Leslie Ann Coles

Leslie - Ann Coles dedicated 18 years to modern dance, choreography and mixed media performance art prior to transitioning from the stage to the screen as a filmmaker/ actress in 2000. Her debut film, "In The Refrigerator", screened in 35 international film festivals and garnered 13 international awards for "Best Picture", "Best Actress", "Best Short Film", "Best Film", "Best Debut Filmmaker", "Best Avant-Garde", and the Grand Jury Award: "Filmmaker In an Acting Role." She has been producing, acting and filmmaking ever since! "Melody Makers, should've been there" (2016) marked her debut feature documentary although she has starred in, produced and/or directed several other films to date. Founder, Executive and Artistic Director, of the Female Eye Film Festival (FeFF), "Always Honest, Not Always Pretty" was established by Coles in 2001 to encourage the presentation of films directed by women. The FeFF is an international competitive women directors film festival based in Toronto, Canada. The Female Eye Film Festival offers a perspective of the world through the female eye and bridges the gap between the written, visual and media arts with an eclectic program while illuminating the best of debut, emerging and internationally recognized women directors from around the globe. Under the Female Eye, Young Filmmaker Development Workshop (YFDW), Leslie- Ann serves as a mentor director to female youth at risk including Aboriginal females. To date she has produced forty - six (46) short films which have premiered at the FeFF since establishing this program in 2006.