Actress

Rita Hayek

Rita Hayek is a lebanese renowned actress. She is a graduate of the National Institute of Fine Arts of the Lebanese University. She also attended the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in Los Angeles California. She made her screen debut in 2006.

In 2011, At the Byblos International Festival, she made her stage debut in Don Quixote, directed by the Rahbani Brothers. Followed by the play “Ka3eb 3ale”, an adaptation of “Spike Heels” by Theresa Rebeck directed by Jacques Maroun and produced by The Actors Workshop Beirut. The real turning point was Venus, an adaptation of David Yves’ Broadway play “Venus in Fur”. Venus opened March 2015 at the Monot Theatre in Beirut and played through April 2016. She performed Venus in Paris at the Theatre Adyar Avenue Rapp.

Rita filmed her first Feature “The Insult” in August 2016 with the director Ziad Doueiry 

which premiered at the Venice film festival and was nominated for the 2018 Oscars in the foreign movie category.

After “The Insult” came “La Regola d’Oro” a film by the italian director Alessandro Lunardelli. 

She recently filmed “Iman” a Cypriot movie by Corinna Avraamidou and Kyriacos Tofarides which premiered at the Thessaloniki Film Festival.

Rita has also won best actress for her role in Matthieu Haag’s short movie “Un parfum de Liban” in 2012 with whom she just resumed filming another short “L’heritage”.

Rita just resumed filming her first french movie: “Les Barbares” by Julie Delpy alongside Sandrine Kiberlain and Matthieu Demy. Rita won recently Best Actress for IMAN at the London Greek International Film Festival.

Filmmaker

Bo Sjökvist

Bo Sjökvist is an award-winning Swedish documentary director, journalist, and radio personality. Since the late nineties, he has made documentaries for various mediums including cinema, television, and streaming platforms. 
His most recent work; I still remember you (2023), is a documentary series that explores the lives of individuals with dementia. This series has sparked a debate about dementia care in Sweden. Additionally, his feature-length documentary “Waiting for Jan Myrdals Death”, released in 2021, received critical acclaim. A twisted relationship drama between Jan Myrdal, a controversial Swedish writer, and his biggest fan, the communist hotel manager Lasse Diding.
Bo Sjökvists’ short documentary The Embroideresses (2022), a dance documentary about embroidery, had its Lebanese premiere at Liff. 

Film producer and sales agent

Rim Chehab

Rim Chehab is a highly experienced film producer and sales agent with over 15 years of experience. She has worked on producing features, shorts, corporate videos, documentaries and TV commercials. During her 11-year stint as a production manager in Fantacope Production, she produced award-winning films that have been broadcasted on Netflix and some corporate videos for local museums that are still screening on premise until this date. Rim has also personally won an award for Best Producer of the film “Listen” at the Lebanese Movie Awards in 2018. Currently, Rim is the production manager for the contemporary artist/filmmaker Fadia Ahmad and she is also a sales agent to support the festival touring and sales of local films. Aside from her film production journey, she is actively involved in humanitarian work, volunteering year-round with NGOs and contributors.

Film director & writer

Jimmy Keyrouz

Jimmy Keyrouz is an award-winning film director/writer. His latest film Broken Keys made the Cannes Film Festival 2020 Official Selection, won the 2022 Murex d’Or, and was Lebanon’s official candidate for the 2021 Oscars. Broken Keys’ screenplay was selected among 6 from over 1,000 submissions for The Black List 2019 Annual Feature Lab. The original music was composed by Oscar-winner Gabriel Yared and the film is represented by WME.

Previously, Jimmy wrote and directed Nocturne in Black, which won the Gold Medal at the 43rd Student Academy Awards – in a year where the Academy received a record number of 1,749 films – the BAFTA and Directors Guild of America Student Film Awards and was shortlisted for the 2017 Oscars in the Live-Action Shorts category.

Combining his love of adventures with environmental consciousness, Jimmy enjoys scuba diving, road biking, skiing, rock climbing, playing the piano, and participating in numerous forest planting initiatives. He fluently speaks English, French, Arabic, and some Spanish. Jimmy is currently developing his second feature film, a TV series, as well as a docuseries. He completed his M.F.A. in Screenwriting/Directing at Columbia University, New York, in 2016.

Actress

Yara Zakhour

Yara Zakhour is a lebanese Actress, dancer, theatre teacher and sworn translator. She performed in more than ten local and international stage performances, played in two feature films and and more than a dozen short-movies, and acted in several Lebanese and Arab series. She won Best Actress Award at The Socially Relevant Film Festival – New York (2023) for Tnaash by Boudy Sfeir and Best Actress Award at the Lebanese Independent Film Festival (LIFF) for Blinded by Desire by Guibert Najarian. In addition, she was nominated for Best Actress in The Independent Horror Movie Awards (USA) for Home by Adam Jammal. She received a Special Jury Mention on Acting in The Lebanese National Theatre Festival for two consecutive years.

Filmmaker, actor and distributor

Marwan Al Shafei

Marwan El Shafei is an Egyptian independent filmmaker and actor, with more than five years of experience in the field of film distribution at the local and international markets. He was recently selected to participate in the first edition of the initiative (Cannes Makers) which were held in the market of the Cannes International Film Festival as one of the promising talents in the Arab world in the field of film industry and film distribution. He was one of the distribution teams for Huda’s Salon, directed by Hani Abu-Assad, and Banat Abd al-Rahman, directed by Zaid Abu Hamdan.Marwan’s activity is also related to film projects in their early stages, as he was a project coordinator at the Cairo Film Connections within the Cairo International Film Festival in its 42nd session, and he also presented many workshops on the production and distribution of films with many cinematic institutions such as the Cairo Short Film Festival, the Producers Club in Cairo, and others.

Journalist and host

Maurice Matta

Maurice Matta is an esteemed Financial Media Expert renowned for his extensive contributions to the field. Recognized as a familiar voice on the esteemed National television channel MTV, Maurice has established himself as an influential figure in the media industry. Holding the position of Executive Producer and content creator for numerous shows, he demonstrates exceptional expertise in shaping captivating content.
One of Maurice’s notable accomplishments is his role as the Concept Creator of “Reghem kel Shi” on MTV. This daily segment serves as a platform for spreading positive vibes within the community, showcasing various initiatives and success stories.
Furthermore, Maurice Matta showcases his profound financial acumen as a Financial Expert in “IT’S ABOUT TIME صار الوقت,” a weekly political talk show broadcasted on MTV Lebanon. Through this program, he delves into the latest updates and economical topics, offering insightful analysis to the viewers.

Expanding his reach, Maurice Matta extends his expertise as the content producer and host of a weekly economical and political show on Ici Beyrouth, a renowned media platform broadcasting in French. With a comprehensive understanding of communication strategies and media relations, he ensures the delivery of engaging and informative content to the audience.

In addition to his television endeavors, Maurice Matta serves as an executive producer and content creator for several shows on the online platform Sawt Beirut International. Leveraging his expertise in the industry, he curates compelling content that captivates the digital audience.

Maurice Matta’s profound knowledge and experience in the field extend beyond production and content creation. He is also recognized as a specialist in communications strategy and media relations, offering valuable insights and guidance in these domains. Moreover, his expertise in public speaking training enables individuals to enhance their presentation skills and effectively convey their messages.

Maurice Matta’s reputation as a seasoned professional has garnered the attention of various international institutions, who seek his consultancy services. His expertise has been instrumental in moderating and hosting numerous forums, conferences, and round tables, where he facilitates productive discussions and ensures a fruitful exchange of ideas.

With an illustrious career marked by notable achievements and an unwavering commitment to excellence, Maurice Matta continues to shape the financial media landscape and inspire others through his unparalleled expertise.

Filmmaker and producer

Khouloud Kelly Rabadi

Khuloud Kelly Rabadi is an independent film director who is an Arab American from Jordan and  resides with her husband and four children and three grandchildren in the state of Arizona in the United States and graduated from The University of Advanced Computer Technology in the state of Arizona with a degree of Arts in Multimedia in 2008. 

She made several films , Shorts , commercials and international music videos for cinema, television and streaming platforms including the movie Blind with Hollywood’s actor Alec Baldwin and Demi Moore. She also is recognized for the movies Desolation, Chasing You, Tragedy Girls ,Void American Terrorist as well as international film festivals mentions and screenings for her latest films/shorts in the United States. 

Khuloud is a poet who has won Golden Poet Award three consecutive years in the 1990s in the United States and is very well fluent in both the English and Arabic languages. Her literature is wide and loves the vast meaning of words and excels in her literature. 

Recently, she is known for her scenario of the latest two of her projects in preproduction stages Final Flight as well as Respected. 

Khuloud has a motto in her style of work which is driven by the passion for her directing skills of being very meticulous and believes that the small details is what makes the production a well rounded success.  And she is definitely an empowered respectable woman in society  !!

Audio producer

Tony Kalaany

Tony Kalaany is a renowned Audio Producer based in Lebanon. In 1996, he established his own production company Audiotakes Sound Design, and since he made a significant impact in the entertainment industry with his creativity and expertise in the Audio Field. In 2009, Kalaany’s set up the first 7.1 mixing theatre in Lebanon. This state-of-the-art facility allowed him to take his work to the next level. The Mixing theatre has since become a go-to destination for filmmakers and producers in Lebanon and the region. Throughout his career, Tony Kalaany has received numerous awards and recognitions for his contributions to the audio industry in Lebanon and the region. He continues to be a leading figure in the field of audio production, setting new standards and pushing boundaries with his innovative approach to Creative Audio.

Founder of Lebtivity

Randa Farah

Randa Farah is an HR Specialist, Organisational Psychologist, University Instructor.

Founder of I Have Learned Academy & Lebtivity.com

Certified Trainer from the UK, Master NLP Practitioner.
Certified Happiness at Work Expert from Denmark,
Stress management & personal growth specialist.

Passionate about Learning & sharing knowledge, Randa always wondered: “why do we have to learn things the hard way?”
She created the concept of “I Have Learned Academy” to let people get access to daily life skills easily and in an affordable way.
Skills that no one taught us at school or university…
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Randa worked for many years in HR Management in various multinational companies in different industries.
She holds 3 university degrees: HR, Organizational Psychology & Business Advertising and Marketing.
In addition to countless certifications in various topics.
In addition to being a corporate trainer, Randa is an instructor at USJ since more than 10 years in HR & Organizational Psychology Courses for Master Students and in ALBA.
She is also the founder of Lebtivity.com, a successful startup for all events in Lebanon, and she won many awards.
Randa is an international speaker, she spoke in conferences all over the world like Italy, Poland, Jordan, UAE, Lebanon, Denmark, Morocco & more.
Randa values out of the box thinking & creativity.

Her motto in life is: “Do what you love, love what you do”.