LEONARDO PIRONDI (b. São Paulo, Brazil, 1999) is a filmmaker and artist who lives and works between Los Angeles, Porto, and São Paulo. His films create and inhabit alternate worlds that blur the lines between reality and fiction, challenging conventional storytelling structures.

Pirondi's films have screened internationally at festivals such as the Toronto International Film Festival, the Tiger Short Competition in Rotterdam, the New York Film Festival, the Viennale, Mar del Plata, FICUNAM, the BFI London, the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Guanajuato, Ambulante, and Media City, among others.

His work has been presented in art centers such as CCCB (Spain), the Wexner Center for the Arts (USA), and REDCAT (USA). He has had solo shows at Galeria Mola in Portugal and Spectacle Theater in New York. Some of his 35mm films live in the UCLA Film & Television Archive collection, while some digital ones exist in the Cinematheque of the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro and The Film-Makers' Coop. in New York City.

He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in film from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), is a Sundance Institute Fellow, and was awarded a MacDowell Fellowship in 2025. His work has been featured in publications such as ARTFORUM, Filmmaker Magazine, MUBI Notebook, Senses of Cinema, Talking Shorts, and InReview Online.

His short and feature films have been supported by the Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual of Portugal (ICA), the Locarno Residency, Projeto Paradiso, the Allan Sekula Social Documentary Fund, San Diego Underground Arts, and the Tim Disney Prize for Excellence in the Storytelling Arts. He is also part of the board and selection committee for Badam Film and its film development fund.

Fractais Tropicais, a feature-length film produced by Bam Bam Cinema, is currently in post-production.

He is currently developing two feature-length films: AMERIKA’ATINGA, which was selected for the Locarno Residency in 2025, and Contos do Céu à Margem do Rio.

    • MacDowell Fellowship: Residency for the development of feature films Contos do Céu à Margem do Rio and AMERIKA’ATINGA (2025)

    • Locarno Residency: feature film project, AMERIKA’ATINGA (2025)

    • Sundance Ignite Fellowship at MASS MoCA; North Adams, Massachusetts (2023/24)

    • Fundo de Apoio ao Cinema - IndieLisboa & Portugal Film (2024)

    • Peter Stark Scholarship, California Institute of the Arts (2021/22)

    • Lillian Disney Scholarship, California Institute of the Arts (2018/22)

    • Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual (ICA): Portugal's national fund for completion of cinematographic works awarded for the film Fractais Tropicais.

    • Award Winner: Best Experimental Film at Brooklyn Film Festival

    • Award Winner for Best Editing at DTLA Film Festival

    • Honorable Mention: Onion City Experimental Film Festival

    • School of Film/Video Dean's Grant for Student Achievement Travel

    • Patty Disney Center for Life & Work Travel Grant

    • Tim Disney Prize for Excellence in the Storytelling Arts

    • Allan Sekula Social Documentary Fund

    • Nominee for Yugo BAFTA Student Award

    • Award Winner: Best Experimental Film at Chicago Int. Film Festival: CineYouth

    • CalArts Creative Practice Grant

    • CalArts School of Film/Video Project Funds

    • Award Winner for Best Social Commentary Film at Austin Arthouse

    • Award Winner: Best Surrealist Film at Austin Arthouse

    • Award Winner: Best Animated Film at South West London International Film Festival

    • When We Encounter the World: Gallery Installation Piece at Galeria Mola; Braga, Portugal

    • A Night with Leonardo Pirondi and Zazie Ray-Trapido at Spectacle Theater; New York, USA

    • When We Encounter The World, preceding The Night Visitors screening at Maysles Documentary Center; New York, USA

    • Earth Grain Pixel: Films by Leonardo Pirondi at Spectacle Theater; New York, USA

    • BORDERS: Films by Leonardo Pirondi at Galeria Mola; Braga, Portugal

    • University of Virginia: Art Department; Charlottesville, USA

    • University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Department of Film, Video, Animation, and New Genres; Milwaukee, USA

    • University of Chicago; Chicago, USA

    • Photo & Video Class at Escola Viva; São Paulo, Brazil

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Goiânia Mostra Curtas; Goiânia, Brazil

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Burgas International Film Festival

    • Earth had issues Loading… — Curzi Cave Outdoor cinema; Lecce, Italy

    • Visão do Paraíso — London Climate Action Week; London, UK

    • Potenciais à Deriva — FICUNAM; Mexico City, Mexico

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Mostra Strangloscope; Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Prismatic Ground; New York, USA

    • Potenciais à Deriva — ‘A La Distancia’ a Curated Program at the Cinemateca de Bogotá; Bogotá, Colombia

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Hong Kong International Film Festival; Hong Kong

    • Potenciais à Deriva — San Diego Underground Film Festival; San Diego, USA

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Athens International Film + Video Festival; Athens, USA

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Onion City Experimental Film Festival; Chicago, USA

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Media City Film Festival; Windsor, Canada

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Athens Avant-Garde Film Festival; Greek Film Archive, Athens, Greece

    • Potenciais à Deriva — BOGOSHORTS; Bogotá, Colombia

    • Potenciais à Deriva — [International Competition]Beijing International Short Film Festival; Beijing, China

    • When We Encounter The World — [Echo Program]Beijing International Short Film Festival; Beijing, China

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Mar del Plata International Film Festival; Mar del Plata, Argentina

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Viennale; Vienna, Austria

    • Potenciais à Deriva & When We Encounter The World — Festival International de Cine Contemporáneo Cámara Lúcida; Cuenca, Ecuador

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Festival du Nouveau Cinema (Les nouveaux alchimistes Competition) Montral, Canada

    • When We Encounter The World — Antimatter [Media Art]; Victoria, BC, Canada

    • Various recent works — Guest Speaker at the University of Virginia

    • When We Encounter The World — Tacoma Film Festival, USA

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Revolutions per Minute Festival; Boston and Cambridge, USA

    • When We Encounter The World — Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival, Romania

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Toronto International Film Festival (Wavelengths)

    • Visão do Paraíso — Associação Audio-Visual CUT; Macau, China

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Peripheries Experimental Film & Video Festival

    • Visão do Paraíso — Climate Film Festival; New York City, USA

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Sinédoque; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    • When We Encounter The World — CROSSROADS: SF Cinematheque; San Francisco, USA

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Edinburgh International Film Festival

    • Seja Bem-Vindo ao Lar — DIFFUSION 2024; Toronto, Canada

    • Potenciais à Deriva — Curtas Vila do Conde; Vila do Conde, Portugal

      Potenciais à Deriva — EXiS [International Competition]; Seoul, Republic of Korea

    • When We Encounter The World — Festival ECRÃ; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    • Visão do Paraíso — CinemARC at Glasgow Science Festival; Glasgow, UK

    • Visão do Paraíso — Winnipeg Underground Film Festival; Winnipeg, Canada

    • Visão do Paraíso — Winnipeg Underground Film Festival; Winnipeg, Canada

    • When We Encounter The World— REDCAT: Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater; Los Angeles, USA 2024

    • When We Encounter The World — Iowa City International Documentary Film Festival; Iowa City, USA

    • Visão do Paraíso — The Film-Makers' Cooperative: New Year/New Work Film Festival; New York, USA

    • Seja Bem-Vindo ao Lar — EMAF; Osnabrück, Germany

    • Visão do Paraíso — Moviate Underground: Best Short Films of 2023; Harrisburg, USA 2024

    • Visão do Paraíso — Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin - Haus der Kulturen der Welt; Berlin, Germany

    • Visão do Paraíso — Chicago Latino Film Festival; Chicago, USA

    • When We Encounter The World & Seja Bem-Vindo ao Lar — Athens International Film and Video Festival; Athens, USA

    • Potenciais à Deriva — somethingELSE01: Hidden in the Archives; Bangkok, Thailand

    • When We Encounter The World — Glasgow Short Film Festival; Glasgow, Scotland

    • Visão do Paraíso — BRASIL: Short-Films Night - Cinemaattic; Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh

    • Visão do Paraíso — Cosmic Rays; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    • Visão do Paraíso — Nectar from Another Planet; Poznan, Poland

    • SIN MAR: Visão do Paraíso by Leonardo Pirondi + Herbaria by Leandro Listorti — Centro Cultural de España Juan de Salazar; Asunción - Paraguay

    • Potenciais à Deriva — International Film Festival Rotterdam: Tiger Short Competition; Rotterdam, Netherlands

    • In Search of Mount Analogue & Effulgent Gleam — Xcèntric:Centre de Cultura Comtemporànea de Barcelona, Spain

    • When We Encounter The World: The Expanded Environment — Galeria Mola; Braga, Portugal

    • Visão do Paraíso - Slamdance; Park City and Salt Lake City, USA

    • When We Encounter The World — San Diego Underground Film Festival; San Diego, USA

    • Visão do Paraíso — Beijing International Short Film Festival; Beijing, China

    • Visão do Paraíso — Porto/Post/Doc; Porto Portugal

    • Visão do Paraíso — Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM)

    • When We Encounter The World — Viennale; Vienna, Austria

    • Visão do Paraíso — Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin

    • Visão do Paraíso — Light Matter; Alfred NY

    • Visão do Paraíso — Uppsala Short Film Festival ; Uppsala, Sweeden

    • Visão do Paraíso — Antimatter [Media Art]; Victoria, Canada

    • When We Encounter The World — Maysles Documentary Center, New York, USA

    • A Night with Leonardo Pirondi and Zazie Ray-Trapido at Spectacle Theater; New York, USA

    • When We Encounter The World — New York Film Festival: Currents; New York, USA

    • Effulgent Gleam — Mostra Strangloscope, Florianópolis, Brazil

    • Visão do Paraíso — Festival EDOC; Quito/Guayaquil, Ecuador

    • Visão do Paraíso — Tacoma Film Festival; Tacoma, USA

    • Visão do Paraíso — Goiânia Mostra Curtas; Goiânia, Brazil

    • Visão do Paraíso — Revolutions per Minute Festival; Boston & Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    • Visão do Paraíso — Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival; Bucharest, Romania

    • Visão do Paraíso — Visions 2030 FUTURING: Earth Edition exhibition; Valencia, USA

    • Seja Bem-Vindo ao Lar — Chicago Underground Film Festival

    • Visão do Paraíso — St. Moritz Art Film Festival; St. Moritz, Switzerland

    • Visão do Paraíso — Melbourne International Film Festival - Melbourne, Australia

    • Visão do Paraíso — Bogotá Experimental Film Festival; Bogotá, Colombia

    • Visão do Paraíso — Mimesis Documentary Film Festival; Boulder, USA

    • Visão do Paraíso — DokuFest International Documentary Film Festival - Prizren, Kosovo

    • Visão do Paraíso — Guanajuato International Film Festival - Multiple Cities, Mexico

    • When We Encounter The World — Curtas Vila do Conde; Vila do Conde, Portugal

    • Visão do Paraíso — Festival ECRÃ; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    • Visão do Paraíso — Oak Cliff Film Festival; Dallas, USA

    • The Perfect Room — Kino Palais; Buenos Aires, Argentina

    • Visão do Paraíso — Philadelphia Latino Film Festival; Philadelphia, USA

    • Visão do Paraíso — Vienna Shorts Film Festival (International Competition); Vienna, Austria

    • Visão do Paraíso — Brooklyn Film Festival; Brooklyn, USA

    • Earth had issues Loading… — Cinemóvil NYC x Film-Makers' Cooperative: On the Presentation of Nature; New York, USA

    • Effulgent Gleam — Winnipeg Underground Film Festival; Manitoba, Canada

    • Visão do Paraíso — Mammoth Lakes Film Festival; Mammoth Lakes; USA

    • Visão do Paraíso — Moviate Underground Film Festival; Harrisburg, USA

    • Effulgent Gleam & The Perfect Room — Beijing International Short Film Festival at Goethe-Institut China; Beijing, China

    • The Perfect Room & What Remains — Heavy Light by 𝔰𝔞𝔫 𝔡𝔦𝔢𝔤𝔬 𝔲𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯𝔤𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔡; Los Angeles, USA

    • Effulgent Gleam & The Perfect Room — Beijing International Short Film Festival at UCCA Edge; Shanghai, China.

    • SOLO SCREENING: films from 2019-2022 — Earth Grain Pixel: Films by Leonardo Pirondi at Spectacle Theater - New York, USA

    • Visiting Artist Lecture at UWM (Film, Video, Anim., and New Genres) - Milwaukee, USA

    • Visão do Paraíso — Athens International Film and Video Festival - Athens, USA

    • Visão do Paraíso — Onion City Experimental Film Festival - Chicago, USA

    •  Visão do Paraíso — Glasgow International Short Film Festival (Bill Douglas Competition) - Glasgow, UK

    • Visiting Artist Lecture at the University of Chicago - Chicago, USA

    • Visão do Paraíso — International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) - Rotterdam, Netherlands

    • If a Tree Falls in a Forest — Wexner Center for the Arts: Cosmic Rays Touring Program - Columbus, USA

    • If a Tree Falls in a Forest — 1666 Festival Internacional de Cinema 16mm; São Paulo, Brazil.

    • Effulgent Gleam — Cámara Lúcida Festival Internacional de Cine Contemporáneo - Cuenca, Ecuador.

    • Earth had issues Loading…  — Film & Environment at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee - Milwaukee, USA.

    • The Perfect Room — Light Matter - Alfred, USA.

    • If a Tree Falls in a Forest — Film & Environment at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee - Milwaukee, USA.

    • The Perfect Room — Antimatter [Media Art] - Victoria BC, Canada.

    • What Remains —Lausanne Underground Film & Music Festival - Lausanne, Switzerland.

    • If a Tree Falls in a Forest — Lima Alterna Festival Internacional de Cine: Wild Regions - Lima, Peru

    • Visão do Paraíso — BFI London Film Festival: Experimenta - London, United Kingdom.

    • In Search of Mount Analogue — Tacoma Film Festival - Tacoma, USA.

    • If a Tree Falls in a Forest — Ambulante Cine Documental Itinerante: Injerto - Ciudad de México, Mexico.

    • If a Tree Falls in a Forest — Edinburgh International Film Festival: Echoes in the Landscape  - Edinburgh, Scotland.

    • In Search of Mount Analogue — Millennium Film Workshop - Brooklyn, USA.

    • In Search of Mount Analogue — Festival ECRÃ - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    • If a Tree Falls in a Forest — California Institute of the Arts - Valencia, USA.

    • Effulgent Gleam — Move Screen! Process Cinema! (Vol.1) at Whammy! Analog Media - Echo Park, USA.

    •  If a Tree Falls in a Forest — Millennium Film Workshop - Brooklyn, USA.

    •  If a Tree Falls in a Forest — Brooklyn Film Festival - Brooklyn, USA.

    • In Search of Mount Analogue — Montreal Underground Film Festival - Montreal, Canada.

    • In Search of Mount Analogue — Mammoth Lakes Film Festival - Mammoth Lakes, USA.

    • If a Tree Falls in a Forest — Moviate Underground Film Festival - Harrisburg, USA.

    • Visão do Paraíso (work in progress) — Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater (REDCAT) - Los Angeles, USA.

    • In Search of Mount Analogue — Whammy! Analog Media - Echo Park, USA.

    • In Search of Mount Analogue — Chicago International Film Festival (CineYouth) - Chicago, USA. [Award for Best Experimental Film]

    • In Search of Mount Analogue — Athens International Film + Video Festival - Athens, USA.

    •  If a Tree Falls in a Forest — Cosmic Rays - Chapel Hill, USA.

    •   In Search of Mount Analogue — Big Muddy Film Festival: Moods of Modernity in the SIU Museum - Carbondale, USA.

    • SOLO SHOW: films from 2019 - 2021 — BORDERS: Films by Leonardo Pirondi at Galeria Mola - Braga, Portugal.

    • In Search of Mount Analogue & If a Tree Falls in a Forest — San Diego Underground Film Festival - San Diego, USA.

    • If a Tree Falls in a Forest — Light Matter - Alfred, USA.

    • If a Tree Falls in a Forest — Cámara Lúcida Festival Internacional de Cine Contemporáneo - Cuenca, Ecuador.

    • Earth had issues Loading… — Athens International Film + Video Festival - Athens, USA.

    • Earth had issues Loading… — Pleasure Dome: Ecologies of Industry - Toronto, Canada.

    • Selected work in progress — Silver Dusk  - Los Angeles, USA.

    • Earth had issues Loading… — Duluth Superior Film Festival - Duluth, USA.

    • Benning's Dream — Festival Ecrã - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    • Earth had issues Loading… — Oak Cliff Film Festival - Dallas, USA.

    • Benning's Dream — Pena Capital (Filmes na Quarentena II) - São Paulo, Brazil.

    • Selected works in progress — Bijou Festival - Valencia, California, USA.

    • Earth had issues Loading… — Chicago International Film Festival (CineYouth) - Chicago, USA.

    • This is Mine, This is Yours. — Feeler Gauge Festival - Los Angeles, USA.

    • This is Mine, This is Yours & Earth had issues Loading… — California Institute of the Arts - Valencia, USA.

    • Earth had issues Loading… — 13th Strangloscope - Florianópolis, Brazil.

    • Earth had issues Loading… — CalArts thurs.night Gallery - Valencia, USA.

    • Earth had issues Loading… — San Diego Underground Film Festival - San Diego, USA.

    • Earth had issues Loading… — Moviate Underground Film Festival - Harrisburg, USA.

    • Earth had issues Loading… — Milwaukee Underground Film Festival - Milwaukee, USA.

    • Earth had issues Loading… — Festival Ecrã - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    • Wavelengths - Multi-channel Video Installation — C113 Gallery at California Institute of the Arts - Valencia, USA.

    • This is Mine, This is Yours — Austin Arthouse Film Festival - Austin, USA.

    • (un)MUTE — CalArts Latin Fest - Valencia, USA.

    • (un)MUTE — Brooklyn Film Festival - Brooklyn, USA.

Screening History

Press