LEANDER BEHAL
director | writer
I make weird films
I have an odd sense of humor and I love misfits. So my films tend to revolve around strange characters who get caught up in bizarre circumstances. It's an eclectic blend of surrealism, magical realism, inverted tropes and deadpan humor. And because I am a hopeless romantic, my tall tales often involve flawed protagonists who overcome hardships to find a deeper sense of meaning.
Of course, I hope my films speak for themselves.
All the best,
Coming in 2024: Heartware
PLOT: The androids Clu and Lia work in a retrofuturistic ice cream parlor. Recently, their co-worker self-destructed.
Clu clings to his broken friend, but Lia wants a replacement as quickly as possible.
YEAR: 2024
RUNTIME: 15 minutes
CAST: Lee K. Reimers, Marion Barten, David Richter
LANGUAGE: German
Find out more about Heartware here
"Taximan" is my most successful short film to date. It was chosen as the opening short film for one of Germany's oldest and most prestigious film festivals (Hof International Film Festival) where it won the Audience Award after seven packed screenings. It took home two more trophies in Landau and Thalmässing. After two years, "Taximan" is nearing the end of its festival run. I look back with a mixture of pride and dread. Every director has hits and misses. This one was a hit. Will there be another? I am working on it with gritted teeth and fingers crossed. The creative process is unpredictable, but I hope you will bear with me on this rocky road.
If you would like to find out more about Taximan, please click here.
Three Audience Awards for Taximan
Impressions from the festival season 2022 - 2024
Upcoming projects
You have made it to the bottom of the page and are wondering what I am currently working on? Here is a quick rundown.
2024 - 2025:
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Touring festivals to attend "Heartware" screenings
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Co-directing the short film "Sohnemann" (AT) with Jan Lamprecht
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Continuing my studies at Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg
from 2026 onward:
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prepare "Sohnemann" (WT) for the festival circuit
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write the screenplay for my feature debut