Leila Djansi, a talented filmmaker, embarked on her cinematic journey at the tender age of 19 in Ghana, working with the Ghana Film Company. Her passion for filmmaking led her to secure an Artist Honors Scholarship to study film at the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design in the United States.
While still a student at SCAD, Leila began her film career, which would soon take her to new heights. Her directorial debut, "I Sing of a Well," released in 2009, garnered an impressive 11 nominations at the African Academy Awards, winning the Special Jury Award for Overall Best Film. The film also received the BAFTA/LA Choice Award at the Pan African Film Festival.
Leila's subsequent film, "Sinking Sands," was an advocacy piece that supported the "Say No to Violence Against Women" campaign for UNiFEM Ghana. The film was a powerful tool in raising awareness about the devastating effects of domestic violence on women.
In 2011, Leila's film "Ties That Bind" won the Best Diaspora Film award at the San Diego Black Film Festival and was an Official Selection at AFI's New African Films Festival in 2012. The film's star, Kimberly Elise, was nominated for Best Actress at the American Black Film Festival, while the film itself was nominated for Outstanding Foreign Film at the 2012 Black Reel Awards.
Leila's film "Like Cotton Twines" was an Official Selection at the 2016 Los Angeles Film Festival under the World Fiction Section and went on to win the Best Narrative Feature award at the Savannah Film Festival in the same year.
In 2018, Leila created the show "40 and Single" for RLJ Entertainment's AllBlack, which won the Audience Award at the final installment of the Los Angeles Film Festival. Throughout her career, Leila has been recognized by various international organizations for her tireless work in promoting women's rights through her films. Since 2009, Leila has consistently produced movies that feature women, employ diversity behind and in front of the camera, and tackle important social issues.
Some of Leila's other notable credits include the Macy Gray-starring film "Where Children Play."
