Jess Vandenbush’s debut film about the ultra running community reveals a story of incredible individuals, both in front of and behind the camera
Photo 2022 © Matthew Weintritt FUJIFILM X-H2S and XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, 1/500 sec at F2.8, ISO 160
Journeys are a fundamental tenet in almost every film. Characters embark on quests, stories arc from beginning to end, viewers are transported. This moviemaking staple is central to Jess Vandenbush’s The Twenty Percent, but here the theme goes deeper, spreading not only to what we see on-screen, but also what happened off it.
One of ten regional recipients in the 2021 GFX Challenge Grant Program, Jess’ film centers around Aneta ‘Nettie’ Zeppettella, a Polish-born 50-year-old from Ohio who – like Jess – runs 100-mile ultramarathons. The pair met the first time Jess ran a 100-miler, covering 40 miles together that day. She soon came to realize that not only was Nettie an incredible person, she also represented a distinct minority in the ultramarathon sphere.
“Only 20% of the people who participate in the sport are women,” Jess explains. “Representation matters. The gender gap comes down to fear and guilt: women are afraid of what happens when the going gets hard. They’re afraid of being out in the dark, of wild animals, of being attacked by men. And they feel guilty about spending time away from their family, for spending money on themselves.
Photo 2022 © Matthew Weintritt FUJIFILM X-H2S and XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, 1/500 sec at F2.8, ISO 160
Photo 2022 © Matthew Weintritt FUJIFILM X-H2S and XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, 1/320 sec at F9, ISO 160
Photo 2022 © Matthew Weintritt FUJIFILM X-H2S and XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, 1/320 sec at F9, ISO 160
“I asked Nettie about this guilt, being away from her family and daughter. But she told me, on the contrary – she ran to inspire and empower her daughter, so she knew that she could do anything she put her mind to,” Jess continues. “I wanted to use Nettie’s example to encourage more women to take part. It was a short film that changed my life and got me involved in the sport initially, so I wanted to do that for others, too.”
The short Jess refers to focused on a 100-mile race on Orcas Island, WA. Before she sat down to watch the film that day, she didn’t even know such feats of endurance existed. “Not only did I learn it was a thing, but I also saw that the people in the movie weren’t all super-elite athletes,” Jess takes up the story. “They were seemingly regular people doing incredible things, full of joy and love. Watching that, I knew what I wanted to do with my life.”
That decision proved pivotal. Opening herself to that community and the people within it saw Jess set out on her own journey of self-discovery. “I am somebody who always tries to do everything myself,” she says. ‘That’s not because I think I am smarter, it’s because I don’t want to put anybody out. I’ve been made to be resourceful in my life. And part of my toughness is because I’ve gotten myself through a lot of things, doing a lot of things on my own. But this project was so big, it forced me to ask for help, to depend on others. And it was beautiful. It has been transformational, and humbling. I am not the same person I was when I started.”
Photo 2022 © Matthew Weintritt FUJIFILM X-H2S and XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, 1/500 sec at F2.8, ISO 400
Running a 100-mile race is not simply a test of physical strength, but of mental fortitude – being able to keep moving when every muscle, fiber and sinew is pleading for you to stop. Evidently, Jess has learned to meet and overcome those challenges, and it’s an attitude that served her well when applying for the GFX Challenge Grant Program.
“I have no formal education in filmmaking or photography. But I do love Fujifilm and use a Fujifilm camera, so when I saw this opportunity come through, I thought ‘Why not apply?’,” says Jess. “I got to talk to the Fujifilm team about my idea and motivation, explaining that I wasn’t just telling a story, I was trying to influence culture.
“This was the first film I ever made in my life,” Jess smiles. “I had no idea how difficult an endeavor I was taking on. Because I had no exposure to the filmmaking process, I was expecting to do the entire thing. I was asked to have a team on our first call, but didn’t even know what DOP meant! The Fujifilm team was incredible, not only from an equipment perspective, but also logistics. They believed in me and the idea. I don’t have the vocabulary to express what it feels to have somebody believe in you. Like, it’s a lot…”
Photo 2022 © Matthew Weintritt FUJIFILM X-H2S and XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, 1/500 sec at F2.8, ISO 400
Photo 2022 © Matthew Weintritt FUJIFILM X-H2S and XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, 1/250 sec at F4, ISO 160
Photo 2022 © Matthew Weintritt FUJIFILM X-H2S and XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, 1/250 sec at F4, ISO 160
The learning curve was steep before filming began, and got even steeper when the race started. Jess and her newly formed team of Sarah Snyder (producer), Levi Watson (assistant director), Nick Danielson (cinematographer) and Chad Sullivan (writer) started shooting at 4am on a Saturday morning – and didn’t stop until 10am the following day. “We filmed that entire time, including large sections of the course, where I ran several miles with the camera equipment and filmed Nettie,” Jess explains. “Not only did we work through night and day, but hot and cold environments, as well as dealing with extreme fatigue and never really knowing what would happen. The only thing we really knew was that Nettie was going to be running. We had no idea how fast, whether she was going to get sick, or hurt – all the things that might happen to someone running 100 miles.
“I don’t think they made the GFX System to run miles with,” Jess jokes. “We couldn’t add weight to have a full cage, microphone and everything that helps stabilize the setup. That made it too heavy. But the size of the sensor meant footage was so crisp, and helped us tell a great story. Some of the scenes, especially those we shot in the evening, were incredible.”
Jess will be forever grateful for the teams that helped her make the film a reality, but keeps a special place in her heart for Nettie. “She believed in this story, so she gave us full access to her home and family, letting us interfere with her 100-mile race,” explains Jess.
Photo 2022 © Matthew Weintritt FUJIFILM X-H2S and XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, 1/50 sec at F2.8, ISO 800
“It’s hard enough doing these races alone, but imagine running 100 miles with a film crew of four people following you around. We shot everything: her barfing into her hat, changing her clothes in the bushes. And there was another four-person team from Fujifilm following us! So there’s eight people with her the whole time,” she goes on. “She was so willing, patient, and graceful. That was overwhelming.”
When we spoke, Jess was still putting final edits to The Twenty Percent, but she’s clear that while this journey is ending, it will prove the start of numerous others. “I want to tell more stories. I love film, and love watching it with other people. That’s why it’s important to me not to just put it on YouTube. I want an event, a gathering of people to watch it,” she says.
It’s fitting, then, that Jess hopes to show the film at the very same festival where she saw the Orcas Island short – and was compelled to start creating stories of her own. “There’s so many full-circle things happening all at the same time,” she smiles. “I don’t think anybody could write this. It’s so cool.”
Photo 2022 © Matthew Weintritt FUJIFILM X-H2S and XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, 1/50 sec at F2.8, ISO 800
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