The Childhood of a Leader is a 2015 historical drama film, co-written, co-produced and directed by Brady Corbet, in his feature film directorial debut. It is loosely based on Jean-Paul Sartre's short story The Childhood of a Leader, published in 1939 in a collection entitled The Wall. Corbet co-wrote the screenplay with his wife Mona Fastvold.The film is a co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Sweden, France, Canada and Belgium, and chronicles the childhood of a fascist leader in the period immediately following World War I. Production began in early 2015, in Budapest, (Hungary). The film had its world premiere in competition in the Horizon section at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival on 5 September 2015, and won two awards at the festival, Best Debut film and Best Director.