Natalia Leite 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 ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which has ...

. Her work has been described as having “a bracing, assertive style” (Variety), "emotional intelligence" (Los Angeles Times), and as “cementing the reign over highly stylized, sexually progressive dramas” (Slant). Leite is known to incorporate her documentary subjects into her scripted films.

Early life

Leite was born and raised in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. She later studied at the

San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a Private college, private art school, college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mis ...

. Leite began her career showcasing drawings, photography, and performance art films in galleries. After moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, she started writing, directing, acting and producing her own micro-budget short films. From these early works she was able to raise financing for her first feature film.

Career

Leite has directed feature films, television, and documentaries. She co-created, directed, and starred in the comedy web-series ''Be Here Nowish''. In her unscripted show for

Vice Media Vice Media Group LLC is a Canadian-American digital media and broadcasting company. Vice Media encompasses four main business areas: Vice Studios Group (film and TV production); Vice TV (a joint venture with A&E Networks, also known as Vicelan ...

, '' Every Woman'', she lived and worked as a stripper in a truck-stop in

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, which she discovered while location scouting for ''

Bare Bare literally means fully or partially naked, or figuratively used it means minimal. Bare may also refer to: People * Bare (surname) * Jader Volnei Spindler (born 1982), Brazilian football player nicknamed "Bare" Places * Bare Island ...

''. She went on to create a pilot for a

Vice TV Vice TV (also known as Vice on TV, or simply Vice, and formerly known as Viceland) is an American basic cable television channel that launched on February 29, 2016. It is a part of the Viceland family of television channels programmed by Vice Me ...

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, ''

'', stars

Dianna Agron Dianna Elise Agron ( ; born April 30, 1986) is an American actress and singer. List of Dianna Agron performances, Her work spans screen and stage, and her accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award and nomination for a Brit Award. Agron bega ...

Paz de la Huerta María de la Paz Elizabeth Sofía Adriana de la Huerta y Bruce (born September 3, 1984), known professionally as Paz de la Huerta (), is an American actress, model, and painter. She began her career as a teenage model before appearing in suppor ...

Chris Zylka Chris Zylka (born Christopher Michael Settlemire; May 9, 1985) is an American actor and model, known for his roles as Brigg Jenner in MTV's ''My Super Psycho Sweet 16'' film trilogy (2009–2012), Blake in the film '' Shark Night'' (2011), Flash ...

, and

Louisa Krause Louisa Noel Krause (born May 20, 1986) is an American actress. After studying drama in college, she appeared in numerous off-Broadway productions while also appearing in episodes of New York-based network television series. Her first film role wa ...

. ''Bare'' premiered at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

in 2015 to positive reviews and was bought shortly after by IFC for domestic theatrical distribution. Upon its premiere, ''

Film Journal ''Film Journal International'' was a motion-picture industry trade magazine published by the American company Prometheus Global Media. It was a sister publication of '' Adweek'', ''Billboard'', ''The Hollywood Reporter'', and other periodicals. ...

'' wrote "An award-winning director, Leite's portrait of Sarah's quest for identity is riveting for its storytelling and its direction." The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' wrote "Director Natalia Leite brings an emotional intelligence and sensitivity to ''Bare''." 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 and was nominated for a Grand Jury Award and a Game Changer Award. It stars

Francesca Eastwood Francesca Ruth Fisher-Eastwood (born August 7, 1993) is an American actress, socialite, and television personality. The daughter of Clint Eastwood and Frances Fisher, she garnered attention starring with her family on the E! reality series '' Mr ...

Clifton Collins Jr. Clifton Craig Collins Jr. (born June 16, 1970) is an American film and television actor. He is a Primetime Emmy Award, Independent Spirit Award, Satellite Award, and four-time ALMA Award nominee, and a Screen Actors Guild Award winner. Prior t ...

, and

Peter Vack Peter S. Brown (born September 19, 1986), better known his stage name Peter Vack, is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He is known for portraying Jason Strider in the MTV comedy series '' I Just Want My Pants Back'' (2011–2012), ...

. The film has been described as a "David Fincher-style thriller," "bravely tackling the dark side of empowerment," and as "an angry as hell piece of pulpy and politicized pop cinema." Frequently collaborating with

Kyp Malone Kyp Malone (born February 27, 1973) is an American multi-instrumentalist and member of the bands TV on the Radio, Iran, Rain Machine, and Ice Balloons. Biography Malone grew up in Moon Township, Pennsylvania and moved to New Jersey for High Scho ...

, Leite starred and co-directed the music video "Million Miles" for

TV On The Radio TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock music, rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), Dave Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and ...

. Malone then went on to create the original score for the feature film ''Bare''.

Personal life

Leite is bisexual, and often deals with sexuality in her works.

Filmography

Film

TV

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leite, Natalia 1984 births Living people People from São Paulo Brazilian bisexual entertainers Brazilian LGBTQ screenwriters Brazilian women screenwriters Brazilian bisexual women Brazilian bisexual writers LGBTQ people from New York (state) San Francisco Art Institute alumni Bisexual women writers Bisexual screenwriters 21st-century American women Brazilian LGBTQ film directors