I am a filmmaker of Japanese and British heritage, based between Ireland and New Zealand. Born in Kyoto, my family immigrated to New Zealand when I was three years old, and I spent my childhood mostly barefoot, climbing trees and riding horses in west Auckland. 

I studied Screenwriting and Directing at South Seas Film & Television School, and spent the next several years producing and directing commercials and branded content for a wide slate of clients.

I now reside in Cork, Ireland, where my most recent short film, 4x4, was awarded Best Cork Short at Fastnet Film Festival and the Special Mention for Best Direction at the Academy Award qualifying Cork International Film Festival. 4x4 was also shortlisted for the Writers Guild of Ireland ZeBBie Award for Best Short Screenplay, and Best Irish Short and Best Direction at the Kinsale Shark Awards. In 2022 Ayla was a recipient of the National Talent Academy's Director's Lab, and in 2023 she was one of 12 directors selected for X-Pollinator CREATOR, a week-long immersive directors’ residency for female and non-binary directors, under the mentorship of Aisling Walsh and other industry experts.