Film Director | Screenwriter | 1st AD| Film Speaker & Educator.Laila Petrone is an Italian/Dominican filmmaker. Raised between Italy and The United States. Laila received a B.A, in International Affairs (John Cabot University) and a Master in Communication & Media (University of Florence). As a child of an actress, she spent most of her youth on Italian film sets, In 2007, she appeared as Pina in Spike Lee's Miracle at St. Anna.The experience inspired her to pursue a career behind the camera. In the following years, she worked her way to becoming a 1st Assistant Director and Producer. In 2014, Laila's directorial debut Your Love premiered at Urban World Film Festival in NYC. The short was awarded "Best of Festival" at the Black Women Film Network Summit in Atlanta, and was selected to screen on Aspire TV as part of the ABFF Independent series’ short films program. In 2019 she completed her second short film No me olvidaré de ti -I Will Not Forget You”conceived in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, which has been awarded “Inspirational Short Film” at Rincon International Film Festival in Puerto Rico.Currently, Laila is working on a docu-series titled Mothers and Daughters. This project explores the stories of several Latina mothers and daughters born and/or raised in Italy.Laila’s work ranges in genre but always with a common desire to explore multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion.