Director: Leonardo Martinelli

Born in: Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Biography: Leonardo Martinelli is a filmmaker from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He grow up and studied in the North Zone of the city. In 2021, his film Fantasma Neon won the Golden Leopard for Best International Short at the 74th Locarno Film Festival. In 2023, his next short, Pássaro Memória, premiered in competition at the 76th Locarno Festival. His films have been selected at more than three hundred festivals around the world, including Toronto, San Sebastián, BFI London, Cartagena, Clermont-Ferrand, Palm Springs, Montreal, Biarritz, Toulouse and others. In Brazil, he has already been awarded three Kikitos at the Festival de Gramado and two Troféu Redentor at the Festival do Rio. Through his work, he is interested in exploring how the dynamics of the city's microcosm can represent endemic problems present in his country. He has a master's degree in Communication and is currently developing his first feature film, selected for the ALCA, MunichFilmUp and Locarno Residency programs, in addition to the Hubert Bals Fund.