About
Leigh Lisbão Underwood is an award-winning director of photography with Brazilian and American roots. He has shot feature-length fiction projects for cinema and TV, as well as commercials, documentaries and short formats. He is based both in Los Angeles and Berlin, Germany, and works fluidly throughout the United States and the EU.
Leigh's work has been seen at festivals including Cannes, Tribeca, and Palm Springs, as well as international television networks such as ARD, ZDF, France 3, Ion and Lifetime. He has been honored with awards for best cinematography at Palm Springs International Film Festival and the European Cinematography Awards. His commercial work as a DoP includes clients such as Mercedes-Benz, Kia, Kit Kat, Universal Music and Riot Games.
A graduate of UCLA's prestigious Master’s Program in Cinematography, he studied under seasoned cinematographers including Vilmos Zsigmond ASC, John Simmons ASC, John Bailey ASC, and Richard Crudo ASC. Since then he has regularly taught cinematography himself, also at UCLA, in courses on lighting, image composition, workflow and the creative process.
Leigh grew up in a New Jersey suburb of New York City, traveling frequently to São Paulo, Brazil. He holds dual citizenship in the US and Brazil, as well as a resident working visa in Germany for the EU. He is fluent in English and German and conversational in Portuguese and French. His travels have driven his passion for telling socially aware, human stories through a cinematic eye.
A graduate of UCLA's prestigious Master’s Program in Cinematography, he studied under seasoned cinematographers including Vilmos Zsigmond ASC, John Simmons ASC, John Bailey ASC, and Richard Crudo ASC. Since then he has regularly taught cinematography himself, also at UCLA, in courses on lighting, image composition, workflow and the creative process.
Leigh grew up in a New Jersey suburb of New York City, traveling frequently to São Paulo, Brazil. He holds dual citizenship in the US and Brazil, as well as a resident working visa in Germany for the EU. He is fluent in English and German and conversational in Portuguese and French. His travels have driven his passion for telling socially aware, human stories through a cinematic eye.
Selected Credits
1915, independent feature, dir. G. Hovannisian & A. Mouhibian, USA, 2015. Winner, Special Jury Prize, Lake Van International Film Festival
Christmas in Vienna, TV feature, dir. N. Lyon, JewelLabs Pictures/Ion Television, USA/Austria, 2019
Crossing the Blue, Short, dir. V. Aleksanyan, Hoshkee Film/CineSud, Armenia/Netherlands, 2022. Winner, Best Cinematography, Yerevan Int'l Short Film Fest
Brasil Meu Amor, independent feature, dir. D. Tottom, Brazil/USA, 2016. Official Selection, Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival
Sugar Daddies, TV feature, dir. Doug Campbell, Shadowland / Lifetime Network (USA), 2014
Death Clique, TV feature, dir. Doug Campbell, Shadowland / Lifetime Network (USA), 2013
Awards
Winner – Best Cinematography, Crossing the Blue, Yerevan International Short Film Festival 2022
Winner – Best European Cinematography, The Keeper of the Trees, European Cinematography Awards 2020
Winner – Best Cinematography, The Boy Scout, Palm Springs International ShortFest 2013
Winner – Best European Cinematography, The Keeper of the Trees, European Cinematography Awards 2020
Winner – Best Cinematography, The Boy Scout, Palm Springs International ShortFest 2013
Represented By
Snowflake Management / Steffen Weihe (Fiction / Germany)
CV / Resume
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