BIO

Lila Yomtoob is an Iranian American writer and director. Shortly after receiving her degree from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in film, she went on to direct the “perfectly honed” and “razor sharp” (Variety) feature film, “High Life.” Her current short, “America 1979” has screened at more than twenty festivals and markets, is distributed by Gravitas Ventures, and is available on Amazon and select VOD platforms. She has directed several digital shorts including content for Nintendo and other entities.

Lila’s strength is in collaborating with her co-creators, and making sure everyone’s talent shines. Social justice and the human condition are at the core of her work, whether it be comedy, drama or documentary. She’s attracted to stories that that make us who we are and the “what ifs.” She believes that the moving image has the power to bring people together, and increase empathy and understanding.

Yomtoob’s films have been invited to Clermont Ferrand, Palm Springs International Film Festival, San Francisco Indiefest, Reykjavik International Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Hollyshorts, San Francisco International Asian Film Festival (CAAMfest), Pop Montreal, and The Global Peace Film Festival, amongst others. She has written several award winning grants and has been written up in Variety, The SFist, The Examiner, The Mash-Up Americans, The Jewish Journal, The Montreal Gazette, and more.

The television pilot based on “America 1979” is a selection of IFP Film Week, and a semifinalist at Cinequest, We Screenplay Diverse Voices and Stage 32 Television Writers. Since IFP, she’s been shortlisted for AFI DWW, Sundance Episodic, and Macro Episodic.

Previously, Yomtoob worked in sound editorial and received an Emmy Award for HBO’s “Baghdad ER.”

Lila was born in Chicago to an Iranian father and and Iranian/Iraqi mother, and has two siblings – a psychologist and a communications professor. After many years in New York City, she relocated to Los Angeles, where she spent her teenage years. She lives with her loving partner and a few high maintenance plants.

Contact her at lila*at*yomtoob*dot*com.