Laura Kirk

Laura Kirk is an accomplished filmmaker renowned for her multifaceted contributions as a producer and actor in the film industry. She gained significant recognition for her role in Andrea Arnold’s critically acclaimed film, *American Honey*, which premiered at Cannes in 2016, and her work in *The Sublime and Beautiful*, showcased at Slamdance in 2014. A pioneer in the realm of digital cinema, Kirk co-wrote and starred in *Lisa Picard is Famous*, one of the first digital films, which was featured at Cannes in 2000 and later highlighted in John Gaspard’s book, *Fast, Cheap and Under Control: Lessons Learned from the Greatest Low Budget Movies of All Time*.

Kirk's artistic journey began in New York’s off-Broadway scene, where she also served as a teaching artist in schools and homeless shelters through the Dreamyard Drama Project. She honed her craft under the guidance of esteemed mentors, including Wynn Handman and Suzanne Esper for Meisner technique, and Alan Arkin for improvisation. Her commercial work includes national campaigns for well-known brands like Block Advisors, Verizon, Wrangler Jeans, Jeep, and Dr. Pepper.

Passionate about promoting gender equality in the film industry, Laura co-founded the mentoring initiative “Women of Lawrence Film.” She is also conducting research on Eve Unsell, with her findings set to appear in the forthcoming publication *When Women Wrote Hollywood* by McFarland.