Leila is a London-based writer/director, currently pursuing an MA in Directing Fiction at the National Film & Television School. She recently returned from a round the world trip where she travelled from London to New Zealand (and back again) without flying; a journey which constantly inspires her work. In the middle of the Indian Ocean, she decided to pursue film more formally and applied for Sydney Film School where she graduated from in 2019.

Her short Le Miroir, which she wrote, directed, produced and edited, finished a successful festival run, screening all over the world including at the BAFTA/Oscar qualifying Flickerfest. It was released online with Omeleto and is available to watch here.

During lockdown, she focused on writing and became the first person to win four NYC Midnight writing competitions. These include winning the 2021 NYCM Screenwriting Competition from over 1800 contestants—making her the first female winner in 15 years—a competition she then won again in 2023 from a field of 1600+. Other accolades include winning the 2022 NYCM 250-word Microfiction Competition (5400+ entries), the inaugural 2023 NYCM 500-word Fiction Competition (4200+ entries) and the 2022 Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Competition (5000+ entries) with a satirical take on gender reveals.

Being of mixed heritage (Arab/Dutch/British), she’s particularly passionate about telling stories which explore identity and what makes us who we are - or what we think makes us who we are - and how discrimination, subconscious bias and preconceptions interact. She often blends magical realism, fantasy, and dystopian elements to examine real-world issues in heightened, visually rich landscapes. Design plays a crucial role in her storytelling, with location often becoming a character in its own right. Her darker sense of humour also usually finds its way into most of her stories.

She is always on the look out for producers and creatives who would like to collaborate so please get in touch if you’d like to talk. She also offers script writing and consultation/feedback services to help bring ideas to life.