If you are reading this, it means that you have some sort of interest in getting to know Leonis a little better. So here we are; welcome to our world of the unimaginable!
Leonis, Latin for the constellation of Leo, born in the heat of summer, one of the brightest stars in the sky. Cor Leonis, the Heart of the Lion, a symbol representing desire and passion, fire and ambition.
My name is Sara and I am the founder of Leonis Productions, and on this page I will allow you to get to know me a little bit better. Film makers are not really known for doing that I guess, we want you to focus mainly on our work, not judging our real life characters. Well, as you will quickly learn, I am not like the others, which is probably why my professors in film school never liked me… But! I think that’s why I caught your attention in the first place, and that’s good enough for me.
Ever since I was a little girl, my life has been about narratives. Long nights spent sitting in my room past bedtime writing stories in my diary, that one day would be shared with the world. I could stand in the shower for hours dreaming about my stories, there were that many. So many great ideas inside the head of a young, ambitious girl, all craving to get out. My creativity expressed itself through theatre, being an active, young actress into my late teenage years.
In my early twenties, my father was working as a translator for a famous Norwegian author, who wanted to create a theatre piece from one of his books. My dad got me involved in the preparations, due to my theatre experience. I remember sitting down with the script and reading it from top to bottom. Ideas came running through my head; I started visualizing the stage, the costumes, the music. I remember so many great moments sitting with my father discussing ideas. He drew the stage and I sat beside him creating idea after idea, until I had formed a proposal. I was so eager to hear what he thought, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. One evening when my dad came home, he looked at me and said: ”He was very impressed by your work. He thinks you would do a great job as a director.” He then asked me why I didn’t consider becoming a director…
And the rest is history. But let’s just say; my dad is a genius!
So in the name of Alpha Leonis – A lion is born, and she’s here to stay.
Script Writing
Scriptwriting was always my favourite subject at film school. It was the one thing that always allowed me complete freedom. Up to this point I have written two short film scripts and one feature length script, and this is only the beginning...
Director
I always felt comfortable in the Director's seat. Experimenting with different departments along the way only showed me how eager I was to get back into that seat again.
Production Design
Being a Production Designer is definitely hard. It's also one of the jobs I find most interesting and challenging, and if you know me, you know I never turn down a challenge…
Costume
Costume design is one of the most fun roles I've had, and why do you think that is? Because dressing people is so much damn fun! The first costume job I did was for the short film, Earl, which was based in New York in the 60´s. Need I say more?!
Feature, Drama
Shattered Fragments
Shattered fragments is a feature film about Anna, a single mother struggling with alcoholism who is forced to face her past in order to save her son`s future. The screenplay is written by Sara Louise Mahgoub, Thorunn Larusdottir and Jeroen Cocquyt. The three also directed the film, alongside Brahim Amzil.
My very first feature film, alongside talented colleagues. A challenging year, but worth the struggle, as we premiered at the Sitges Film Festival in October 2018. And for that, this will forever be a very special film to me.
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Follow Your Path
This is the first of many articles to come about what we are doing at Leonis, and there are certain things you need to know before you continue reading. I want to let you in on a little character trait
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Love And Happiness
What are some of the biggest experiences throughout a film directors career? I would say that the first ever film premiere as a director is pretty damn special! I experienced that moment this year. October 4th was the day my
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Learning From History
There are some people in life that are just meant to inspire others, naturally and effortlessly inspire others. They lead by example, let their actions speak louder than words, listen when you speak and hear your words, and reply with
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Not Your Average Filmmakers
It was an early morning when I received a facetime call from Sara. Although this wasn’t unusual at all, this phone call would be the start of an incredible journey. I laid in the bed of my new Brooklyn apartment,
"Sara Louise is one of those people you just have to meet. Words can’t begin to describe her. This woman breaths passion and enthusiasm, you’ll feel it the moment you meet her. If you want to do something creative – anything – she is there, 100%. I don’t think I’ve seen so much willpower in one person! She is a walking boost! When pitching my first campaign to her, she immediately started to come up with ideas and things we could do. All along having my vision in focus. The thing I love about her is the fact that she is able to is her own strengths, and build from there. This makes her even stronger because to me this is key when you work in creative groups, so you can utilize the creativity within the group to the fullest. She is the person who make the group work so well together and is not afraid to point out if someone is not contributing. When we worked on my second campaign she assured me that I could focus on my part and she would take care of the rest. That was such an amazing feeling to trust someone with your baby and experience that they take care of it like it’s their own. She really showed me how to create magic. This makes her irreplaceable and she will always have a place on my team. I really recommend Sara Louise with all my heart. "