Leila Hekmatnia is an Iranian multidisciplinary artist and researcher working at the intersection of poetry, theatre, and film. Her work draws on oral histories, poetic narrative, and fiction to examine the role of memory and imagination in shaping our understanding of history, bringing to light the untold stories of communities often overlooked by mainstream narratives.

She received her MA in Dramatic Literature from the University of Tehran. Her plays have been staged internationally in Australia, Iran, France, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, India, and Bangladesh, at festivals such as the Charleville-Mézières Festival and the Adelaide Festival.

Her play Manus, co-written with Keyvan Sarreshteh, was published by Aurora Metro Books in London. As a poet, she published One of Them, which was nominated for the Journalists' Poetry Award and the Iranian Women’s Award (Khorshid).

Throughout her career, Leila has received numerous awards, including the Fadjr International Festival Award, the Narenj Short Story Biennial Award, and the Young Award at the Kharazmi Festival for her research on contemporary Persian neo-poetry. She has also been a fellow at Akademie Schloss Solitude in Germany and Saari Residence in Finland.

She is also the director of the film Dead in the Water, which has been screened at several international festivals, including the Raindance Film Festival and the Shanghai Film Festival.