Film, Television, and Multimedia Producer and ExecutiveSelena Leoni is an award-winning transnational producer and executive from Italy and China. She is a member of BAFTA Connect, Berlinale Talents, Gold House Futures, and Film Independent's Project Involve. Selena's journey into the world of storytelling began with a BAS in New Media from City University of Hong Kong and was further honed at UCLA's MFA Producers Program. Selena has been creating content on social advocacy and humanistic storytelling since her early career in multimedia, and later transitioned into film and television.Throughout her career, Selena has successfully brought numerous projects to esteemed platforms such as STARZ, Hulu, Peacock, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV. Notably, as the program director of Flip The Script Short Film Program, she curated and oversaw the development of impactful short films that amplify underrepresented voices and perspectives. Her works have gained recognition at prestigious festivals: BIENVENIDOS A LOS ANGELES was shortlisted for the 2024 Academy Awards , EID MUBARAK received an Honorable Mention on the 2024 Gold List, and HAINT was a finalist for the 2024 Tribeca and Chanel Through Her Lens Program and winner of the 2025 Hillman Grad Rising Voices Program (Season 5). Her latest feature film, YOUNG KING, the debut feature of Emmy-winning director Bryant Griffin, screened at the 2024 Austin Film Festival, was nominated for Best Feature Film at the 2024 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, and won the Programmers’ Award at the 2025 Pan African Film Festival.With her passion for globalized character-driven stories and her experience in production, Selena continues to champion social inclusion and give a platform to those who have been historically marginalized in the film and television industry.

Visit www.littlepawspictures.com for my lastest projects:

The Creator+ Flip The Script Short Film Program is a program dedicated to providing a platform for diverse creators to share their stories by showcasing films that celebrate underrepresented voices and perspectives.As the Program Director and Executive Producer of Flip The Script Short Film Program, I had the privilege of curating and overseeing the development and production of impactful short films that amplify underrepresented voices and perspectives. I worked closely with these filmmakers to develop their ideas and bring their vision to life.I am proud to announce that the short films produced through Flip The Script Short Film Program received great recognition in major film festivals. Notably, "Bienvenidos A Los Angeles" making the Shortlist for the 2024 Academy Awards and "Eid Mubarak" receiving an Honorable Mention on the 2024 Gold List.

PRESS:

Made in usa

15 mins
Festival, 2024
Little Paws Pictures

After getting abruptly fired from her job of over 20 years, a dutiful Chinese-American casino host turns her home into a birth hotel to regain control of her life.

Writer/Director: Desdemona Chiang
Producer: Selena Leoni, Tara Austin
Director of Photography: Rayana Rasamee

Cast:
Yin Yin Liow, Maria Zhang, Ron Yuan

NOTABLE SCREENINGS:
● LGBTQ+ Short Film Showcase (presented by NewFest) at the NYC Department of Education's 2023 GSA Summit
● NewFest 2022 Short Film Program In partnership with the NYC Department of Education

All i ever wanted

16 mins
Released, 2022
Film Independent, Project Involve

Rom-com obsessed teen Christine has always longed for the picture-perfect romance - but she's soon confronted with the fact that her ideal prince charming might actually be a princess charming instead.

Director: Erin Lau
Writer: Van B. Nguyen
Producer: Selena Leoni, Fiona Hardingham
Executive Producer: Calvin Lam
Director of Photography: Jon Pham

Cast:
Cathy Bui, Maria Zhang, Elyse Dinh, Long Nguyen, Connor McRaith

AWARDS:
● BEST COMEDY - HollyShorts 2022
● BEST PRODUCER - Oniros Film Awards New York 2022

HARD

12 mins
Released, 2022
Film Independent, Project Involve

A teenage boy experiences awkwardness and struggles to navigate the uncertainties of his sexuality after his first time with a girl doesn't go as expected, forcing him to confront his feelings of desire for his best friend.

Director: Robin Takao D'Oench
Writer: Corey Dashaun
Producer: Selena Leoni, Mireia Vilanova
Executive Producer: Calvin Lam
Director of Photography: José Andrés Solórzano Becerra

Cast:
Xavier Clyde, Chris Pearson, Nia Sondaya

AWARDS:
● AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS - New York City Short Film Festival 2022
● ALTERNATIVE SPIRIT AWARD (LGBTQ) SHORT - Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival 2022

THE BOND

16 mins
Released, 2022
DevelUp Media

When an incarcerated pregnant woman goes into labor, she must fight to stay connectedto her baby in a system built to keep them apart.

Writer/Director: Jahmil Eady
Producer: Selena Leoni, Reina Higashitani
Director of Photography: Gionatan (Jonni) TecleCast: Ashley Wilkerson, Yolonda Ross, Kathryn Erbe, Jonathan Medina, Keith Sutliff, AmberLi, Jennifer Lee Laks, Hunter Sloan Bodine

AWARDS:
● AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS - Atlanta Film Festival 2022
● SPECIAL JURY MENTION - Atlanta Film Festival 2022
● HONORABLE MENTION JURY AWARD - Bentonville Film Festival 2022
● GRANT PRIZE - Marsh on Washinton Film Festival 2022

HEARTLAND

11 mins
Released, 2021
DevelUp Media

A woman attempts to immortalize her dying grandfather using VR technology, but her obsession with documenting begins to push them apart.

Writer/Director: Jahmil Eady
Producer: Selena Leoni
Director of Photography: Jacqueline ChanCast: Maxine Goynes, Haskell V. Anderson III, Mia-Carina Mollicone

AWARDS:
● AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS - Heartland Indy Shorts International Film Festival 2021
● WINNER - AUDPOP’S 2021 Women's Film Challenge
● BEST LIVE ACTION SCI-FI SHORT - Atlanta Sci-Fi Film Festival 2021

THE FOLLOWER

5 mins
Released, 2021
Little Paws Pictures

A social media influencer discovers that she has a secret follower threatening her privacy and safety.

Director: Jahmil Eady
Producer/Writer: Selena Leoni
Director of Photography: Jacqueline ChanCast:Kimberly Long

AWARDS:
BEST SUPER SHORT - 1st Monthly Film Festival 2021

THE LUCKY ONE
神過的日子

11 mins
Released, 2021

A man makes a wish to become a God but accidentally switches with one of the four goddesses who has been playing Mahjong in heaven since the beginning of time.

Writer/Director: Yichi Zhang
Producer: Selena Leoni
Director of Photography: Parida TantiCast: Kuozheng Hao, Shenli Zhao, Huabiao He, Zihan Zhao, Gloria Ho, Xinyu Zhang

AWARDS:
● BEST FANTASY - Rome International Movie Awards 2022
● BEST DRAMA FILM - Europe Film Festival UK 2022
● BEST COMEDY SHORT - Tagore Internation Film Festival 2022

Step 9

10 mins
Released, 2023

When a college student is kicked out of her dorm, she must reconnect with her alcoholic father.

Writer/Director: Leah Hulgin
Producer: Selena Leoni
Cinematographer: Heath SaundersCast: Keana Cowden, Frank Collison, Oscar Best

Dream Lollipops
好夢棒棒糖

16 mins
Post, 2023

In 1941 Shanghai, Tan and her disabled daughter Su paint and sell lollipops to make a living, but when a stranger appears wanting to do business, the dream Tan has built starts to collapse.

Writer/Director: Yichi Zhang
Producer: Selena Leoni, Changhui Shi
Director of Photography: Hansuk SohnCast: Crystal J. Huang, Ruike Kuang

The Night

16 mins
Released, 2021
UCLA

Three students recount drastically different versions of a traumatic incident. What is the truth? And what does the pursuit of truth mean in an indifferent justice system?

Director: Lia Lenart
Writer: Reina Higashitani
Producer: Selena Leoni
Director of Photography: Xiang HeCast: Kathryn Schott, Robert Arriaga, Isaac Ramsey, Su Castillo, Rogelio Douglas III

Eve

13 mins
Released, 2021
Spoil Productions

A young bride's queer sexuality awakening is triggered at the wedding reception with her new husband.

Director: Joe Solomon
Writer: Laurence Tratalos
Co-Producer: Selena Leoni
Cinematographer: Jonathan MooreCast: Sophie Delora, Richard Southgate, Miranda Foster, Kevin Fuller

AWARDS:
● BEST COMEDY INTERNATIONAL - AltFF Alternative Film Festival 2021
● BEST LGBTQ SHORT - Florence Film Awards 2021
● BEST LGBTQ SHORT - Hollywood Gold Awards 2021
● BEST LGBTQ SHORT - Milan Gold Awards 2021
● BEST LGBTQ SHORT - Virgin Spring Cinefest 2021

SORRY GRANDPA HSIAO

13 mins
Festival, 2023
Hillman Grad and 271 Films, with Indeed

Desperate for a promotion, a Chinese American woman enlists her “perfect” brother to help exploit her grandpa’s death anniversary for her company’s AAPI heritage month social takeover.

Writer/Director: Candace Ho
Producer: Selena Leoni, Mireia VilanovaCast: Valerie Yu, Mark Daugherty

DARE GREATLY

4 mins
Festival, 2023
Little Paws Pictures & Row Z Studios

A woman's journey for love and connection in the grocery store parking lot.

Writer/Director: Kerri Lendo
Producer: Selena Leoni, Zegan DoyleCast: Kerri Lendo, Aristotle Dreher, MK Paulsen, Christine Medrano

Streaming now on:

AWARDS:
● HONORABLE MENTION - The Gold List 2024 by Gold House
● JURY AWARD - New York International Children's Film Festival 2023
● AUDIENCE AWARD - Children Film Festival Seattle 2023
● FANTASTIC FOXES YOUTH JURY AWARD - Children Film Festival Seattle 2023
● JURY AWARD - Children Film Festival Seattle 2023

EID MUBARAK

16 mins
Released, 2023
Creator+

A privileged six-year-old Pakistani girl embarks on a mission to save her beloved pet goat from being eaten on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Azha, only to learn the meaning of sacrifice.

Writer/Director: Mahnoor Euceph
Producer: Selena Leoni, Benjamin O'Keefe, Kamil ChimaCast: Rubab Rasheed, Momina Salman, Zoha Rahman, Emmad Butt

PRESS:

OSCAR® QUALIFIED SHORT FILM

ESSENTIALLY AMY

15 mins
Festival, 2022
Creator+

A young Chinese American girl working at her local grocery store during the height of the pandemic must confront growing racism towards Asian Americans while mitigating her mother’s expectations and personal bias towards Black Americans at home.

Writer/Director: Ari Groobman
Executive Producer: Selena Leoni
Producer: Benjamin O'Keefe, Mitchell Schwartz, Ryan RamseyCast: Stacy Chu, Ping Liu, Brenda Valencia, Seyi Ayorinde, Hidekun Hah, Heather Turman, Jim Todd

AWARDS:
● BEST SHORT - Poppy Jasper International Film Festival 2023
● BEST SHORT - Los Angeles International Film Festival 2022
● OUTSTANDING SHORT - Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2022

JEROME

15 mins
Festival, 2023
Creator+

JEROME (mid-teens) struggles with feelings of inadequacy when the annual Fathers and Sons event forces him to confront the absence of his own father; and he deals with it the only way he knows how—basketball.

Writer/Director: Gianfranco Fernandez-Ruiz
Executive Producer: Selena Leoni
Producer: Benjamin O'Keefe, Santi NaidooCast: Elias Ferguson, Aries Sanders

AWARDS:
● FINALIST - HBO Short Film Award - American Black Film Festival 2023

Streaming now on:

Bienvenidos a Los Angeles

15 mins
Released, 2023
Creator+

Inspired by true events, “Bienvenidos a Los Angeles” tells the timely story of Imani, a Nigerian single-mother living in Los Angeles, who offers to help a perfect stranger reunite with her son. In doing so, Imani learns this simple act of kindness threatens to jeopardize her own path to citizenship.

Writer/Director: Lisa Cole
Executive Producer: Selena Leoni
Producer: Vivian Johnson, Lisa Cole, Cindy Lu, Jolene Mendes, Benjamin O’Keefe, Lolia EtomiCast:
Yvonne Huff-Lee, Rashmi Rustagi, Destiny Faith Nelson, Stacey Patino, Jason Delane, Philip Wilburn, Ethan Mendez, Phoenix Stafford

AWARDS:
● SHORTLIST - 2024 Academy Awards (2024 Oscars®)
● WINNER - Diversity in Cannes 2023

The Difference Between Us

Festival, 2023
Creator+

An undocumented immigrant in Philadelphia starts to fall for a roommate she’s never met — forming a connection that will test the limits of her romantic imagination.

Writer/Director: Imran Siddiquee
Executive Producer: Selena Leoni
Producer: Tshay WilliamsCast:
Samiha Mehnazz Ahmed, Iman Carter, Sita Sarkar

YOUNG KING

2024 - Little Paws Pictures & 1B Productions

As Diondre Howell re-adjusts to civilian life and struggles to cope with the scars of the Iraq war, he increasingly becomes a threat to those he cares about the most – his family.

Writer/Director: Bryant T. Griffin
Producer: Selena Leoni, p.g.a.
Director of Photography: Vittoria Campaner

Cast: Vince Washington, Tarra Riggs, Kirby Griffin, Vaughn Wilkinson, James Arthur Sims

AWARDS:
ARRI Franz Wiesner Grant 2021 - WINNER
BEST ACTOR (Vince Washington) - American Black Film Festival 2024

Streaming now on:

SMILE OR HUG

2022 - Wayfarer Studio

After being dumped on her 30th birthday, Trish Santos - an online art teacher - works through her loneliness with the help of her students, two best friends, and a box of homemade self-help tapes given to her by the mysterious “mind painter” Doctor Garcia.

Director/Director of Photography: Paul Spranger
Producer: Selena Leoni, Carlo Cosio
Writer: Chelsea Javier, Paul Spranger

Cast: Chelsea Javier, Danny Trejo, Andrea Navedo, Chris Aquilino, Christian Henley

AWARDS:
Mixed Asian Film Festival 2022 - BEST FEATURE FILM

PRESS:

Streaming now on:

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

2022 - Creator+ Studio

New college grad Ariana Alvarez (Samantha Boscarino) is given a chance to turn her life around when she joins a stuffy country club.

Director: Jeannette Godoy
Director of Photography: Diana Matos
Producer: Jeannette Godoy, Griffin Johnson, Mckenna Marshall, Nick Phillips, Adam Wescott
Executive In Charge Of Production: Selena LeoniCast: Samantha Boscarino, Caitlin Carver, Natasha Behnam

PRESS:

Streaming now on:

JANE

2022 - Creator+ Studio

Olivia is a young woman who gets deferred from her dream college and experiences frightening panic attacks. In an attempt to regain some sense of control, she embarks on a social media-fueled rampage against those that stand in her way.

Director: Sabrina Jaglom
Director of Photography: Diana Matos
Producer: Deborah Liebling, Madelaine Petsch, Nick Phillips, Adam Wescott
Executive In Charge Of Production: Selena LeoniCast: Chloe Bailey, Madelaine Petsch, Melissa Leo

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