We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jana Tombu a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jana, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I’d say it was quite a journey. With ups and downs, thought-out plans and crazy spontaneous adventures, and a whole bunch of completely different experiences from working on set as an actress and directing short films in the middle of the woods to interning for UNESCO and speaking at international academic conferences. I always knew that I want to do acting, which I have been doing since high school. But I’ve also always been fascinated by other forms of storytelling and communication: writing, filming, creating text and visual content for cultural and artistic organizations, political journals, and international relations blogs.
One thing I always knew about acting, film-making, and any other form of arts, is that it is the most beautiful thing that has ever been created by humanity, and that it has an extraordinary power to make a positive change by provoking us to think, feel, and consider, inspiring us, and just making us humans. Arts, especially theater and cinema, have this unique ability to tell anyone’s story in such a way that it resonates and evokes emotions.
Which means that in our era of so many acute social and political problems, and so many significant global issues that we as a society need to address, it’s hard to find a more powerful tool to inspire collective responsibility for such things as promoting peace, education opportunities, international collaboration, protection of cultural heritage, and equal respect towards each other’s values, than films and theater plays where actors, writers, and directors join their efforts to bring a story that can inspire a positive change to life.
That’s what has become my main purpose.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am an actress, screenwriter, and film-maker. I started acting in theater and short films in my late teens, and have been doing it throughout my entire adult life. My most recent credits include an independent Estonian film “Apartment”, which is a comedy about a young woman coming for a trip to a small European town looking for adventures, but instead, keeping finding one trouble after another, and ending up in funny situations that most of us can easily relate to. I also took part in web-series about modern vampires clans, and got a chance to be a part of TV series dedicated to the sinking of the ferry MS Estonia in 1994. During the pandemic, when we all suddenly had to deal with too much of free time, I started writing screenplays, made my first attempts to direct short films, and enrolled into a master’s program in cross-cultural communication. Back then it was just an attempt to do something to keep growing and developing while life seemed to be put on hold, but in the end of the day, these things have defined my professional journey.
While pursuing my master’s degree, I was also getting more and more experience in screenwriting, directing, location scouting, set design, shooting schedule organization, and post-production, including video editing, color correction, basics of working with sound, and film marketing campaigns. I also started writing for a political blog where young professionals from all over the world share their insights on the most acute global issues. And finally, I went interning for UNESCO’s department of communication and public engagement, where I’ve had a chance to learn from truly extraordinary people that dedicated their careers to making our society better and protecting peace, human rights, and cultural heritage in every way they can.
That inspired me to combine all the experiences I’ve ever had in making films that would not only entertain but raise awareness and bring public attention to the global issues that require a change that can only happen if we take collective actions. The project that I’ve started writing a script for during the lockdown, shot a proof-of-concept short film last year, and work on production of a feature version now, The Quarantine, is focused on psychological journey of people going through hell and yet finding the strengths to keep their humanity in any circumstances. I also wrote a script, found a group of fellow actors and film-makers, and currently work on pre-production stages for the short film called “Once Upon in Paris”, which tells a story of two people who came to Paris running away from their past and found the courage to carry on and go back to normal life.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
For me personally, the top three useful experiences that helped me to acquire all the skills I need for professional development were acting training, filming my own projects, and completing my degree in communication. I believe that all the three are very closely inter-related, as acting is a part of film-making, and film-making is a form of communication. This combination enables me to turn all the aspirations that I have ever had into action, and attempt to make at least a little positive difference by communicating the values directed on promotion of peace, preservation of culture, and international collaboration on global challenges through films and theater. My advice to those who are starting out would be very simple: take each and every kind of opportunity to learn, improve, and expand your skills, try to find a group of peers pursuing the same field to do your first projects with, and don’t be afraid of challenges – there will be many, but it is exactly the challenges that create the best artists.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. That’s certainly the book that I would recommend reading to everyone. This story is literally about everything: life and death, love and hatred, hope and despair, beauty and ugliness of the world, and just what’s it like to be a human. I felt that it is not possible to read it and not be deeply affected. And it cannot fail to inspire you to write, create, and share stories.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jana_tombu/
