Selena Leoni
Producer / Creator
Growing up between Italy’s quiet countryside and the outsized cities of China gave transnational producer Selena Leoni unique viewpoints of the world. Her love for art and technology led her to City University of Hong Kong, where she earned her BAS in New Media in 2015. In Hong Kong, she developed several multimedia projects focused on social inclusion. Selena later attended UCLA’s Producers Program and earned an MFA Degree in 2020.As an experienced film, television, and multimedia producer, Selena developed and produced various projects, including feature films, short films, VR scenarios, documentaries, and commercials. Many of her projects have played and won awards in Academy Award-qualifying festivals such as Austin Film Festival, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and Indy Shorts International Film Festival.Selena was a Producer fellow in Film Independent's Project Involve 2021 and has several projects in development. Her most recent credits include Wayfarer Studios' feature film SMILE OR HUG, and Bryant Griffin's feature debut YOUNG KINGS which won the ARRI Franz Wieser Grant. Selena's interests lie in developing globalized character-driven stories that give underrepresented groups a platform and a voice. Her passion is for female-led thrillers, biopunk, dark comedy, and crime dramas.
All i ever wanted
Released, 2022
Film Independent, Project Involve
Rom-com obsessed teen Christine has always longed for the picture-perfect romance - but she's soon confronted with the fact that her ideal prince charming might actually be a princess charming instead.
Director: Erin Lau
Writer: Van B. Nguyen
Producer: Selena Leoni | Fiona Hardingham
Executive Producer: Calvin Lam
Director of Photography: Jon Pham
Cast:
Cathy Bui, Maria Zhang, Elyse Dinh, Long Nguyen, Connor McRaith
AWARDS:
BEST COMEDY - HollyShorts 2022
HARD
Released, 2022
Film Independent, Project Involve
A teenage boy experiences awkwardness and struggles to navigate the uncertainties of his sexuality after his first time with a girl doesn't go as expected, forcing him to confront his feelings of desire for his best friend.
Director: Robin Takao D'Oench
Writer: Corey Dashaun
Producer: Selena Leoni | Fiona Hardingham
Executive Producer: Calvin Lam
Director of Photography: José Andrés Solórzano Becerra
Cast:
Xavier Clyde, Chris Pearson, Nia Sondaya
AWARDS:
ALTERNATIVE SPIRIT AWARD (LGBTQ) SHORT - Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival 2022
THE BOND
Released, 2022
DevelUp Media
When an incarcerated pregnant woman goes into labor, she must fight to stay connectedto her baby in a system built to keep them apart.
Writer/Director: Jahmil Eady
Producer: Selena Leoni, Reina Higashitani
Director of Photography: Gionatan (Jonni) TecleCast: Ashley Wilkerson, Yolonda Ross, Kathryn Erbe, Jonathan Medina, Keith Sutliff, AmberLi, Jennifer Lee Laks, Hunter Sloan Bodine
AWARDS:
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS - Atlanta Film Festival 2022
SPECIAL JURY MENTION - Atlanta Film Festival 2022
HONORABLE MENTION JURY AWARD - Bentonville Film Festival 2022
GRANT PRIZE - Marsh on Washinton Film Festival 2022
HEARTLAND
Released, 2021
DevelUp Media
A woman attempts to immortalize her dying grandfather using VR technology, but her obsession with documenting begins to push them apart.
Writer/Director: Jahmil Eady
Producer: Selena Leoni
Director of Photography: Jacqueline ChanCast: Maxine Goynes, Haskell V. Anderson III, Mia-Carina Mollicone
AWARDS:
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS - Indy Shorts International Film Festival 2021
WINNER - AUDPOP’S 2021 Women's Film Challenge
THE FOLLOWER
Released, 2021
Little Paws Pictures
A social media influencer discovers that she has a secret follower threatening her privacy and safety.
Director: Jahmil Eady
Producer/Writer: Selena Leoni
Director of Photography: Jacqueline ChanCast:Kimberly Long
AWARDS:
BEST SUPER SHORT - 1st Monthly Film Festival 2021
THE LUCKY ONE
Released, 2021
A man makes a wish to become a God but accidentally switches with one of the four goddesses who has been playing Mahjong in heaven since the beginning of time.
Writer/Director: Yichi Zhang
Producer: Selena Leoni
Director of Photography: Parida TantiCast: Kuozheng Hao, Shenli Zhao, Huabiao He, Zihan Zhao, Gloria Ho, Xinyu Zhang
AWARDS:
BEST FANTASY - Rome International Movie Awards 2022
BEST DRAMA FILM - Europe Film Festival UK 2022
BEST COMEDY SHORT - Tagore Internation Film Festival 2022
YOUNG KINGS
Post-production
Diondre Howell tries to re-adjust to civilian life after he returns home from Iraq during the height of the Iraq war in 2005. As he copes with the scars of war, he increasingly becomes a threat to those he cares about the most - his family.
Writer/Director: Bryant T. Griffin
Producer: Selena Leoni
Director of Photography: Vittoria Campaner
Cast: Vince Washington, Vaughn Wilkinson, Tarra Riggs, Kirby Griffin
AWARDS:
ARRI Franz Wiesner Grant 2021 - WINNER
SMILE OR HUG
2022 - Wayfarer Studio
After being dumped on her 30th birthday, Trish Santos - an online art teacher - works through her loneliness with the help of her students, two best friends, and a box of homemade self-help tapes given to her by the mysterious “mind painter” Doctor Garcia.
Director/Director of Photography: Paul Spranger
Producer: Selena Leoni, Carlo Cosio
Writer: Chelsea Javier, Paul Spranger
Cast: Chelsea Javier, Danny Trejo, Andrea Navedo, Chris Aquilino, Christian Henley
AWARDS:
Mixed Asian Film Festival 2022 - BEST FEATURE FILM
PRESS:
Hollywood Reporter | Danny Trejo, Elsie Fisher Among Cast for Wayfarer's Six Feet Apart Experiment Features - March 31, 2021
Deadline | Justin Baldoni And Wayfarer Studios Unveil Winners For ‘Six Feet Apart Experiment’ Filmmaking Competition - August 17, 2020