ABOUT NEIL GABRIEL DE SOUSA

Writer - Filmmaker - Photographer

Neil Gabriel De Sousa was born May 17, 1972 in Goa, India. At the early age of four, and given his father's profession, Neil fast began his life journey living, schooling and travelling all over the world. 

Always an avid reader, and a writer of short stories, Neil was also drawn to the many wonders of 35mm stills photography, and was eventually introduced to the emotional spirit of light, colour and the elements by David Hatfull, a master award-winning British stills photographer who taught the O-Level Photography course whilst Neil was still a young student at the former Douai School, a traditional British boarding school for boys in Berkshire, England. It was at this impressionable time that Neil knew he would make it his mission to combine his love of storytelling with the power of pictures/images.

Neil studied English Literature and History at the University of Toronto, and being most eager to move on to engage his love of the cinema and filmmaking, he mentally slaved to complete his four year BA degree in three years, graduated in the summer of 1993, and then flew out a few weeks later to commence his film school adventures in Los Angeles.

It was at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), where Neil embarked on a three year intensive film studies program comprising courses in screenwriting, cinematography, directing, editing, motion picture marketing & distribution, and was taught by a range of legendary film industry veterans which included Ronald “Ronnie” Neame, CBE, a master film producer and director (The Horse’s Mouth, Tunes of Glory, The Poseidon Adventure, Hopscotch, The Odessa File, Scrooge, The Chalk Garden, Gambit, and many other titles), as well as master cinematographer Lazlo Kovacs, ASC (Easy Rider, Paper Moon, Ghost Busters, Frances, The Toy, Paradise Alley, New York, New York, and many other titles) and David Worth, a resourcefully efficient and effective film director and cinematographer (Any Which Way You Can, Bronco Billy, Bloodsport, Kickboxer, and many other titles)

Whilst at UCLA, Neil made his own short films, worked on the short films of his fellow students, as well as worked and trained concurrently in the Hollywood film and television industry, and within a variety of roles. 

His intensive practical training at established firms included the story development department at Cinergi Pictures Entertainment, Inc., the film company of notable Hollywood box-office blockbuster producer Andrew G. Vajna (First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo III, Total Recall, Air America, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Nixon, Judge Dredd, Die Hard III, The Scarlet Letter, and many other titles), as well as at Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Entertainment Studio, and ABC (American Broadcasting Corporation) Network Television, where he trained in the strategic media relations and broadcast publicity division helping the management team with the production and co-ordination of EPKs (electronic press kits), on location, on set, and also in-studio satellite interviews, all of which provided him with a reasonably diverse glimpse of the mechanics, politics and structure of the film and television business. His experiences included EPK’s for Steven Bochco’s NYPD Blue, Steven Spielberg’s High Incident and Champs, Stephen J. Cannell’s Wiseguy TV movie, and several other network projects, including EPKs for the 68^th Academy Awards OSCAR show in 1996.

Neil has continued to learn and develop his filmmaker's craft by writing, producing, photographing, directing and editing his own independent short films, including A Father’s Duty, which saw its debut on May 17, 2006 at the 59th Festival de Cannes, Short Film Corner, Cannes, France, Superconscious, an 11 minute short film which saw its debut on May 17th, 2007 at the 60th Festival de Cannes, Short Film Corner, Cannes, France, as well as The Angel of Eternal Light, which saw its debut on May 17, 2008 at the 61st Festival de Cannes, Short Film Corner, Cannes, France.

Having taken 8.5 years to film, Neil considers The Angel of Eternal Light the most special of all of the films he has made, and it will always be the closest to his heart. It tells the story of a beautiful magical soul who arrives from the celestial heavens above, and who brings peace, love, joy, light, inspiration, comedy and adventure through the powerful body, mind and spirit of a majestic, ultra-intelligent, exceptionally loyal German Shepherd Dog named Christo. This film is a special cinematic tribute to the great Christo Boy, a true spirit guide, and who passed on back to the heavens on Feb. 5, 2008. Christo Boy serves as the new and official opening logo for Neil G. De Sousa Productions.

Goldbug and Cosmic Skywolf were additional short-films which were respectively screened in the 62^nd and 63^rd editions of the Festival de Cannes, Short Film Corner, Cannes, France.

He recently wrote, produced, directed, photographed and edited a pilot for the webisodic comedy series he has created and entitled The Goldenlight Gang

Neil has completed co-writing the feature length action-comedy-adventure screenplay entitled Operation Tangerine Thunderbolt which is set in Canada, Brazil and India, A Return Journey to Rome (Il Viaggio di Ritorno a Roma) which is a psychological drama screenplay set in Rome, Italy, and most recently completed Cosmic Sugar Beach Paradise set in Canada and Brazil. All screenplays are based on his original stories and characters. He is now completely focused on writing novels, and with a lifelong novel-writing schedule ahead of him, is in the process of completing his first novel for delivery in August 2011.

For Neil, filmmaking demands and provides continuous learning, eternal challenges, broad enriching stimulation and sheer excitement for the spirit and the soul. It is not a job or duty, but a passion for craft. Never afraid to make a mistake, or take a risk, and he has made and taken many, Neil has found the bulk of his learning and progress has come from that approach. His mandate is very simple and clear: As a citizen of the world, and calling no one country his own, his goal is to tell entertaining, inspirational, human stories for a world audience. His basic mantra in life: peace, love, light and goodwill to all. Never worry, just be happy, and simply embrace and accept the positive forces of the Universe to nourish, cultivate, and guide the creative spirit and soul on its wonderful journey.

His personal aim as a writer/filmmaker/photographer is to further explore the wonders of story and character, and also to further embrace his passion for the study of the soul and emotion within light, colour and the natural elements. His mandate is to utilize all of this on his eternal cinematic journey as a powerful tool to help further his own experiences of the world. Through the conveyance of diverse cultural stories, he hopes to facilitate a better understanding and appreciation of those cultures through those stories, and where the actors, the stories and the collective vision shall all continue to be his greatest allies on his life journey.

Neil has travelled all over the world. He has lived in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America. He is a citizen of the United Kingdom/European Union, and is also a citizen of Canada.