We had the good fortune of connecting with Leland Montgomery and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leland, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I don’t often ask myself why I decided to pursue an artistic career — I think that it was hardwired from a young age. Many filmmakers talk about making movies with camcorders and family video cameras, and I never think of myself as one of those people – but I absolutely was. When I was 11, I recreated the opening 5 minutes of titanic, shot for shot, with Disney figurines and star wars action figures. When I was 7, I dictated Goosebumps fan fiction to my mom, who dutifully recorded every story point. I’ve always felt the need to tell stories – even when I didn’t know-how.

Over the years, I’ve experimented with many different mediums – prose, poetry, theatre, and photography. I think I became so passionate about film because it combines all those fields into one.

Sometimes when things get hard, I’ll fantasize about giving everything up and focusing on more practical things, but every time I start to lean into that, I feel something in me give a kick of resistance, and I get sucked back into it. I think it would take a lot for me to stop pursuing this.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I would say that the thing I am most excited about right now is the short that I just directed. It’s called Hotter Up Close. We’ve just started our festival run — we screened at SeriesFest, Reel Out Charlotte, Outshine Miami, and most recently at Dances with Films.

It’s a gay coming-of-age comedy along the lines of 16 Candles. I’m excited about the film because it embodies the stories I want to tell and the sort of artist I want to be. For a long time, I struggled with how to be a queer director in Hollywood. Obviously, there are a lot of successful LGBTQIA artists, but I think we’re entering a golden age of queer stories. From Fire Island to Heartstopper to Bros, I am consistently inspired by the types of stories that are breaking into the mainstream, and I think that Hotter Up Close is a personal swing in that direction.

Hotter Up Close follows Chris, a queer slacker who is a little adrift on the verge of his 30th birthday. His boyfriend has dumped him, and he has no real career aspirations. He’s on the cusp of being considered “too old” by his fellow gays.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One of my new favorite spots is Figaro Bistro on Vermont. It’s a great little French restaurant with some of the best people-watching on the east side. Some other spots I love are Bar Stella and Akbar on Sunset Junction.

I’d also take this hypothetical best friend to a Sunday Company show at the Groundlings. A lot of our cast performs there on Sunday nights, and it’s some of the best sketch and improv in town.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are a couple of folks who deserve a special shoutout. One of those people is Christopher Matias Aguila, a constant collaborator and my boyfriend of many years. My parents are also very much responsible for any success I have. Carolyn Manetti, a producer and mentor is another to whom I am very indebted.

Website: www.leland-montgomery.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotterupclosefilm/

Other: Hotter Up Close Trailer: https://vimeo.com/702635294

Image Credits
Forrest Johnson

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