Biography

BAFTA/LA Award-winning writer, director, and producer Leila Djansi began her filmmaking career at the age of 19 and she received an Artist Honors Scholarship to study film at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her sophomore directorial effort Sinking Sands was named by CNN as one of the must-see films of the 21st century and, was selected by the United Nations for its Say No to Violence campaign in 2010. She followed with the Black Reel Award-nominated Ties That Bind, starring Kimberly Elise (Confirmation, John Q), an Official Selection of AFI's New African Films Festival. Continuing to tackle socially charged stories, Leila Djansi's Like Cotton Twines confronted the modern-day scourge of slavery, winning Best Narrative Feature at the 2016 Savannah Film Festival and again at the 2017 Riverbend Film Festival.

Her versatile body of work includes Where Children Play, featuring Grammy winner Macy Gray, the UNiFEM advocacy film Sinking Sands, and AMC's Urban Movie Channel series 40 and Single, winner of the LA Film Festival Audience Award for Best Episodic Television Show. She has also served as a judge and mentor for the Netflix and UNESCO film incubator African Folktales Reimagined, which is streaming on Netflix. Recognized internationally for her commitment to telling stories that center women, Djansi continues to champion female-driven narratives and diversity both behind and in front of the camera. Her other credits include And Then There Was You and All the Men in My Life.

12/13/2025
- IMDb mini biography by: Publicist