Leia Kågeson always starts with a feeling

Five years ago, almost to the day, Leia Kageson sat down for an office manager interview at new—land Stockholm with a bachelor’s in business economics and a vague idea of what film production looked like. This week she was named Rising Star at Roygalan after a successful few years of directing, including, most recently, a high-gloss commercial for Spotify x Audi.

In between, Leia moved through all corners of new—land, from producing and social media to a role as director’s assistant, where hours spent cutting animatics and finding imagery taught her to think like an editor, a practice that has shaped her visual approach to direction.

At what point did you decide you wanted to get into directing? Or was it something you already knew?

It grew slowly. When I was a director's assistant, I remember telling Sophie that it felt like such a long way to standing on set and giving directions. But you get the experience, and maybe after a while I noticed I was having my own ideas about certain scenes, like, she could do this here, or she could do this. That's when I felt I was starting to get my own voice.

What is directing for you? Is it a way of saying something, or is it something else?

My main focus, what I'm always trying to come back to, is that I want people to feel something, and I want them to feel it in every way. From casting to how you edit, how you shoot it, how the camera moves, I always want to have that perspective. When I feel something watching a movie, that's when I'm like, this is the best, and that's what I want to bring when I make something. One of the nice things about film is that you can escape your reality, even if it's just for 30 seconds.

Where do you find the inspiration for your films? Or is it something that just comes to you?

I always try to set a feeling first: this is what I want people to feel when they look at this. Then I go on different visual platforms, or look at films, and search for visual inspiration. I start with the feeling, and then it narrows down into certain shots.

Are there any films in particular you put on when you want to feel something?

So many, and sometimes I surprise myself, because it doesn't have to be the most well-crafted movie. Sometimes I just put on The Devil Wears Prada, because that's how I want to feel right now. 

Which of your own films are you proudest of?

[Läskvarten] will always have a special place in my heart. I got back into reading about a year ago, and it's another way for me to escape my reality that isn't a film, so it meant a lot to make it. The client completely trusted my vision, so I could really focus on craft.

Have you seen a big progress between how you approached your first project and how you approach films now?

I've learned to trust the process. I'm someone who wants to check off all my to-dos by the end of the day, and creativity doesn't really work like that. You have to give it time and let it marinate. I really struggled with that in the beginning, but I think it's my biggest learning so far.

Leia works as a director’s assistant in New—land’s Stockholm office alongside directing her own films. Next, she wants to make a music video. “I would love to bring some of the female energy and that sort of vibe into the hip hop culture,” she says. “I love working with contrast.”