Director of photography Laela Kilbourn has accumulated feature credits including Best Cinematography award winner SWIM TEAM, and eight Sundance Film Festival documentary premieres, such as Apple Original Films’ GIRLS STATE; the DuPont-Columbia Journalism Award winner THIS IS HOME: A REFUGEE STORY; Peabody Award winning HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO; and Emmy nominated WORD WARS. A recent project premiering at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival is SABBATH QUEEN, and she also shot SYNC OR SWIM, winner of the Billie Award for Journalism from the Women’s Sports Foundation, and filmed History’s eleven part docuseries SANDHOGS. Her award-winning narrative work includes CRABS IN A BARREL, featured on HBO Max; THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF QUEENS, awarded Best Narrative Short Film at Katra Latinx Festival; PARK SLOPE MOMS, winner of the NYWIFT/iWomanTV Best Dark Comedy and Audience awards; the feature film DEATH OF A FOOL; and JUNE WEDDINGS. She has worked on projects for FX, NBC, PBS, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Epix, Apple+, Amazon Studios, AMC, A&E, TBS, Nick Jr., NickMom, ESPN, Disney, History, MTV, VH1, and WeTV. A member of the International Cinematographers Guild IATSE Local 600, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, New York Women in Film & Television, and the International Collective of Female+ Cinematographers, she has served as a juror for the Brooklyn International Film Festival, as a panelist on cinematography at the Canon Creative Studio and DOC NYC PRO, and as a guest speaker at The New School. She has a degree in social anthropology from Harvard University.
Film Awards
THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF QUEENS
Best Narrative Short Film, Katra Latinx Festival 2023
PARK SLOPE MOMS
Best Dark Comedy and Audience Award Winner, NYWIFT Online Shorts Festival/iWomanTV 2022
CRABS IN A BARREL
Winner, HBO Latinx Short Film Competition, Official Latino Film Festival 2021
TIPPING THE PAIN SCALE
Audience Award, Best Feature Documentary, Maui Film Festival 2021 Social Awareness Award, Orlando Film Festival 2021 Award of Excellence, Impact Docs Awards Film Festival 2021 Gold Award Winner, Spotlight Documentary Film Awards 2021
THIS IS HOME: A REFUGEE STORY
Alfred I. DuPont – Columbia University Journalism Award 2019 Audience Award, World Cinema Documentary, Sundance Film Festival 2018 Director’s Award, Foreign Documentary, Cinetopia Film Festival 2018
SWIM TEAM
Festival Favorite, Festival International Du Film Sur Le Handicap 2018 Guirlande d’Honneur, Federation Internationale Cinema Television Sportifs 2018 Christopher Award 2018 Best Feature Cinematography, Wales International Documentary Festival 2017 Nashville Public Television Human Spirit Award, Nashville Film Festival 2017 Ethos Award, SIMA (Social Impact Media Awards) 2017 Coupe de Coeur de l’Equipe du FIFH, Festival International du Film sur le Handicap de Cannes 2017 Best Feature Documentary, AutFest 2017 Best Feature Documentary, Picture This Film Festival 2017 Audience Award Documentary Feature, Lighthouse International Film Festival 2017 Best New Jersey Film, Montclair Film Festival 2017 Best Sports Documentary, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival 2016 Best New Jersey Film, Monmouth Film Festival 2016 Audience Choice Feature Winner, Monmouth Film Festival 2016
KIM DOTCOM: CAUGHT IN THE WEB
Special Mention, Best Documentary Feature Film, Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2017
THE BUDDY SYSTEM
Best Short Documentary, AutFest 2017
THE LEPRECHAUN’S WIFE
Audience Award, SF Shorts 2016
HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO
Peabody Award, Documentary & Education, 2015
Audience Award, Full Frame Documentary Festival 2015
Junior Juror Prize, Montclair Film Festival 2015
MAGIC CAMP
Outstanding Achievement in Family Filmmaking Award, Newport Beach Film Festival 2012
Merlin Award, Best Documentary, International Society of Magicians 2013
Best Feature Documentary, Kidz Filmz, Garden State Film Festival 2013
Tannen’s Magic Mark Nathan Sicher Award 2013
Winner, Coalition for Children’s Quality Media 2013
MY BROOKLYN
Audience Award, Brooklyn International Film Festival 2012
Best Documentary & Best Director Winner, Red Hook Film Festival 2012
IN GOOD TIME: THE PIANO JAZZ OF MARIAN MCPARTLAND
Manny Berlingo Best Feature Documentary Award, Garden State Film Festival 2012
HOT COFFEE
Documentary Grand Jury Award, Gasparilla Film Festival 2011
AMERICAN TEEN
Best Documentary, Sarasota Film Festival 2008
Directing Award, Documentary, Sundance Film Festival 2008
SYNC OR SWIM
Billie Award for Journalism, Women’s Sports Foundation 2009
Best Director, Feature Documentary, NY International Film Festival 2010
Best US/International Feature, Kansas City Film Festival 2009
WORD WARS
Emmy Award Nomination, News & Documentary, Outstanding Cultural & Artistic Programming 2005
Best Documentary, Sedona International Film Festival 2004
Best Cultural Documentary, Mountain Film in Telluride 2004
International Documentary Association Award Nomination 2004
Audience Award, Full Frame Documentary Festival 2004
JUNE WEDDINGS
Directors’ Special Recognition Award, SF Shorts Film Festival 2007
Best Short Film Runner-Up, Baltimore Women’s Film Festival 2008
HIC!
Best Live-Action Short, BamKids Film Festival 2005
Prix Jeunesse International Finalist, 2005
BAR TALK
Audience Award, Best Short, Fire Island Film & Video Festival 2003 Audience Award, Best Lesbian Short, OutFar! Phoenix International Gay&Lesbian Film Festival 2003
Best of Shorts Review, Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 2002
Best of Mixte: The Pride Showcase, Paris, France 2002
Outfest’s “Best of the Fest” Favorite Girls Shorts 2002
VATICAN II: INSIDE THE COUNCIL
34th Annual Telly Awards 2013 Film/Video Silver Winner