Leul is a versatile media entrepreneur, producer, and creative strategist, shaping Ethiopia’s creative landscape through filmmaking, festival curation, talent management, and media diplomacy. A graduate of Addis Ababa University in Political Science & International Relations, he has championed impactful storytelling and industry collaborations since 2017.

Leul’s debut short film Plumes Blanches (White Feathers) (2019) premiered at FESPACO, the New York African Film Festival (AFF), and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF). Beyond directing, his producing portfolio includes the anthology limited series Addis Love (2025) for South African pay-TV company M-Net, collaborating with emerging Ethiopian writer/directors to amplify authentic narratives.

Leul is an alumnus of Talents Durban, the Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab, the African European Distribution Academy (AEDA), and the DW Akademie Film Development Fund. He is attending the Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors 2025 edition with his project The Headstone, a coming-of-age story about a son and father attempting to reconnect after a civil war that kept them apart for years. Leul’s vision for Ethiopia’s creative sector is to develop a sustainable, competitive ecosystem that bridges local and global markets. In addition to his producing work, he engages in impact campaigns for documentary films and moderates film-related conversations and panels.

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