Paul Barakat - Writer/Director
Paul Barakat is an international award-winning writer, actor and director based in Sydney.
Bringing a fusion of arthouse and commercial sensibilities to his work, Paul's films often wrestle with complex themes and characters. He shot his acclaimed independent feature film debut 'Kairos' in 2017, and the film had its world premiere at the XXII Tertio Millenio Film Festival in Rome, winning Best Film.
Praised for its inclusive and powerful story, Kairos was acquired for distribution by Pinnacle Films, winning more awards across the global festival circuit, followed by a theatrical released in 2019, and a digital, DVD and SVOD release in 2020.
As a lecturer of the craft, Paul has taught for over a decade and held key positions at a number of film and acting schools across Australia, including Head Film at AFTT, and Academic Chair at NYFA Australia.
Paul is also a trained actor, having appeared in TV series such as 'Love My Way', 'East West 101', 'Farscape' and many TVC's as well as other screen and stage productions.
Carla Barakat - Head of Production
Carla's first foray into the film industry was in the year 2000, when she got an opportunity to work on the set of Baz Lurhmann's 'Moulin Rouge'. After falling in love with the behind the scenes magic, Carla turned her attention to studying and working in various aspects of production and fashion design, culminating in the launch of her event-planning business, Sugarcumb Events, which is now in its 10th year.
She has also worked in multiple roles across key creative departments including producing, costume and production design, make-up and script editing.
Outside of film and events, Carla is also a mentor and mindset coach, drawing on her experience and success in varied industries, inspiring others to achieve their goals.