{{short description|American screenwriter}}

{{Infobox person | name = Leah Meyerhoff | image = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|12|04}} | birth_place = San Francisco, California, United States | death_date = | death_place = | othername = | years_active = | spouse = | website = http://www.leahmeyerhoff.com | awards = Student Academy Award nomination for Best Narrative Short <br> Slamdance Honorable Mention for Best Narrative Short | occupation = director, producer, screenwriter, and actor }} '''Leah Meyerhoff''' (born December 4, 1979) is an American Student Academy Award-nominated director, producer and screenwriter. She has received attention as the writer and director of the feature film ''I Believe in Unicorns'' starring Natalia Dyer and Peter Vack. Her films have screened in over 200 film festivals worldwide and won over a dozen international awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1573783/|title=Leah Meyerhoff on IMDb|website=IMDb |access-date=2010-06-02}}</ref>

==Biography== Leah Meyerhoff was born in San Francisco, California and attended Berkeley High School. She graduated with Honors from Brown University with a bachelor's degree in Art-Semiotics and a master's degree in Film at New York University (NYU).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leahmeyerhoff.com/bio|title=Leah Meyerhoff bio|access-date=2010-06-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721195818/http://www.leahmeyerhoff.com/bio/|archive-date=2011-07-21}}</ref>

Her debut feature film ''I Believe in Unicorns'' premiered at SXSW in 2014<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2014/03/sxsw-review-fantastical-i-believe-in-unicorns-rings-true-88429/|title=SXSW Review: Fantastical 'I Believe In Unicorns' Rings True|date=10 March 2014 |access-date=2014-03-10}}</ref> and won the grand jury prize at the Atlanta Film Festival.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1141702/awards|title=IMDB I Believe in Unicorns - Awards|website=IMDb |access-date=2017-11-22}}</ref>

While at NYU, Meyerhoff directed ''Twitch'', a short film portraying a young girl's irrational fear that her mother's disability is contagious.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443675/|title=Twitch on IMDb|website=IMDb |access-date=2007-09-14}}</ref> ''Twitch'' kicked off the film festival circuit by winning a Grand Jury Prize at the Slamdance Film Festival<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slamdance.com/2005/festival/awards.asp|title=Slamdance Awards|access-date=2007-09-14|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713125447/http://www.slamdance.com/2005/festival/awards.asp|archive-date=2007-07-13}}</ref> and becoming a finalist in the Student Academy Awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leahmeyerhoff.com/twitch/awards|title=Twitch awards|access-date=2007-09-14}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> It has since screened in over 200 film festivals, won a dozen awards, and was picked up for distribution by PBS, Hulu, iTunes and the Independent Film Channel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leahmeyerhoff.com/twitch/screenings|title=Twitch screenings|access-date=2010-06-02}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>

Meyerhoff has since completed several music videos and commercials, including ''Team Queen'', a Planet Out finalist which aired on Logo,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.teamqueen.com|title=Team Queen homepage|access-date=2007-09-14}}</ref> ''Eternal Flame'', which was in rotation on MTV Europe, and ''Like Our Fathers''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eternalflamevideo.com|title=Eternal Flame homepage|access-date=2010-06-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201155600/http://eternalflamevideo.com/|archive-date=2011-02-01}}</ref>

Meyerhoff has received press mention from ''The New York Times'', Film Threat, Flavorpill, ''The San Francisco Chronicle'' and numerous other publications.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leahmeyerhoff.com/press|title=Leah Meyerhoff press|access-date=2007-09-14|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721195827/http://www.leahmeyerhoff.com/press/|archive-date=2011-07-21}}</ref> Meyerhoff was also profiled in the docu-drama series ''Film School'', directed by Nanette Burstein (''The Kid Stays in the Picture''), which continues to air on IFC.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0402641/|title=Film School on IMDb|website=IMDb |access-date=2007-09-14}}</ref>

In addition, Meyerhoff has taught directing and editing courses at New York University, The New York Film Academy, and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has been a programmer for several film festivals and was recently a member of the HollyShorts and Slamdance Film Festival narrative juries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leahmeyerhoff.com/bio|title=Leah Meyerhoff bio|access-date=2007-09-14|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721195818/http://www.leahmeyerhoff.com/bio/|archive-date=2011-07-21}}</ref>

Meyerhoff is also the founder of Film Fatales, an advocacy group for women feature film and television directors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmfatales.org/contact|title=Film Fatales|access-date=2017-11-23}}</ref>

==Filmography== *''I Believe in Unicorns'' (2014) *''Like Our Fathers'' (2011) *''Eternal Flame'' (2007) *''The Heist'' (2006) *''Team Queen'' (2006) *''Twitch'' (2005) *''Packaged Goods'' (2003) *''Neurotica'' (2002) *''Wonderfluff Sandwiches'' (2001)

==Awards== '''Twitch Awards''' *Avignon Film Festival &mdash; Best American Short

'''Unicorns Awards''' *Independent Feature Project &mdash; Emerging Narrative Filmmaker Grant *Atlanta Film Festival &mdash; Grand Jury Prize

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.leahmeyerhoff.com official site] *{{IMDb name|id=1573783|name=Leah Meyerhoff}} *Brown University Alumni

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyerhoff, Leah}} Category:American music video directors Category:Berkeley High School (Berkeley, California) alumni Category:American women film directors Category:Living people Category:American women screenwriters Category:New York Film Academy Category:Women music video directors Category:Screenwriters from San Francisco Category:Brown University alumni Category:New York University faculty Category:School of the Art Institute of Chicago faculty Category:New York University Tisch School of the Arts alumni Category:Film directors from San Francisco Category:1979 births