Natalia Leite

Last updated
Natalia Leite
Natalia-Leite-SXSW.jpg
Natalia Leite at SXSW
Born (1985-10-14) October 14, 1985 (age 38)
Sao Paulo, Brazil
NationalityBrazilian
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2007–present

Natalia Leite (born October 14, 1985) is a Brazilian writer and director. She is best known for directing the indie hit film M.F.A., a feminist rape-revenge thriller that spurred debates at the start of the #MeToo movement. Subsequently, she went on to direct episodes of The Handmaid's Tale. Her work has been described as having “a bracing, assertive style” (Variety [1] ), "emotional intelligence" (Los Angeles Times [2] ), and as “cementing the reign over highly stylized, sexually progressive dramas” (Slant [3] ). Leite is known to incorporate her documentary subjects into her scripted films. [4]

Contents

Early life

Leite was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. She later studied at the San Francisco Art Institute.

Leite began her career showcasing drawings, photography, and performance art films in galleries. [5] In 2006, she moved to New York City where she started writing, directing, acting and producing her own micro-budget short films. [6] From these early works she was able to raise financing for her first feature film. [7]

Career

Leite has directed feature films, television, and documentaries. In her unscripted show for Vice Media, [8] Every Woman , she lived and worked as a stripper in a truck-stop in New Mexico, which she discovered while location scouting for Bare . [9] She went on to create a pilot for a Vice TV series with a similar concept in which she would immerse herself in different female-centric worlds as a form of first-person investigative journalism.

Her directorial debut, Bare , stars Dianna Agron, Paz de la Huerta, Chris Zylka, and Louisa Krause. Bare premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2015 to positive reviews [10] and was bought shortly after by IFC for domestic theatrical distribution. [7] Upon its premiere, Film Journal wrote "An award-winning director, Leite's portrait of Sarah's quest for identity is riveting for its storytelling and its direction. [11] " The Los Angeles Times wrote "Director Natalia Leite brings an emotional intelligence and sensitivity to Bare. [4] "

Leite's second feature film M.F.A. is a psychological thriller centered around rape crimes in a university and one art student who seeks revenge. The film premiered at SXSW in March 2017 to positive reviews [12] and was nominated for a Grand Jury Award and a Game Changer Award. It stars Francesca Eastwood, Clifton Collins Jr., and Peter Vack. The film has been described as a "David Fincher-style thriller," [13] "bravely tackling the dark side of empowerment," [14] and as "an angry as hell piece of pulpy and politicized pop cinema." [15]

Frequently collaborating with Kyp Malone, Leite starred and co-directed the music video "Million Miles" for TV On The Radio. [16] Malone then went on to create the original score for the feature film Bare. [11] Leite also co-created and starred in the comedy web-series Be Here Nowish. [17]

Personal life

Leite is bisexual, [18] [19] and often deals with sexuality in her works.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerNotes
2015 Bare YesYesYes
2017 M.F.A. YesNoNo
2019Kiki and the Mxfits (short)YesYesNo

Web

YearTitleRoleNotes
2014–2016Be Here NowishNinaAlso director, writer and producer

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paz de la Huerta</span> American actress (born 1984)

María de la Paz Elizabeth Sofía Adriana de la Huerta y Bruce, known professionally as Paz de la Huerta, is an American actress. She had roles in the films The Cider House Rules (1999) and A Walk to Remember (2002), and played Lucy Danziger in the HBO drama series Boardwalk Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoe Lister-Jones</span> American actress and screenwriter

Zoe Lister-Jones is an American actress and filmmaker who co-starred as Jen Collins Short in the CBS sitcom Life in Pieces from 2015 to 2019. She is also known for her roles in the television shows Delocated (2009–2010), Whitney (2011–2013), and New Girl (2015). Lister-Jones made her directorial debut with the 2017 comedy-drama film Band Aid. In 2020, she wrote and directed the horror film The Craft: Legacy. During the Covid-19 pandemic she co-wrote and co-directed the comedy-drama film How It Ends (2021) with Daryl Wein. In 2023 she produced, wrote, directed, and starred in the comedy series Slip for The Roku Channel, with Dakota Johnson as executive producer under her TeaTime Pictures banner. On December 5, 2023, it was announced that Slip was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dianna Agron</span> American actress and singer (born 1986)

Dianna Elise Agron is an American actress and singer. After dancing and starring in small musical theater productions in her youth, Agron made her screen debut in 2006, and in 2007, she played recurring character Debbie Marshall on Heroes and had her first leading role. In 2009, she took the role of the antagonistic but sympathetic head cheerleader Quinn Fabray on the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. For her role in the series, she won a SAG Award and, as part of the cast, was nominated for the Brit Award for Best International Breakthrough Act, among other accolades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Saylor</span> American actress

Morgan Frances Saylor is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Dana Brody in the Showtime series Homeland, 2019's Blow the Man Down and for her critically acclaimed portrayal of Leah in the 2016 Sundance film White Girl. Along with the rest of the cast of Homeland, Saylor was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2013 and 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daryl Wein</span> American artist, filmmaker, producer and actor

Daryl Robert Wein is an American artist, filmmaker, producer and actor.

<i>T.K.O.</i> (film) 2007 American film

T.K.O. is a 2007 American action thriller film directed by Declan Mulvey and starring Dianna Agron, Samantha Alarcon, Daz Crawford, Paul Green, Heidi Marie Wanser and Christian Boeving.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mateo Frazier</span> American Writer, Director, Producer

Mateo Frazier is an American writer, director, producer. He is best known for co-writing and directing the 2013 Lionsgate film Blaze You Out and producing the 2014 Sundance film Drunktown's Finest.

<i>Tumbledown</i> (2015 film) 2015 American film

Tumbledown is a 2015 American romantic comedy film directed by Sean Mewshaw, written by Desiree Van Til, and starring Rebecca Hall, Jason Sudeikis, Dianna Agron and Joe Manganiello. It was released on February 5, 2016 by Starz Digital.

<i>The Crash</i> (2017 film) 2017 American film

The Crash is an American thriller film, written and directed by Aram Rappaport and produced by Aaron Becker, Isaac La Mell, Kristi Gescheidler, Atit Shah, Hilary Shor, and Peter Shuldiner. The film stars Minnie Driver, Frank Grillo, Dianna Agron, AnnaSophia Robb, Maggie Q, Mary McCormack, Ed Westwick, Christopher McDonald, and John Leguizamo.

<i>Zipper</i> (film) 2015 American film

Zipper is a 2015 American political thriller film written and directed by Mora Stephens and starring Patrick Wilson, Lena Headey, Dianna Agron, Richard Dreyfuss, Ray Winstone, and Penelope Mitchell. The film had its world premiere on January 27, 2015 at the Sundance Film Festival. The film was released on August 28, 2015, in a limited release in the United States and through video on demand by Alchemy. The film follows a federal prosecutor running for office who cannot stop himself from sleeping with high-class escorts, putting both his career and his personal life at risk.

<i>Bare</i> (film) 2015 film by Natalia Leite

Bare is a 2015 American drama film written and directed by Natalia Leite and produced by Alexandra Roxo, Natalia Leite, and Chad Burris. It stars Dianna Agron, Paz de la Huerta, Chris Zylka, and Louisa Krause. The film follows a young woman living in a small desert town in Nevada, who becomes romantically involved with a female drifter who leads her into a life of drugs, stripping, and psychedelic spiritual experiences. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 19, 2015. IFC Films released it on October 30, 2015, in a limited release and through video on demand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giona Ostinelli</span> Swiss–Italian composer

Giona Ostinelli is a Swiss–Italian composer who resides and works in Los Angeles.

Janicza Michelle Bravo Ford is an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Her films include Gregory Go Boom, a winner of the short-film jury award at the Sundance Film Festival; Lemon, co-written with Brett Gelman; and Zola, co-written with playwright Jeremy O. Harris.

<i>M.F.A.</i> (film) 2017 American film

M.F.A. is a 2017 American thriller film directed by Natalia Leite and written by Leah McKendrick. The film stars Francesca Eastwood, Clifton Collins Jr., Leah McKendrick, Peter Vack, David Huynh, Marlon Young, David Sullivan, Michael Welch and Mike Manning. The film was released on October 13, 2017, by Dark Sky Films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloë Levine</span> American actress and filmmaker

Chloë Levine is an American actress and filmmaker. Levine has appeared in as well as directed numerous films, both short and feature-length. Her most notable appearances include Innocence (2013), The Transfiguration (2016), The Defenders (2017), The Ranger (2018), Antarctica (2020), and on television in The OA (2016–2019), and Trinkets in 2020.

<i>Against the Clock</i> 2019 American film

Against the Clock is a 2019 American thriller film directed by Mark Polish and starring Polish, Dianna Agron, Justin Bartha and Andy Garcia.

<i>As They Made Us</i> 2022 American film by Mayim Bialik

As They Made Us is a 2022 American drama film written, directed and produced by Mayim Bialik, in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Dianna Agron, Simon Helberg, Candice Bergen, Dustin Hoffman, Julian Gant, Charlie Weber and Justin Chu Cary. The plot follows Abigail (Agron) and the last moments that she and her family spend with her dying father (Hoffman). It was released in theaters and on video on demand by Quiver Distribution on April 8, 2022. It received positive reviews from critics.

<i>Acidman</i> (film) 2022 film by Alex Lehmann

Acidman is a 2022 American science fiction drama film directed by Alex Lehmann and written by Lehmann and Chris Dowling. It stars Thomas Haden Church and Dianna Agron.

<i>Clock</i> (film) 2023 film by Alexis Jacknow

Clock is a 2023 American science fiction horror film written and directed by Alexis Jacknow in her feature-length debut, based on her 2020 short film of the same name. The film stars Dianna Agron. It was released on Hulu in the United States on April 28, 2023, and on Disney+ internationally.

References

  1. ↑ Barker, Andrew (2017-03-21). "SXSW Film Review: 'M.F.A.'". Variety. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  2. ↑ https://www.latimes.com/people/katie-walsh (2015-10-29). "Review: 'Bare' covers its stripper tale with a feminine sensibility". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-07-02.{{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
  3. ↑ Osenlund, R. Kurt (24 October 2015). "Review: Bare". Slant Magazine . Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  4. 1 2 Leite, Natalia (2019-06-14). "Breaking and Entering, Part Two: A Map To Finding Feature Funding". MovieMaker Magazine. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  5. ↑ "Natalia Leite". Queer Art Mentorship. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  6. ↑ Purdy, Charles. "INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKER NATALIA LEITE". Create Adobe. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  7. 1 2 Leite, Natalia (2019-01-31). "Breaking and Entering, Part One: How To Shoot Down Self-Doubt and Pay the Rent While Making It In the Film Industry". MovieMaker Magazine. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  8. ↑ "Natalia Leite". Vice. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  9. ↑ Salovaara, Sarah (31 January 2014). "Natalia Leite and Alexandra Roxo on VICE's Every Woman". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  10. ↑ O'Brien, Sara (15 March 2017). "'M.F.A.' thriller takes on campus rape". CNN. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  11. 1 2 Garcia, Marcia. "Assessing Gender Balance at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival". Film Journal. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  12. ↑ M.F.A. - Movie Reviews , retrieved 2020-09-05
  13. ↑ "'M.F.A.': The David Fincher-Style Rape-Revenge Thriller That Rocked SXSW". No Film School. 2017-04-10. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  14. ↑ "South by Southwest Film Wrap Up". ComingSoon.net. 2017-03-28. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  15. ↑ "M.F.A. (For Film's Sake)". FilmInk. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  16. ↑ Coulehan, Erin (2013-08-27). "TV on the Radio, 'Million Miles'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  17. ↑ Brinton, Jessica. "is this the new age?". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on April 3, 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  18. ↑ Piccoli, Dana (7 May 2015). "Natalia Leite on "Bare" and working with Dianna Agron". AfterEllen. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  19. ↑ Brüner, Anna. "A Conversation with Natalia Leite". Hooligan Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.