A personal narrative of my own "Red Helicopter" moment, in which receiving kindness as a young, shy girl transformed my life story.

Director Biography - Kayla Jem Ling

Kayla Ling is a Bay Area-based student filmmaker. She attends The Nueva School in San Mateo, California.

As a writer, cinematographer, director, and editor, Kayla aims to raise awareness of social issues such as climate change or racial injustice. Her past works include “No Waste Nation” (2023), which won her the National Geographic Slingshot Challenge, and “Unveiling the City: San Francisco's Disappearing Fog” (2023), an official selection of the Eugene Environmental Film Festival. “Your Necklace” is her first narrative film.

When not filmmaking, Kayla also volunteers her photography for environmental nonprofits, community art installations, and her school newspaper, The Nueva Current.