I really love things inspired by true stories and biopics. I'm also drawn to stories that take place in settings that raise awareness for issues/causes in the world (juvenile detention, orphan crisis, wealth inequality etc.) without being overly-politicized. I've recently been very interested in social commentaries and satires, too.
Films shouldn't just be entertainment – they should reflect the world around us (in an engaging manner) and spur audiences to take action.
Great examples from the past: THE FLORIDA PROJECT, SHORT TERM 12, WHIPLASH, TRIANGLE OF SADNESS, STILLWATER, SICARIO, FORD V FERRARI, KING RICHARD, WHEN THEY SEE US
Formats I'm most interested in are independent features and half/full hour streaming TV episodic & limited series.
Stories with heavy emphasis on sex/sexuality
Josh Leong is a Webby Award®-winning writer, director, and producer from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. His latest directorial work, CHICKEN, premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and he was a spotlight director with NBCUniversal’s Scene in Color Film Series (presented by Target). Most recently, Josh was awarded a blind deal by Universal Television and acclaimed film producer, Will Packer, for an original series set in the Philippines.
Having screened at eight Academy Award®-qualifying festivals and been awarded by President Obama, Josh also directed the Webby Award®-winning short, THE OTHER SIDE in Ethiopia, streaming on Peacock. The film stars Ethan Herisse from Ava DuVernay’s Emmy®-winning Netflix series, WHEN THEY SEE US.
LOST BOYS, his upcoming feature debut, was a semifinalist at the 2021 Sundance Creative Producing Lab and 2022 Development Track. Currently, he’s a selected writer with the MACRO x The Blacklist Feature Screenplay Incubator, and a semifinalist at the DGA Commercial Directors Diversity Program.
His next film, TRENTON: TO THE MOON & BACK, will be premiering at the Oscar-qualifying Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival in May, and he's currently in post-production on SORRY YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS, an original film tackling mental health, commissioned by Trust and Filmsupply.
He has since developed commercials, film, and television at 1stAveMachine, Cinetic Media, Circle of Confusion, De Line Pictures, and Untitled Entertainment. Currently, Josh serves on the Scout Film Festival Filmmaker Advisory Board and is an Executive Member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. He is also a frequently booked guest speaker for workshops at the New York Film Academy, The Shiny Awards, and Yale University.
For a full list of festivals and films, please visit www.joshleongstudios.com.