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Leo Behrens is an award-winning Norwegian cinematographer based in Los Angeles. His short film SKIN, which he wrote, directed, and shot, won the Gold Medal at the 2023 Student Academy Awards and has screened at over 50 festivals worldwide, including AFI FEST, Newport Beach, and Oldenburg. The film earned 9 awards and 20 nominations, including Best Cinematography at the Los Angeles Cinematography Awards and Gem Fest. Following his Student Academy Award win, Leo was invited to join the Gold Mentorship Program run by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Leo is a 2023 Cinematography graduate of the American Film Institute Conservatory (AFI), represented by Zero Gravity Management, and an associate member of both the Norwegian Society of Cinematographers (FNF) and the Society of Camera Operators (SOC).
In 2023-24, he participated in the ASC Vision Mentorship Program and was awarded the Fresh Perspective in Cinematography Grant, sponsored by AbelCine, ARRI, and the ASC, which he utilized to shoot his feature debut Shadow Watchers, presented at CineGear Expo LA 2024. He also served as a jury member for Best Cinematography in a Documentary at the 2025 Gullruten Awards (Norway's equivalent of the Emmys), as well as a jury member for SEEfest 2025.
As a cinematographer, his work on the documentary Evan Ever After earned top awards at Oscar-qualifying festivals, including the Audience Award at the Florida Film Festival. The short film Pace, which he shot, was selected for the 2025 American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes International Film Festival in France.
Before attending AFI, Leo built his career as a cinematographer in Norway, working on major TV productions after graduating from Westerdals Film & TV Norway (2010). Early in his career, his short documentary Historien om deg og meg won the prestigious Gullkalven Award, Norway's equivalent of the Student Academy Awards. He was also the Director of Photography for multiple episodes across three seasons of Klassen, a popular Scandinavian narrative TV series filmed in Norway and part of a larger franchise recognized among young adult audiences in Scandinavia.
While Leo works across genres, he's especially drawn to drama, psychological thriller, magical realism, mystery, and science fiction. He brings a distinct visual and narrative style to stories that subvert expectations and push at the boundaries of human experience.
