Getting to know Leticia De Bortoli; A revolutionary filmmaker and director

In this highlight we turn our attention to Leticia De Bortoli, creator of Queering, an LGBTQ drama/comedy making an exceptional buzz within the film community. I asked Leticia a series of questions, here is what we discussed:

Tell us a little about yourself, where your from, grew up, what H.S./College you attended, etc.

I’m from Brazil. I grew up in a more rural area in a conservative catholic family. After high school I studied filmmaking at the LATIN AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE and continued to study screenwriting and filmmaking in Argentina and in the US. at Emerson College in Boston.

What inspired you to pursue film making? Early experiences worth sharing?

I was always very fascinated by storytelling. I lived in a small community with very little diversity and especially being a Queer kid, movies and stories were my outlet to connect to a world that I felt I really belonged to.

Talk about a time where you have faced adversity/conflict and have triumphed.

The entire journey of becoming a filmmaker was a very big obstacle. It’s a harder path without economic privilege, so the process took a long time and a lot of extra shifts and different jobs.

What do you believe sets you apart from other filmmakers?

I have a very peculiar atheistic and I create stories that transit between drama and comedy. I think it’s more impactful to have people reflect on complicated issues while they are laughing.

Do you have any other interests or hobbies?

I watch a lot of movies! Other than that, I’m interested in woodworking and my little Chihuahua “Cricket”.

Any projects you have out or are currently working on?

Yes! I’ve been working on a coming of age Queer story set in rural Brazil and I hope we can lock funding and start shooting in this year. I’m also in pre production for a pilot of a LGBTQ Sci-Fi female led series.

Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years?

I hope to be doing something pretty similar to what I’m doing now. Creating work that is meaningful to me, that I’m proud of and getting better with each project.

What advice can you give to aspiring filmmakers?

You are your crew. Choose them wisely and treat them respectfully.

How can we follow along in your journey? Social media?

Our youtube channel will became a platform for other projects as well, but you can follow Queering at @queering_web_series and me at @bortolileticia

What inspired you to create Queering?

The moment when you realize your parents are just people trying to keep it together was what inspired me to write Queering. Queering’s core story is about a mother and daughter trying to figure themselves out despite their generational gap. It was mostly inspired by my relationship with my mother and how I became more aware of her attempts to discover herself later in life as I got older.

What sets Queering a part from current LGBTQ cinema?

I think the most unique think about the story in Queering is that we talk about biphobia in the LGBTQ community and coming out later in life. Our first season was a full female cast.

What are your hopes for the show?

I hope Queering resonates with a larger mainstream audience the same positive way it did with our Youtube audience. Maybe Queering can help change the conversation regarding LGBTQ+ characters in media.

Watch Episode 1 of season 1's Queering here.

How can we follow along in your journey? Social media?

Our youtube channel will became a platform for other projects as well, but you can follow Queering at @queering_web_series and me at @bortolileticia