Jenna a. bush
JENNA A. BUSH | Documentary Editor & Filmmaker
Bio
Jenna A. Bush is a documentary editor and award-winning filmmaker in NJ with experience in shorts, features, docu-series, and web series. Her first feature MALLORY (writer/editor) was picked up by Gravitas Ventures and is currently available on a multitude of streaming platforms. She is currently working on her second feature FENCING FOR THE EDGE which is in post-production and on the edit team for the feature PATRICE. Jenna's short films have played in a variety of festivals and have received a handful of accolades over the years, including most recently a Best Editing award for HELLO TO JULIA. She specializes in films related to disability.
Jenna describes her editing approach as intuitive storytelling with emotional intent. She credits her neurodivergence for her ability to recognize patterns and connections in raw footage and weave them together in a way that feels effortless. Her experience with disability, enhanced empathy, and deep understanding of psychology provides a multifaceted perspective that is evident throughout her work. Jenna's attention to detail and heightened sensitivity to rhythm informs each and every cut made in the editing room. Her experience with chronic illness has also played an immense role in heightening each of these awarenesses.
In my own words . . .
I consider myself an inherent Translator. Being neuro-divergent means I experience life in a language different from those around me. Intrinsically, in order to understand others and subsequently be understood myself, I had to become an interpreter. This ability has become my master key in understanding the experiences of others and translating them into comprehensible, relatable, and compelling stories that truly connect with audiences.
Why I love film
Films inspire within us a sense of connection and a feeling of possibility. They play a vital roll in shaping the way we relate to the world, each other, and our own internal selves.
As a young child my most profound experiences of emotional connection came from watching films. The magical combinations of stories and music would bring me to tears. As a teenager, films informed me that despite how I felt, I was not entirely alone in how I saw the world. I didn't know it at the time, but my brain was indeed different from my peers. Seeing glimpses of my emotional experiences represented on the big screen turned out to be a lifeline that kept me connected to the world.
As an adult, creating films enables me to share how I process the world- through story. It is how I internally organize the constant influx of excess information in my brain. Filmmaking connects me to the world. It provides me with an opportunity to explore alternate perspectives. It is a medium through which I can express the otherwise inexpressible and be felt by others. It unites viewers on a deep emotional level bringing human connection to new heights. For as long as we humans have lived, stories have been our primal means of teaching, sharing, and joining together in this sentient experience.
Why I love documentary films
Being a Translator, there is nothing more rewarding to me than amplifying the voices of others.
Documentaries provide a sense of understanding and a deepening of empathy that one can usually only get by going through something first hand. Some of the best documentaries do not tell us how to think. Instead they challenge us to delve into our own inner depths to search for truth. Sometimes asking a question is more valuable than having an answer. This is why I do what I do: to challenge beliefs, foster new perspectives, and awaken compassion all the while challenging my own capacity for understanding.
- Jenna
Jenna is also a writer, artist, animal lover, and avid Taiji student. She enjoys horseback riding and spending time outdoors.
