Filmmaker Laura Checkoway Joins Lief

Production company Lief has signed Academy Award nominated director Laura Checkoway for global commercial representation.

In 2018, Laura’s devastating short film 'Edith + Eddie' - about America's oldest interracial newlyweds aged 96 and 95, whose happiness is disrupted by a family feud - was nominated for an Academy Award as well as an Emmy, and won numerous awards including the IDA Documentary Awards Best Short. Her most recent feature doc 'The Cave of Adullam' premiered at Tribeca in 2022, winning Best Documentary Feature, Best Editing in a Documentary, and the 1st Place Audience Award. In an interview with Deadline, executive producer Laurence Fishburne said, “She has a cinematic sensitivity and a doctor’s bedside manner... Laura doesn’t impose her personality or her energy onto anything. It boils down to her humanity and her ability to see the humanity in all.”

With a background in journalism, Laura is known in the field for her ability to weave social issues through the stories of personalities. Raised on poetry and hip-hop, her attention to detail and interest in psychology created vivid insightful portraits of the era’s most beloved superstars.

Her exceptional writing naturally led to transforming her storytelling into a cinematic experience with her debut feature film 'Lucky' - an intimate story of survival that follows Lucky Torres, a homeless mother masked in tattoos who longs to rise from a life of darkness. The unique quality and integrity of Laura’s work attracted documentary luminaries who became mentors including Albert Maysles, Steve James, and Agnes Varda.

“I always go in great depth and have a profound curiosity and interest in what makes us who we are,” Laura comments. “This has led to my writing and indie filmmaking being the best training in the art of getting close to just about anyone.”

Lief represents some of the biggest names in filmmaking such as Alma Har’el, Oliver Hermanus and Courtney Hoffman, who share the company’s culture of championing new voices in advertising. Margo Mars, founder of Lief, comments, “I first knew of Laura through her short Oscar nomination for Edith + Eddie, which floored me. I was deeply impressed by the immense sensitivity and honest storytelling. Laura is known for her incredible ability to find the heart of the story in all of the subjects she shoots, which will provide clients with a fantastic opportunity to tap into to create lasting impact. We’re honoured to welcome her to advertising.”

Lief knows brands tell stories all the time, and that they have a huge platform that can help shape society. With this latest signing, they are continuing to build a home to powerful, diverse voices creating new, culture-defining narratives of representation.

Laura has already been noticed by some of the world’s biggest brands with work for Unilever, Amazon, and most recently, the Lief and Uncommon Creative Studios produced powerful original documentary series 'We Were Here' for YouTube and the UNHCR, where Laura served as the Series Director alongside executive producer Alma Har’el, and directed the episode 'The Musicians' about displaced Ukrainian-Ethiopian sisters who form hip-hop trio Fo Sho.