Lyla Mzayek is a Syrian-American director passionate about bridging cultural barriers through magical realism and emotionally intimate storytelling. Her work explores shared humanity across East and West through poetic, fantastical visuals.

With a diverse skillset spanning producing, writing, editing, VFX, and videography, Lyla carries projects from concept to final cut with a cohesive creative vision. She directs narrative films, commercials, branded content, social media campaigns, and short-form work — merging cinematic storytelling with contemporary digital strategy.

She earned her BFA in Film Production with an emphasis in Directing from Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, along with a minor in Film Music specializing in score composition.

Her award-winning thesis film, The Rain Lady, follows an undocumented Arab immigrant and her five-year-old daughter navigating feelings of voicelessness and alienation in the United States by envisioning a folk tale that brings them hope. The film received international recognition, including selections at the International Student Film and Video Festival hosted by the Beijing Film Academy, the Asian World Film Festival, multiple awards from the Independent Shorts Awards, and a mention in Variety.

She hopes to one day direct feature films while continuing to direct commercials, branded content, social media campaigns, and short films.