KAYLA MARIE AREND

QUICK FACTS:

• Kayla is a writer-director proficient in most genres

• Kayla has been making films for 25 years

• Kayla enjoys being in nature

• Kayla’s Mentors:

  • Spike Lee

  • James Reed

  • Kasi Lemmons

  • Jeff Hogan

  • Andrew MacLean

• Kayla is also an artist and photographer

EDUCATION:

MFA - Film & Television Writing + Directing, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, 2022

BA - Film & Photography, Entomology, Montana State University, 2013

Directors Program - Writing and Directing, New York Film Academy, 2008

ABOUT KAYLA

Kayla Arend is a Luxembourg-American film director. Her films are noted for their surreal, quiet and suspenseful elements accompanied with strong leading female characters and unique wilderness settings. Echoing the cinematic textures of David Lynch, Lynne Ramsay and Darren Aronofsky; it is clear why her work demands attention.

Kayla Arend studied film, photography and entomology at Montana State University before earning her Master’s degree in writing-directing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Her graduate thesis film, Leaving Yellowstone, was executive produced by Spike Lee and won several awards for Best Director, Best Actor and Best Cinematography.

Kayla’s appetite for visual storytelling began at a very young age. With her first digital medium as a 3 ½ inch floppy disks, she was a kid with a camera. Kayla lettered in Art for her film work in her highschool’s TV Production Class. Kayla was the only girl who attended New York Film Academy’s directors program at Universal Studios in 2008. From there Kayla was one of the few women who attended MSU’s film program in the graduating class of 2013. After graduating, Kayla found herself in the wilderness of Wyoming working with legendary wildlife cinematographer Jeff Hogan as a camera assistant on many BBC and National Geographic wildlife shoots. Kayla moved to New York City in 2016 to earn her Master’s in writing and directing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Film Program. From there, her creative voice has been sculpted by the projects she chooses to make. With Kayla’s background in wildlife and natural history filmmaking, Kayla likes to apply strong elements of nature to her narrative fiction storytelling. 

When Kayla is not making films or hiking in the wilderness, she is teaching. In 2022, Kayla started working as an adjunct professor at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She works with students one-on-one to shop their scripts and assure production functionality and safety.