Natalia Leite

Natalia Leite (born October 15, 1984) is a Brazilian writer and director. She is most 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. The film premiered at SXSW in 2017 where it was nominated for a Grand Jury Award and subsequently written about in The New York Times, CNN, and other outlets.[1] Her feature film debut Bare premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2015 [2] and was released in US theaters by IFC[3] and by Paramount Pictures.[4] Leite is also a frequent contributor to Vice Media and is known to incorporate her documentary subjects into her scripted films.[5] Her work has been described as having “a bracing, assertive style” (Variety[6]) and as “cementing the reign over highly stylized, sexually progressive dramas” (Slant[7]).

Natalia Leite at a press conference in Hungary.

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.[8] In 2006, she moved to New York City where she started writing, directing, acting and producing her own micro-budget short films.[9] From these early works she was able to raise financing for her first feature film.[10]

Career

Leite has directed feature films as well as documentaries. In her unscripted show for Vice Media,[11] Every Woman, she lived and worked as a stripper in a truck-stop in New Mexico, which she discovered while location scouting for Bare.[12] 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[1] and was bought shortly after by IFC for domestic theatrical distribution and by Myriad Pictures for international.[10] 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.[13]" The Los Angeles Times wrote "Director Natalia Leite brings an emotional intelligence and sensitivity to Bare.[5]"

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[14] and was nominated for a Grand Jury Award. It stars Francesca Eastwood, Clifton Collins Jr., and Peter Vack. The film has been described as a "David Fincher-style thriller,"[15] "bravely tackling the dark side of empowerment,"[16] and as "an angry as hell piece of pulpy and politicized pop cinema."[17]

Frequently collaborating with Kyp Malone, Leite starred and co-directed the music video "Million Miles" for TV On The Radio.[18] Malone then went on to create the original score for the feature film Bare.[13] Leite also co-created and starred in the comedy web-series Be Here Nowish.[19]

Personal life

Leite is gay,[20][21] and often deals with sexuality in her works.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
2015 Bare Yes Yes Yes
2017 M.F.A. Yes No No
2019 Kiki and the Mxfits (short) Yes Yes No

Web
Year Title Role Notes
2014–2016 Be Here Nowish Nina Also director, writer and producer

References
  1. O'Brien, Sara. "'M.F.A.' thriller takes on campus rape". CNN. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  2. Scheck, Frank. "'Bare': Tribeca Review". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  3. "Bare". IFC Films. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  4. "Bare". Park Circus. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  5. Leite, Natalia (2019-06-14). "Breaking and Entering, Part Two: A Map To Finding Feature Funding". MovieMaker Magazine. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  6. Barker, Andrew (2017-03-21). "SXSW Film Review: 'M.F.A.'". Variety. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  7. Osenlund, R. Kurt. "Review: Bare". Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  8. "Natalia Leite". Queer Art Mentorship. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  9. Purdy, Charles. "INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKER NATALIA LEITE". Create Adobe. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  10. 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.
  11. "Natalia Leite". Vice. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  12. Salovaara, Sarah. "Natalia Leite and Alexandra Roxo on VICE's Every Woman". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  13. 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.
  14. M.F.A. - Movie Reviews, retrieved 2020-09-05
  15. "'M.F.A.': The David Fincher-Style Rape-Revenge Thriller That Rocked SXSW". No Film School. 2017-04-10. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  16. "South by Southwest Film Wrap Up". ComingSoon.net. 2017-03-28. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  17. "M.F.A. (For Film's Sake)". FilmInk. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  18. Coulehan, Erin (2013-08-27). "TV on the Radio, 'Million Miles'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  19. Brinton, Jessica. "is this the new age?". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  20. Piccoli, Dana. "Natalia Leite on "Bare" and working with Dianna Agron". AfterEllen. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  21. Brüner, Anna. "A Conversation with Natalia Leite". Hooligan Magazine. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
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