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Ang Li/ Leon

@leon.nonkiller

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It was a great pleasure to win the Best Asian Director, Best Short Doc, and the Best Short Experimental awards at @londondirectorawards

I always feel that the awards are never supposed to belong to myself only, but all the people that I have worked with, have met, have been supported by and have been shaped by. It is the people that inspires me the most and encourages me to create different works all the time. Without people we are nothing.

So a big thanks to my dearest friends Grace, Lamees and Mike for attending the screening! The fact that you were there accepting the award for me is perfect! Love you all!

Xxx by @leon.nonkiller

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7 months ago

It still feels like a dream…

“I Had Sex, But…” (2025) was awarded Best Documentary Short at the BIFA-qualifying Brighton Rocks International Film Festival 2025! @brightonrocksfilms @bifa_film

It’s such an honour to receive this recognition at such an early stage in my career — especially during times when I’ve doubted myself countless times. Thank you so much to @james_frew , @sezonlyknows , and @samuel_hates_social_media for this honour. A very special thanks to Samuel, curator of the animation/experimental screening session Enter The Void, for your encouragement, support, and thoughtful discussions. And thank you to Sarah for creating the most detailed and caring Brighton guidebook! Huge thanks as well to all the incredible staff and volunteers at the festival — none of this would have happened without you.

It was also such a pleasure to meet the community and so many talented fellow filmmakers. Big congratulations to everyone involved!

I’m endlessly grateful to my friends @headintheclouds_acg , @lameesalm , @simonguti , and @caroline.coyer for coming down to Brighton to support me in person, and to all my friends who sent love, encouragement, and kind wishes — I felt every bit of it. Love you all!

And of course, thank you again to the wonderful people who participated in the film: @carloshernandezstudios , @mugurel_andres , and @ninesevendoubleight — this award is yours too!

And how incredible that Phil Davis himself presented the award to me!

Event photo credits: @inbloomvideo , @creativeprocessdigital , and @by.iaroslava taken in Brighton, England, UK by @leon.nonkiller

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a year ago

I am honoured to announce that I Had Sex, But...(2025) was awarded the Best Editing Documentary at 12° Torino Underground Cinefest!

Thank you so much for the recognition @torinoundergroundcinefest ❤️🙏🇮🇹 by @leon.nonkiller

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a year ago

公历二零二六年五月四日.山西太原.天气晴.
4th of May, 2026. Taiyuan, Shanxi. Sunny.

To my dear friend Yanze. 🍃💐

🎥: Canon 514XL
🎞️: Kodak Vision3 200T/7213
🧪: DDREDFILMLAB
🤳: @leon.nonkiller

#wedding #weddingonfilm #super8 #super8wedding taken in 晋祠博物館 by @leon.nonkiller

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4 months ago

Tomorrow we'll change everything.

@demainonchangetout in 2025 Wuzhen Theatre Festival.

📸: #mamiya645

#wuzhentheatrefestival by @leon.nonkiller

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8 months ago

it's a love story. 💙

📸: #mamiya645protl #sonya7r4
🎞️: #kodakportra160 #kodakportra800 #lucky200
📍: #xinjiang #china

#weddingphotography #travelphotography #portrait #couplephotography #xinjiang #filmphotography #mamiya #analoguephotography #weddingsonfilm #120mmfilm #kodak taken in Xinjiang Province, China by @leon.nonkiller

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a year ago

Artist Interview: Ang Li

Ang Li's works with both digital and analog processes, often combining archival research with direct observation. Whether documenting a remote village in Shanxi or capturing a fleeting gesture on a ferry, his photographs reflect a steady, thoughtful way of seeing that stays close to what is present.

Q: What pushed you to leave computer science and focus on images instead?

A: I’ve always known that I love art and culture. My mom nurtured this passion from a young age — she would buy me international movies and TV series on DVD, which were rare and expensive in China back then. I’d spend hours on the couch, completely immersed in those stories. She also filled our home with classic literature, and I loved reading them. I took piano and drawing classes until high school, where I chose to study science. Looking back, I realise I was always doing something creative in one way or another, and those experiences really shaped my passion for art and, admittedly, my bad eyesight.
I’ve always been curious about the world and eager to tell stories — about myself, about others.
In high school, I sought out writing as my medium.
I joined the literature society, wrote stories, editorials, and even helped publish our school magazine. But over time, I recognised that while I enjoyed writing, many of my peers were far more naturally gifted in it. I still write occasionally, but I understood it might not be my true calling.
When I entered university, my parents hoped I would pursue Mathematics and later Computer Science, believing it would secure a stable career for me.

Read the full interview in Curatory Volume 5—available now.
🔗 Link in bio!

Artwork:
By Your Side - Film photography, 2024

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#CuratoryMagazine #FeaturedArtist #ContemporaryArt #ArtistInterview #ArtPublication #Artist #Artistsoninstagram #Artistinterview #Interview #Art #Arts #Photography #Photo #photographer #photograph by @leon.nonkiller

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a year ago

@leon.nonkiller was born in Anhui Province, China. He be-gan his university studies in Beijing, majoring in Computer Science. However, driven by his passion for visual art, he changed his major to Communication then the closest option available at his university despite a one-year academic delay.
In 2021, he moved to the UK to pursue an MFA in Creative Documentary by Practice at Univer-sity College London, graduating in 2023. Since then, Ang’s work has been recognized by BAF-TA-qualifying international film festivals, like Sheffield DocFest, Visions du Réel, and DokuFest, and exhibited in galleries, like Roseberry Road Stu-dios. His art is calming yet powerful, offering a window into his evolving perspective of the world.
Through his work, he invites others to join him on reflective, emotional journeys. Ang values mee-ting people from different backgrounds and liste-ning to their stories. He is unafraid to challenge authority or question conventional thinking. He believes every piece of art mirrors the artist’s cur-rent stage of life, ideas, and emotions ultimately, each creation is a story of the artist themselves. by @leon.nonkiller

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a year ago

COMPETENCIA INTERNACIONAL DE CORTOMETRAJES - PROGRAMA 1. #11EQ🌈

🩷I had sex, but… , Ang Li (Reino Unido, 15’)

•Martes 1 de julio
•Auditorio / C.C. Islas Malvinas [Av. 51 y 19, La Plata]
•20:00 hs.

🩷¿Cómo definirías la intimidad, y cómo podrías encontrarla? El director intentó hallarla teniendo sus primeras experiencias sexuales con desconocidos. La película muestra las interacciones entre ellos, antes y después de tener sexo. Y tras estos encuentros, el director reflexiona sobre el sexo, la intimidad y el romance digital en la sociedad moderna.

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PROGRAMA 1 COMPLETO
-Luz Diabla,Patricio Plaza, Paula Boffo, Gervasio Canda (Argentina, 12‘)
-Un movimiento extraño, Francisco Lezama (Argentina, 23’)
-I had sex, but…, Ang Li (Reino Unido, 15’)
-Rounds, Anna Demianenko (Países Bajos, 10’)
-TAPAGE, Joséphine Madinier (Francia, 25’)

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🩷 Espacio Queer, Festival de Cine sobre Diversidad Sexual y Género de la ciudad de La Plata * 29 de junio al 5 de julio de 2025 *

💙 Todas las funciones de Espacio Queer son libres y gratuitas, por orden de llegada. ¡Te esperamos!

💜 Visitá nuestra web www.espacioqueer.com.ar

#11EQ #espacioqueer #laplata #EQ #festivaldecine #filmfestival #competenciadecortometrajes #competenciadelargometrajes #competenciadecortos #competenciadelargos #festivaldecinequeer #Queer #LGBT #queerfilmfestival #cine #filmfest #film #agendacultural
#lgbtshortfilm #cineargentino #LGBTcine #cinequeer #queerfilm #festivaldecineLGBT #CineQueer #cinenacional #incaa taken in Centro Cultural Islas Malvinas by @leon.nonkiller

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a year ago

Feeling really grateful and excited to be part of “Tensions We Live With” at @espaciohanders Gallery, alongside amazing @focater_ceramica ,Derek Miller Hurtado, @juliatarrats_art @karpodines @ffffflores @martaqin_art @mokalache curated by the wonderful @rosannaryan_art

I’ll be showing three pieces from a very personal collection of mine, “I Kept the Curtains Open When I Slept”. These works mean a lot to me, and it’s such a gift to see them living in this space, in conversation with such thoughtful artists.

🎨 “Tensions We Live With” exhibition
📍 Espacio Handers, Madrid, Spain
🗓️ May 29th - June 21st, 2025

It was a shame that I couldn’t make it to the opening night because of my visa issues, but I am very grateful for everyone that attended the events. Also, thank you to everyone who poured love and care into making this show happen. It truly takes a village. Pictures were taken by @gcruzado.fotografo

A very special thank you to @rosannaryan_art , our incredible curator, for her endless support, guidance, and encouragement — not just with this exhibition, but with my work as a whole. I feel so lucky to have crossed paths with such a talented, generous, and truly heartwarming person. There’s nothing but gratitude in my heart.

xxx taken in Madrid,Spain by @leon.nonkiller

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a year ago

Truly honoured to exhibit a selection of film photography pieces from my ongoing documentary photography project “Aliens” as one of the four featured artists at “Habitat”, curated by @anitaa_sala , at @roseberryroadstudios The exhibition is part of @fringeartsbath , inspired by @silvanarchitects Grateful to everyone who made this exhibition possible — thank you for the opportunity and for bringing this project to life.

"Aliens" investigates the presence and meaning of artificial fences and barriers within human habitats, and how these structures encroach upon the natural environment, alienating other species — and ultimately, ourselves. The selected works were captured in the UK (2022), Turkey (2023), and Japan (2024).

Fences and barriers have long become inseparable from modern life. Their unnaturalness lies precisely in how naturally they have embedded themselves into our everyday environments. Ubiquitous yet overlooked, these structures serve as tools for marking territory, securing construction sites, and isolating hazardous areas — carving space into an 'inside' and an 'outside.' They exist to grant those who erect them a sense of exclusivity: mine, not yours.

But these man-made divisions are more than physical boundaries. They mirror psychological separations within human societies and extend humanity’s impulse to monopolise space, resources, and capital. Over time, they evolve into abstract entities — mediators of spatial relations that cut through landscapes with a Möbius strip-like non-duality. In this paradigm, every crossing between 'inside' and 'outside' is rendered an intrusion, and every person, animal, or entity becomes a relative alien to a particular space.

This project places these overlooked yet omnipresent divisions under the lens, treating them as subjects in their own right. It asks viewers to consider: in the environments we’ve created, are we being protected, or are we being confined? What is it that we seek to claim exclusively, and whom — or what — are we choosing to other, to alienate?

🎨 “Habitat” exhibition
📍 Roseberry Road Studios, Bath, UK
🗓️ May 27th - June 3rd 2025 taken in Roseberry Road Studios by @leon.nonkiller

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a year ago

I’ve always considered "I Had Sex, But…" my first true author film. From when I first shot it in 2021 to finally completing it in early 2025, the process has been more than a creative challenge — it’s been a deeply personal journey. Over these four years, the film pushed me to examine my own behaviours, experiences, and thoughts in front of the lens, as both filmmaker and human being.

This film isn’t just about sex or the body — it’s about the invisible, often unspoken connections between intimacy, loneliness, and fear. While the story follows a gay man’s first sexual experiences, my hope has always been for its themes to feel universal, to resonate with anyone who’s ever felt exposed, uncertain, or searching for connection.

After its world premiere at @sundayshortsff in Lisbon, the film had its UK premiere at @kinofilmmcr in Manchester earlier this month. I’m incredibly grateful to both festivals for recognising the film and giving me the space to share it with so many.

I’m also excited to announce the film’s upcoming festival run:
* North American Premiere at Fairy Tales Queer Film & Arts Festival @queerartsyyc in Calgary, Canada on June 14th, as part of the Not That Kind of Phase program.
* Virtual screening begins June 18th via Oakville Festivals of Film and Art @the_offa_ca in Canada — a Canadian Screen Award Qualifying festival.
* On June 20th, "I Had Sex, But…" will have its second UK screening at Brighton Rocks 8th International Film Festival @brightonrocksfilms , a BIFA-Qualifying festival, in the Enter The Void program. There’ll be a short Q&A after the screening, and it would mean so much if you joined the conversation.

Ticket links and details for all upcoming festivals and screenings are in my bio.

Finally, I want to thank the incredible cast for their trust, courage, and generosity since 2021 — @carloshernandezstudios , @mugurel_andres , and my dear friend @ninesevendoubleight for her phone call, and constant support since I knew her. And to everyone who’s offered their support over these past four years: for my work, my growth, and my life — thank you. This film, and I, wouldn’t have made it without you.

With love, always. xxx taken in London, United Kingdom by @leon.nonkiller

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a year ago