Eleonora Mignoli, who goes by Leo (she/they), is an Italian-born UK-based queer and neurodivergent screenwriter. They are interested in genre writing, world-building, and themes of identity, sexuality, gender, migration, and age politics.
They are a member of the prestigious BAFTA Connect and a 2024 Mentee of the Wonder Women Mentoring Programme.
Leo has optioned Hannah Persaud’s sharp and seductive novel Codes of Love and has signed a shopping agreement with Bristol-based Studio Crook to adapt it for television.
Leo’s first movie, Steal Your Heart, was shot in Miami and produced by Sunshine Films, distributed by Reel One Entertainment and is streaming now on Amazon Prime US.
They are also developing a multiplatform IP with LA-based company Kinetic Energy Entertainment, a next-generation media venture studio pioneering the evolution of entertainment, and spent 2023 ghostwriting animations for an online streaming channel with more than 5 million views per episode.
As a film writer, they have worked on features commissioned by Odealy Films, Paguro Films and more. Their drama feature Legacy has been awarded BFI Network Early Development funding and is now in development with Manchester-based production company Polari, and they are collaborating with multi-awarded director Baff Akoto on a groundbreaking sci-fi project.
Leo’s talents span the storytelling spectrum, from TV to XR, as proved by the selections on prestigious talent schemes such as Series Mania Writers Campus 2022, Future of Film Incubator 2022, and Good Trouble Labs. They have also worked with Manchester-based company Belly Feel as an Interactive Story Designer.
Their screenplays have consistently scored in the top ranks of respected UK and international competitions, including Austin Film Festival, Sir Peter Ustinov, Nicholl Fellowship, Shore Scripts, etc. Most recently, they won the Grand Prize at the Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition with their feature script Pyre.
Their written-and-directed short film, The Bargain, has been acquired by the online platform DUST, which has more than 4 million viewers worldwide. You can watch it here.