfortunately, a reality all over the world, a country like Switzerland which is a champion in innovation and prosperity, was for me at the time, an unlikely suspect. Nevertheless, it has been amazing to witness how women have come together in Switzerland to join forces, through their historical strikes and organizations such as WeCoCo, Lean In Switzerland, Advance, just to name a few. In my head, I started building that project of activism through film, which is core to my belief system. And that´s how the concept of “documentaries made by women about women” came about. Together with a dear friend and also an expat in Switzerland, Charlotte Gantenbein, we put together “What If? Women in Film Festival” in 4 months. Not only is it important to us to shine light through important issues that women face around the world, but also to bring on to the international stage seemingly unknown work of new filmmakers and their expressions of art, poetry, social concerns and overall let their voices be heard.
Rajni Vohra: Your biggest learning from Life
Susana Metzger: Everything can be done, with the right ingredients: a bit of salt and courage, pepper and determination, and then sprinkle it all up with loads of hope, love for your craft, and happiness. And just like that, your work leaves a legacy.
Rajni Vohra: Thank you for this conversation.