Leighton Pierce

Leighton Pierce

Known for

Directing

Born

October 27, 1954 (age 71)

Birthplace

Rochester, NY, USA

Biography

Leighton Pierce, born John Leighton Pierce, is an American experimental filmmaker who works with film, video, sound, and installation. He is also the Dean of the School of Film/Video at CalArts since the summer of 2014. He is best known for his impressionistic technique in video imagery that creates a hypnotic effect as well as his use of sound design. The motif of water is dominant in his work and gave the name to the video series "Memories of Water". Pierce looks for inspiration in his immediate surroundings. He has stated that "in the simplest terms, a film or a video can be considered to be a meaningful experience in time. As a filmmaker, I take that as my mission: through the use of ima...

Best known work

Sitting
Sitting
2010
Wood
Wood
2000
50 Feet of String
50 Feet of String
1995
Veiled Red
Veiled Red
2001
Retrograde Premonition
Retrograde Premonition
2010
My Person in the Water
My Person in the Water
2006
And Sometimes the Boats Are Low
And Sometimes the Boats Are Low
1983
Viscera
Viscera
2004
White Ash
White Ash
2014
He Likes to Chop Down Trees
He Likes to Chop Down Trees
1980

Filmography

  1. 2025

    CARBON

    Director

  2. 2024

    Wasp Radial

    Director

  3. 2023

  4. 2022

  5. 2018

    DECK

    Director

  6. 2016

  7. 2014

    White Ash

    Director

  8. 2012

  9. 2010

    Sitting

    Director

  10. 2010

  11. 2010

  12. 2010

  13. 2008

    Stone Moss

    Director

  14. 2007

    Number One

    Director

  15. 2006

  16. 2005

    Hammock

    Director

  17. 2004

    Viscera

    Director

  18. 2003

  19. 2003

    Pink Socks

    Director

  20. 2002

    37th & Lex.

    Director

  21. 2002

  22. 2002

    Evaporation

    Director

  23. 2002

  24. 2001

  25. 2001

    Veiled Red

    Director

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