Laura Neri

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Director Laura Neri at work

Laura Neri (Greek: Λάουρα Νέρι) is a director of Greek and Italian origins. Born in Brussels, Belgium, she graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts (MFA in Film Production). Laura Neri was born of a Greek mother and an Italian father, which meant she was trilingual by the time she was four. She got her BA with Honors in Film Analysis and Screenwriting at the Free University of Brussels. She then got an MA in Video Production from Bournemouth University (UK) and has completed her MFA in Film Production at the University of Southern California, where she received a grant from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and was selected by the University to receive a full scholarship for 2 years.

Her thesis film is a drama called A Kiss on the Nose, which has won several awards and screened worldwide. It describes a difficult father-daughter relationship, told from the daughter's quirky point-of-view. During 2005 the film won the "Jimmy Stewart Memorial Crystal Heart Award – Student Dramatic Short" at the Heartland Film Festival as well as the inaugural VISION AWARD, which recognizes an emerging filmmaker who shows vision in filmmaking. The film also won "Best Short" at the Danville International Children's Film festival and was one of the 10 winners of the Flickering Image Film Festival, it won 2nd place for Best Screenplay and 3rd place for Best Actress at the Action on Film Festival, Honorable Mentions at the Smogdance Festival and the Rochester Festival, was nominated for Best Short at the B-Movie film festival and received the A.S.C. Charles B. Lang Heritage Award for Outstanding Cinematography (Honorable Mention). Overall, the film has screened at more than 40 festivals as well as been bought by 2 TV channels.

Laura Neri is now in development on 2 feature scripts, one of them an indie drama and the other a sci-fi parody.