Leyla believes that film making is an opportunity to look again, insisting the audience get closer and question everything they thought they knew about being human. Leyla prides herself in taking risks and approaching narratives with a fresh perspective. Coming from a performance art background, Leyla is particularly interested in unusual bodies, in unusual spaces, doing unusual things. She likes building new worlds, worlds that have a familiarity but are heightened or off-kilter, with indulgent and bold aesthetic choices. She likes deciding the texture, the noise and title of the film before anything is written. She's loves to make films that evoke intense feelings.. She believes that the most interesting parts of the story is usually found in-between what is said. She sees every story as a poem, a pattern, a landscape, a patch work-quilt that has an unpredictable spirit. She hopes all her work challenges the viewers, makes them feel something and leaves them questioning the human experience. She is obsessed with being around other creative minds, she’s a passionate collaborator and loves hearing about other people’s weird minds, dreams and ideas. She prioritises fun, joy, health, openness, originality, collaboration and play within her creative projects. She is an award-winning poet, theatre maker and creative facilitator alongside her film work. In 2022 Leyla was named one of Screen International Rising Stars.