Jeannie Sui-Wonders' Sense of Wonder

We all lose a sense of wonder as the world hardens us. But within her work, there’s this magical allure that draws you in. An undefinable quality that everyone can connect to. Channeling her inner teenage self, Wonders never strays away from visual choices that make her audiences wonder themselves — “Why does this make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside?”

Whether she is creating fashion films for some of the girlys’ favorite brands — from Sandy Liang to Anna Sui — or directing her own short films, Wonders’ work really fabricates an inviting universe of its own.

office caught up with Wonders between projects to talk her filmmaking inspiration and favorite movies.

What originally got you interested in filmmaking?

Almost every night my brothers would be watching action movies so I grew up on a lot of those. And then my siblings and I would make movies — pretty unwatchable action movies. I don’t think I realized it was something I could do as a career until I got to college and started studying filmmaking. I thought the most fun version of my life would be spent making movies, so that’s what I wanted to do.

What was the first short film you ever created and what inspired its story?

I went to Harvard and there was a tiny but strong documentary program that felt cloistered off from the rest of the school. So I started off with documentaries and going around Cambridge and Boston. I like that the camera gives you a nice shield and an excuse to enter spaces you wouldn’t normally enter. And I like how the world can unfold in beautiful, intriguing ways if you’re just present and observing. It gave me a nice starting point and taught me to ground a lot of my work in realism. And then my senior year, a visiting filmmaker, Athina Tsangari, taught a fiction filmmaking class and that sort of changed everything. She was the first person to really believe in me.

A couple of years ago, you had the incredible opportunity to direct the short film I <3 NYC under Sofia Coppola’s supervision. What was that like? Are you inspired by the very distinct aesthetic that Coppola embraces?

I remember seeing Marie Antoinette when it came out in theaters when I was young, and I think that was the first movie where I was like, 'Oh, this is art that expresses something that I feel and can relate to.' She's a big reference for me and working with her when I was her assistant on The Beguiled, she carried herself on set with a soft power that cultivated a sense of calm on set for everyone. I love that she owns her version of femininity and owns the things that she's interested in. Even if some people think those things are frivolous or soft. I think that's something that Sandy has too.

I agree with there being so much attention to detail in Sofia Coppola's work. I love her use of really major storytelling elements told through these subtle details. Do you live in New York?

Yeah, I've been in the East Village for seven years.

What inspires you creatively about the city?

Visually, I think there are more beautiful, interesting places in America that I’m drawn to. But really, it's just people here in the firmament. I get a lot of energy from my friends who do different things from me — visual artists, journalists, designers, writers. I love drawing inspiration from different worlds and not just from a monolithic source.

And I love filmmaking because it requires heuristics beyond just writing. The writing part is very much you and the page. But filmmaking requires people. I spent the majority of my life in school where you’re forced to look at the world with a reverent distance, with an academic lens. And I love that in filmmaking you’re part of the world and you need other people to do it, even if you’re constructing a fabricated reality of the world through the process of making movies.

I think the people are what make the city. And I also agree that the creative synergy that can pop up when you have people around you who are creating through so many different mediums is really beautiful. How would you describe the aesthetic that your work takes on?

I don’t know if I can. People always tell me, 'You have such a specific point of view,' but I don't know how to describe it. Some people have said it's heightened realism. With my Sandy stuff, I think we have a lot of the same references and we're both really connected to our teenage Kawaii aesthetic-loving selves.

Do you think about connecting to your inner child or teen a lot within your work?

I think so. I'm consciously connected to those years. It's a time when the world feels like it’s emerging and you're discovering things you like culturally. So I feel like I'm always excavating and trying to recapture the feeling of that time — the excitement of discovering things. I loved reading about and consuming New York’s cultural output at that age, but it all felt so far away and now it doesn't, which has a cool, predestined feeling to it.

What’s your go-to, on-the-run outfit that you would throw on if you were busy and working?

Usually a black skirt and a zip-up hoodie.

On that same day, what would be in your bag?

I like having Tulsi Tea with me. I usually have a satellite version of my makeup bag, mints, and headphones. Some of my makeup go-to’s are Anna Sui powder and this Japanese eyelash curler my friend showed me, the Relevée Lash Curler.

I have to ask — your favorite movies?

Currently: Welcome to the Dollhouse -Todd Solandz, Boy - Nagisa Oshima, Earrings Of Madame De - Max Ophuls, and Lovers on the Bridge - Leos Carax

I was originally going to ask you what movie you'd like to play yourself in. But then I thought that may be too derivative. If you could drop into a movie and swap places with a character, who would you pick and why?

Zhang Ziyi in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Imagine being able to move like her.

Do you have a dream project to work on in the future?

I made a short film set in Michigan about a girl's middle school sleepover that's coming out soon. I'm working on a feature film about a girl who leaves her nursing home job and joins this farming commune in the early 2000s. But I also love working on fashion films. It's a nice way to break up larger projects and it gives me a different perspective to see my work through.