Production company Society has added director Jian Luo (“Layla”) to its roster, marking her first U.S. representation. With international work for clients such as Mercedes-Benz and Nescafé, she consistently infuses brand stories with truthful, human connection. 

Society executive producer Jason Heller said, “We are always looking to expand our roster with directors who bring a unique point of view and align with the values of Society. Layla has a strikingly beautiful visual style and has a natural ability to tell stories empathetically, highlighting both real people and characters with cinematic flair.”

Layla shared, “Both Jason and Society founder Harry Calbom are very hands-on when it comes to creative collaboration and that is something that really excites me as a director.”

Born in the Uyghur Autonomous Region of China on the Gobi Desert, Layla is a visual storyteller whose work is driven by a desire to explore versions of the world unseen. She graduated with an MFA in Film Directing from NYU and holds her BA degrees in sociology and film studies. Her short film What Do You Know About the Water and the Moon tells a magical-realist story about a young woman who gives birth to a jellyfish during an attempted abortion. Premiering at the 2019 Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, it screened at dozens of top-tier festivals and won several awards before it launched the NOWNESS Asia platform in June 2020. Layla is the recipient of the Ang Lee grant, the Hollywood Foreign Press Award, and was in the “artist in residence” program at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. In between her directing work, Layla educates students at the School of Visual Arts as a guest lecturer. She divides her time among New York, London and Beijing.

The addition of Layla comes on the heels of the announcement that Society founder Calbom had shifted into directing full time, with Heller stepping up as EP.