We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Leo Monts. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Leo below.
Leo, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I didn’t find my purpose, it found me. When I first got to Dublin, Ireland in 2022, I had very little purpose. I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker, but I had only produced a few short films and music videos, none I was especially proud of, and I didn’t know why I was going to Ireland, besides trying to get work on set and learn more about my heritage. That’s when I realized I had moved straight into one of the worst housing crises in the world. I saw people living on the street, filling up homeless shelters and hostels, and even breaking into buildings to find a place to call home. More than that, I saw for the first time how the housing crisis could affect middle-class people, not just the poor. Everyone I met was struggling with housing; 68% of 18-to-34-year-olds were still living with their parents. And even once I found a place to stay, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
That was the experience that taught me that the most important thing to have in this life is solidarity with your fellow people. Even if they’re poorer than you, even if they’re a different color, even if they come from a different place. It’s also the experience that started me on the path to shooting my debut feature documentary, THE REVOLUTIONARY HOUSING LEAGUE, about the parallels between the housing crises in Dublin and Chicago. I know my creative purpose now, and it’s to use art as a tool for creating solidarity between people and building a better world.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Leo Monts. I’m a documentary filmmaker based in Chicago, Illinois, and I’m looking for ways to build a better world, while having a good life in the world we’ve got. I’ve worked in short film, music videos, and I have an original visual album out, but my most exciting work is my documentary in progress, THE REVOLUTIONARY HOUSING LEAGUE.
In 2022, while living abroad in Dublin, Ireland, I saw their desperate housing crisis first hand, and got an incredible opportunity: I documented the Revolutionary Housing League, a group of activists who were openly and publicly occupying empty buildings to keep their homeless neighbors from dying on the street. Now I’m back home in Chicago, and my team and I are working to finish the documentary. In this age of the global housing crisis, it’s an extremely current story: What do people turn to when they’re unable to get a roof over their head legally? What can we do to keep our homes from going the same way? I want to introduce you to Sean, Sabrina, Claire, and the other incredible people I met in Dublin. You can find my work at www.leomonts.com.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The first skill that was important was curiosity. Plenty of artists have the skills to make interesting art, but haven’t yet developed the curiosity about the world around them. In 2022, I knew I wanted to be an artist, but had no idea yet what I wanted my art to be. So, I took a big risk: I got a work visa and moved to Ireland for six months. I never would have found the story about housing justice that became THE REVOLUTIONARY HOUSING LEAGUE if I hadn’t pushed myself to pursue my curiosity across the Atlantic, and into occupied buildings and desperate housing struggles, even though I didn’t know where it would lead, and to listen to the people I found there.
The second skill that was most impactful to me was courage. This is one I’m still developing. To tell the truth, I didn’t have the courage to get as much footage as I would have liked in that homeless shelter in Dublin. I wish I had asked the residents more about their personal lives. I wish I had asked to follow them through a typical day. But as I’ve moved forward with the creative process, I’ve learned that I can’t make a compelling piece of art if I’m afraid of “stepping on people’s toes.” Once the documentarian has gained access, they need to trust that they’re wanted, and move their focus to making the best film possible.
The third skill that was most impactful to me is self-kindness. This may sound strange, but for a long time upon completion of shooting in Dublin, I didn’t do anything with the footage. A part of me was convinced that I hadn’t gotten enough good material, or that I didn’t have the skills to make anything good out of it, so I avoided it. It was only when I accepted that I had the footage that I had, and whatever regrets I had about the process, I could only work through them by completing the project, that I found the motivation to continue with what has turned out to be an extremely fulfilling project. Self-criticism can be useful for creating change, but self-kindness is the only way to create sustained action.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am interested in collaborating on future writing projects for the stage and screen. I am interested in telling stories that delve into self-doubt and identity, and how these things can divide us or bring us together. I want to tell stories about people who don’t fit into the world as it is constructed, and how we can build better worlds, while having a good life in this one. I’d love to work with writers and playwrights at a similar stage as me, still emerging into their careers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.leomonts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leothemonts/
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@LeoTheMonts
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
