From an early age, he was astonished by films and especially how they are shot. Around the age of 14, he bought his first mini DV camera and began to make as many films as possible with his friends.

He taught himself to direct, shoot and edit, which led him to study at the HKU Utrecht University of the Arts, from where he graduated in 2015 as a cinematographer. Since then he has been working on numerous commercials and (fashion)films.

Levien likes to capture the world in an unpolished style. He loves exploring the beauty of visual imperfections in the images he creates. Those are often dynamically flowing and are accompanied by a rhythmic pace of music and editing. By setting the right visual mood, he strives to make his work feel authentic and raw, often with a deeper poetic meaning.

Coming from the digital era, he also loves to shoot analog film and photography.