If you watched the Oscars this weekend, you may have noticed that someone was missing. This someone chose to hang back this year, letting the others hold the spotlight for once. It’s only fair, for filmmaker and Tufts alum Tim Leong (LA’22) would have swept it.
Since his graduation in 2022, Leong has been steadily churning out projects that testify not only to his skill but also to his passion for the film medium. Following a brief stint as a freelance videographer, Leong began to focus on his own projects — an effort that was duly rewarded. He wrapped up production for his senior thesis project in the spring of 2022, and he released the final product, “Airbag,” in 2024.
“Airbag” is a comedy-drama that explores a girl’s tense relationship with her father as she crosses the threshold of her adolescence — learning how to drive. The film solidified Leong as a promising young filmmaker, following its win for “Best Short Comedy” at the Academy Award-qualifying New Hampshire Film Festival. Whether through his attention to detail or his commitment to professionalism, Leong exhibits a clear dedication to his craft.
“If it feels like [the film] has production value, and you learn how to do that, then in the future you get better at storytelling … and directing,” he said. “You can feel an intentionality behind a roughness sometimes, and you can feel when it’s laziness.”
Tim Leong is pictured shooting a film with collaborators.
While at Tufts, Leong worked as a documentary filmmaker, an experience that influenced his cinematographic and narrative choices.
“Documentary-style, observational [and real life] are the foundation for me, and from there, I want to add the formal elements that incorporate the medium of film,” he said. “I want all my movies to start from a place of watching real people doing things and seeing their humanity.”
Leong is incorporating this approach in his current projects, both of which are in post-production. “Trivia” is a performance-focused short film that follows an awkward confrontation between friends at a bar on trivia night. Leong is continuing to explore naturality and real-life experiences through his latest project and first feature-length film. He withheld the exact plot, but he promises an exciting product with an improvisational quality. Clearly, his commitment to authenticity is even permeating the way he interacts with the medium and production process — a process he desires to be as intimate as possible.
“The more stages you put between yourself and the bigger production, the harder it is to actually execute your vision,” he said.
“This first feature I shot … it was just me and [two others] and nothing else. It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had because there was no distance between me and the movie,” he added.
This proximity is essential to the translation of a creator’s vision which is another reason why Leong chooses to edit all his projects himself. It’s no coincidence that the recent Academy Award-winning film, “Anora,” was edited, written, produced and directed by its creator, Sean Baker — a win that could partially be thanks to Baker’s close involvement with the production.
Yet, as Leong goes on to pursue bigger projects — perhaps even graduate school — he continues to hone his craft right here in Somerville. Following his first feature film, Leong plans on directing another that centers around the city of Somerville. But essential to Leong’s future projects is the infusion of meaning into his work. His studies in political science at Tufts have certainly contributed to this effort.
“I ultimately feel that your vision of justice or how power should be allocated should inform the art you make and what you do in life,” he said. “I couldn’t make a career that didn’t engage with that at all.”
Wherever Leong’s path may lead him, he clearly possesses the skills necessary to make an impression on the industry. Who knows, Sean Baker may have some competition next year.
