Laura Neri
Encyclopedia
Laura Neri is a director of Greek and Italian origins. Born in Brussels
, Belgium
, she graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts
in Los Angeles with an MFA in Film Production.
Laura Neri was born of a Greek
mother and an Italian
father. She received her BA with Honors in Film Analysis and Screenwriting at the Free University of Brussels
, where writer/director Luc dardenne was her mentor. She then received an MFA in Film Production at the University of Southern California
.
Her thesis film is a 'dramedy' called A Kiss on the Nose
, which has won several awards and has been screened worldwide. It describes a difficult father-daughter relationship, told from the daughter's quirky point-of-view. In 2005 the film won the "Jimmy Stewart Memorial Crystal Heart Award – Student Dramatic Short" at the Heartland Film Festival as well as the inaugural VISION AWARD, which recognizes an emerging filmmaker who shows vision in filmmaking. The film also won "Best Short" at the 2005 Danville International Children's Film festival and was one of the 10 winners of the Flickering Image Film Festival 2006.
The film also won Best Drama at the 2006 FAIF International Film Festival, as well as garnering nominations for Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Short, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor. It also won a Gold Remi Award at WorldFest Houston 2007, second place for Best Short at the 2006 Lake Arrowhead Film Festival, second place for Best Screenplay and third place for Best Actress at the 2005 Action on Film Festival, Honorable Mentions at the Smogdance and Rochester Festivals, a Gold Medal for Excellency at the 2007 Park City Film Music Festival, was nominated for Best of the Fest at the 2006 Great Lakes Film Festival and Best Short at the B-Movie film festival and received the A.S.C. Charles B. Lang Heritage Award for Outstanding Cinematography (Honorable Mention).
Overall, the film has screened at more than 50 festivals and has been purchased by two television channels as well as United Airlines.
Laura Neri recently wrote, directed and produced her first feature film in Los Angeles, Kill the Habit, a politically incorrect dark comedy about three girls trying to get rid of a corpse. The film is currently in post-production and has been approached by several distributors.
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, she graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts
USC School of Cinematic Arts
The USC School of Cinematic Arts, until 2006 named the School of Cinema-Television , is a film school within the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. It is the oldest and largest such school in the United States, established in 1929 as a joint venture with the Academy of...
in Los Angeles with an MFA in Film Production.
Laura Neri was born of a Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
mother and an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
father. She received her BA with Honors in Film Analysis and Screenwriting at the Free University of Brussels
Free University of Brussels
The Free University of Brussels was a university in Brussels, Belgium. In 1969, it split into the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Dutch-speaking Vrije Universiteit Brussel....
, where writer/director Luc dardenne was her mentor. She then received an MFA in Film Production at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
Her thesis film is a 'dramedy' called A Kiss on the Nose
A Kiss on the Nose
A Kiss on the Nose is a short film first released in the USA on August 15, 2004 during the Rhode Island International Film Festival, written and directed by Laura Neri. It stars Azita Ghanizada, Gianfranco Russo, Elena Fabri, Maeva Cifuentes, Monica Cortes, Svilena Kidess, Pat Lach and Warren...
, which has won several awards and has been screened worldwide. It describes a difficult father-daughter relationship, told from the daughter's quirky point-of-view. In 2005 the film won the "Jimmy Stewart Memorial Crystal Heart Award – Student Dramatic Short" at the Heartland Film Festival as well as the inaugural VISION AWARD, which recognizes an emerging filmmaker who shows vision in filmmaking. The film also won "Best Short" at the 2005 Danville International Children's Film festival and was one of the 10 winners of the Flickering Image Film Festival 2006.
The film also won Best Drama at the 2006 FAIF International Film Festival, as well as garnering nominations for Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Short, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor. It also won a Gold Remi Award at WorldFest Houston 2007, second place for Best Short at the 2006 Lake Arrowhead Film Festival, second place for Best Screenplay and third place for Best Actress at the 2005 Action on Film Festival, Honorable Mentions at the Smogdance and Rochester Festivals, a Gold Medal for Excellency at the 2007 Park City Film Music Festival, was nominated for Best of the Fest at the 2006 Great Lakes Film Festival and Best Short at the B-Movie film festival and received the A.S.C. Charles B. Lang Heritage Award for Outstanding Cinematography (Honorable Mention).
Overall, the film has screened at more than 50 festivals and has been purchased by two television channels as well as United Airlines.
Laura Neri recently wrote, directed and produced her first feature film in Los Angeles, Kill the Habit, a politically incorrect dark comedy about three girls trying to get rid of a corpse. The film is currently in post-production and has been approached by several distributors.