Thiago Leoni

I’ve always loved writing. At my small Brazilian high school, I was always the one to stand before my classroom to read my essays, stories that I would write at home. I don’t know, I think a part of me always wanted to put things out and to entertain others, I guess. But, at the same time, writing also felt like an escape from all the mandatory, archaic subjects that one must study for in a Brazilian schedule. Filmmaking came years after that. Years after writing songs to myself and my guitar. Although my family was very film literate and would watch a lot of movies together, it was only when I started practicing lines and going to sets with my aunt for her acting roles that I started to look behind the curtain. In Brazil, a career in film is not only uncommon but also easily misinterpreted, so I would be lying if I said I was picturing myself as a successful Hollywood director back then. Nonetheless, I would be always editing. Making clips of trips I took with my friends, my family and learned first-hand that editing is one of the best school’s a filmmaker can have. I got accepted to UCLA and left Rio when I was 17 to live by myself.  In LA, although pursuing a degree in Economics, I dove headfirst into sets, theater classes, script seminars, everything I could possible could to become a more rounded and mature filmmaker. I wanted to get good at every little element so that I could be a better collaborator and express my ideas in the clearest way possible. I worked on a few projects for classes but then the pandemic hit, and I went back to Rio to stay with my family. In between all the chaos, I felt the need to put something out of me, just as if I was back in my small classroom, standing in front of everyone. I decided to make my first short film, all by myself, as a way for me to master all the elements that go inside it. That film opened an ocean of possibilities. From gigs, awards, partnerships, it was the assurance that I had chosen the right path and the confidence that I wouldn’t be misunderstood. Coming back to LA, I found work in movie sets, commercials, music videos, internships in production companies, all of this while working on my own short films. Now, I’m currently working in the Development Team of a production studio, heading into my 4th short film shoot, and writing my first feature length script.