Schauspiel, Drehbuch & Regie
Biography
Born as the daughter of an Austrian mother and an Egyptian father, Laila brings a strong contrastive background with her. She grew up in between Vienna and Innsbruck, living through different cultures and settings, which gave her the ability to tell stories from multiple perspectives.
Starting to write her first stories at the early age of 4 she has been considered as gifted and is regarded as being one of the most interesting upcoming actresses and filmmakers in Europe. As a member of the drama association of her high school, she started to perform on stage when she was 15 and later on studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She also finished a master degree in international economics at the University of Innsbruck and Aston Business School in Birmingham.
She studied script writing and dramaturgy with Berlinale Script Station Mentor Alby James for two years and worked on sets with directors such as Olivier Assayas, Marc Foster or Rebecca Zlotowski. She received numerous awards, such as “Best Supporting Actress” at the New York International Film Festival and was selected as “Berlinale Talent Actress”. In 2013 she received the Arthur-Haidl-Price from the city of Innsbruck for her achievements in Film. Her projects have been selected for scriptFORUM Vienna, Diverse Geschichten or Torino Film Lab and emphasize on dramatic and socio-political topics.