Nikoleta Leousi

Education

Equipment

My Equipment/Kit: Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Pro Tools, Final Cut Pro / X

I can use: Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro / X, Avid Pro Tools

About me

The summer of 1994 my parents went on vacation and I was left home alone for the first time in my life. During the night of the World Cup Final (17nth of July) I watched a film on VHS. It was called "In the name of the father" directer by Jim Sheridan. The film ended and I would rewind the tape and watch it again.That happened five times in a row. I don't know which element of the film drew my attention at that time. It could have been the acting, the music, the powerful themes of the film. I believe that night was when I decided what I want to do in my life. The effect remains the same ever since.

Born in Athens in 1981, I have studied chemical engineering but soon I decided I am interested in filmmaking. I entered the university on a scholarship and I bought my first camera with the money from it. I have studied cinema both in Greece and the UK where I completed an MA in Fiction Film Production course. My previous short film Generator has participated at 36th Film Festival in Drama (awards for best screenplay, National Association of Critics award)Tirana International Film Festival 2013(MEDIA Award) Palm Springs Short Film Festival 2014, 36th Cinemed Festival international du cinéma méditerranéen de Montpellier and more).

I have participated in Berlinale Talents 2016 Short film station with the project “37 Days” and at Sarajevo talents 2016. My short film 37 Days has had it's international premiere at IFFR 2019 (International Film Festival Rotterdam) and has participated in a number of festivals since.
Referees:
Lloyd Peters (Course leader)
Perikles Choursoglou (director)
Additional information:
My most recent film is 37 Days. Maria works at a nail salon. She's working off the books, without insurance or benefits. She's also 9 months pregnant. One day she’s suddenly fired. The same night, she has an unsettling dream. She wakes up from the dream certain that she will not go into labor until she gets her job back. And so, Maria's "Birth strike” begins. In Greece when people meet a pregnant woman they wish her “Kali lefteria” which means “I wish you freedom”. The initial idea came from a dream. I saw that I was pregnant and I didn’t want to give birth. But it was time. The feeling of urgency was very scary and made me wonder, "What if someone could, or thought they could, control it?" It was important to me to discover her path: she is sightless and loyal to an idea. And then Don Quixote came to mind. The film is a comedy with a Don Quixote inspired character. I’m sure it’s a well known fact that Greece ranks very low on protecting worker’s rights, collective agreements and job and income security. Female workers in particular are often exposed to unfair labor practices and a violation of the maternity leave and birth benefits. But behind all this there is a story about believing and trying. And that doesn't mean that you will succeed but all you can do is try. I want to portray a character that asks the question “In today’s world, is it worth it to go “voluntarily insane” behind an idea? Or is it dangerous?”

Skills

Secondary Job Title	Editor (Assistant)
Job Titles	Video Editor
Years in industry	6+ years