Kate Leys
Mentor
Profile
Kate a script and story editor who works on fiction and documentary projects at all stages of
development.
Recently completed films include Benjamin by Simon Amstell, London Film Festival 2019; How To Fake A War by Rudolph Herzog 2019; American Animals by Bart Layton, Sundance 2018; Pin Cushion by Deborah Haywood, Venice 2017 and UK 2018; Kingdom Of Us London Film Festival 2017. Baby Done for Piki Films opens in NZ in October and worldwide in Jan; Bunny for Firefly Films is currently in post; Jorge Thielen Armand's La Fortaleza screened in Rotterdam 2020 and John MacLean's TORNADO will be in production next year.
Kate also often works informally with writers and filmmakers to develop the story at early stages: recent projects she has contributed to include Dark Horse for Raw starring Toni Colette; Do Not Hesitate for Shariff Korver and Jolein Laarman; Lady Macbeth Toronto & Sundance 2017; I Am Not A Witch by Rungano Nyoni Cannes and London 2017. Kingdom Of Us, Lady Macbeth and I Am Not A Witch were all nominated for Outstanding Debut at the Baftas 2018.
During lockdown 2020 Kate has continued to work with filmmakers and producers across the UK and all over the world (Hungary, the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Poland, New Zealand, Australia, the US, Finland) and has run masterclasses and workshops online for the BBC, the National Film School in the UK, the Edinburgh Film Festival, the National Film School of Norway, indigenous Arctic writers with the Sami Film Institute, Watershed in Bristol, ImagineNATIVE in Toronto, Helsinki Film Festival, the Norwegian Children's Literature master's progamme, and the London Film School.
