ANGLE ON: Suzanne Wasserman
By Adriana Davis

Filmmakers and historians have a lot in common. Both are storytellers and dedicated to preserving the world around us. Meet Suzanne Wasserman, a Public Historian who has just completed her first film, a fifty-minute documentary entitled “Thunder in Guyana” which tells the story of Janet Rosenberg Jagan who, at 77 years old, became the first, and only, female president of Guyana and Suzanne’s cousin. “It’s like giving birth. After six years I can’t believe I’m done,” Suzanne remarked. “It’s funny how it becomes a part of you. On the day the film was completed I was in a cab, film in hand and the cab driver said ‘Why so glum?’ I realized that I was experiencing a kind of post-partum depression about sending my film off into the world.”

Originally hailing from Chicago, Suzanne holds a PhD in American social history and is considered an expert on the New York’s Lower East Side. She has lectured and published widely on varied topics including: the Depression, women’s issues, Jewish nostalgia and 19th century saloons. Her writing has appeared in the Encyclopedia of New York City, New York Family Magazine, Seaport Magazine and the Journal of American Culture. Currently, she is the Associate Director of the Gotham Center for NYC History an organization started in March of 2000 by Pulitzer Prize winning historian and author Mike Wallace, who was featured in the Ric Burns’ “New York” documentary for PBS. The Gotham Center and its web site are a unique, and free, resource for documentarians and scriptwriters interested in NYC history. “It’s our mission to be accessible and answer questions. We receive calls from people scouting locations or needing historical information and connect them with others so in that way we help promote filmmaking about and in New York.”

Recently, Suzanne has added film consultant to her list of achievements when Imagine Entertainment hired her to help accurately portray 1930’s, depression-era New York City in their new film, “Cinderella Man” starring Russell Crowe. She has been working directly with Oscar winners Ron Howard and the screenwriter Akiva Goldsman.

Suzanne began work on “Thunder in Guyana” in 1997, but was always inspired by her mother’s tales about Janet’s life before and after she immigrated to South America. “From the stories I heard I gained a deeper understanding of this atypical, Jewish-American girl who took flying lessons and was a world class swimmer. Making this film was my chance to offer those stories to others while expressing my passion for Janet’s dedication to the people of Guyana.”

Remarkably, Janet is the first American-born woman to have ever been elected President of any country. Her story begins in 1943, when she marries Dr. Cheddi Jagan, a politically active Guyana native she met while studying in Chicago. The couple returned to Cheddi’s homeland and after witnessing the appalling social and economic conditions formed the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). In 1953, Cheddi became the country’s first democratically elected Prime Minister. “Through their efforts, they helped this tiny, racially-divided country, with numerous problems, go from British colonial rule to independence. Three things defined Janet: the PPP, humanitarianism and the fight for independence. I always admired that kind of commitment and connected with her values.”

Suzanne became determined that if anyone was going to tell Janet’s story it was going to be her, but it didn’t happen easily. She had never made a film before and she still had to get Janet’s consent. “When I came back from my first trip to Guyana I had 25 hours of footage and didn’t know what to do next.” Suzanne quickly turned her attention to writing a treatment, raising money and cutting a demo reel. Her efforts paid off. She received grants from NYSCA, The Soros Fund, the Director John Sayles and others. In fact, out of the 200 letters and queries she wrote, she secured 10 grants. “I opted to go for lots of smaller grants instead of one big one. Of the total time it took to make this film, I spent about 65% of my time fundraising.”

Not only is this a film about a woman, but also Suzanne believes it is a film that could only have been made by a woman. “Janet’s story is the story of a woman in a man’s world.”Suzanne continued, “History had already miscast her as ‘the little woman behind the man’. Some sort of Lady Macbeth or Hillary Clinton, but in my film you see Janet as a strong, independent woman, misunderstood by most.” Women’s issues have played a big role in Suzanne’s career. She has worked for NYU’s Program in Women’s History and has been a visiting scholar to the Institute for Research on Women at Rutgers University.

Though Suzanne made the film for herself to satisfy her love of storytelling, she is also happy her 14-year old son watched her go through the process. “Freud said, ‘Love and work are the two most important things to have in your life.’ I have strived for that balance in every challenge I’ve set for myself as a mother, a wife, an advocate, an historian, and now a filmmaker.”

With her film completed, Suzanne wants to give back to the people who helped her make “Thunder in Guyana” a reality. She calls the independent film community “a special place filled with giving and caring people” and plans to use her CineWomen NY membership to help others get their films completed. “CWNY is an organization that encourages community and networking between women. That helps us all take risks with our work.”

When asked her advice for other first time filmmakers, Suzanne stressed, “Get involved! As women, we bring more guardianship to the subjects we cover and that is an asset in storytelling. Talk to your neighbors, walk the streets, observe, be curious and take lots of notes.” She further challenged, “Go and interview someone about their life. Everyone has a story to tell. Film it and see what you find out!”