Who is writing our stories? How does the film industry support us? Who plays our roles? How can we build networks of solidarity to bring our voices to the screens?
Join us for a panel discussion moderated by renowned actor Shayan Bayat with MENA/SWANA film professionals Vanessa Issa, Baraka Rahmani, and Jonathan Akkawi, to dive deep into the challenges of surviving as actors and filmmakers in the North American scene.
Watch the recorded event below.
After living in three different countries (US, Iran, and the UK) Shayan’s family finally settled in Canada, between Toronto and Vancouver. After high school he went on to study first at UBC, and then at the Langara College Film Arts program.
Shayan launched an acting career first on stage and later in the film/TV industry with guest star roles on popular TV productions (Prison Break, Flash, and The Magicians, The Good Doctor, etc). Working with the writers, Shayan was inspired to write original works, which led to several projects including the dark comedy Faith and Conviction IMDb (PBS/WNET TV competition winner and featured on NY Public TV).
Shayan co-wrote and produced the Leo Award Winning feature length drama Roads of Ithriyah IMDb (Dir. Javier Badillo, Official selection 2021 MENA and 2022 Regina International Film Festivals, distributed by Indie Rights Movies. The film also earned Shayan Leo Award Nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Male Lead Performance, and a Best Actor Win at the CFF awards.
More recently, Shayan completed a Pacific Screenwriting Program internship on the development series Pass The Salt, as well as the National Screen Institute EAVE On Demand Access Program.
Jonathan Akkawi is a Greco-Arab-American (of Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese descent) Actor, Producer, Screenwriter, Librettist and Script Doctor based between the San Francisco Bay Area, Hollywood and London. He has garnered recognition for his extensive work and advocating for the amplification and support of marginalized and underrepresented voices in the Entertainment Industry, particularly with his #ArabsBreakHollywood movement, which seeks to break the stereotypes of Arab characters and stories in Hollywood and allow for the reclamation of those voices. Through his company, Bougie Arabs Entertainment, he has assisted in the development of various projects from the screen to the web and onto the stage with feature & short narrative and documentary projects, TV pilots and conceptual development of stage musicals and plays. He is also the host, creator, and producer of two original podcast shows: “The Hollywood Chai” and “The Script Doctors” and serves as a script doctor for independent production companies. He currently serves as a Board Member for the MENA Film Festival.
Vanessa Issa was born and raised in Lebanon. She started her acting career at 14 and has worked on theatre plays, short films, TV shows and commercials. At 18, she started professionally working in the film industry in the MUH, casting, art and production departments in Beirut - alongside a career of entertainment management in the Gulf, while training through acting workshops in Europe. She was the official representative of Michael Chekhov Europe Training in Lebanon and held/produced a series of workshops.
At 22, Vanessa moved to Doha, Qatar and became the General Manager of a talent agency The Talent Factory, where she also worked as a Casting Director, Fashion Show Director and Stage Producer. At 25, Vanessa resigned from her position and moved to Vancouver, BC to shift the focus on her own craft and acting career. She graduated from Vancouver Acting School and Langara College Film Arts, won the Vancouver Monologue Show, and started booking projects. She strives to pave the way for the authentic representation of Middle Eastern women on screen.
Baraka Rahmani is an Arab-Canadian artist living in Vancouver. Born in Jordan to Iraqi parents, Baraka moved to Canada to pursue her BFA in performance at Simon Fraser University. She went on to perform in leading roles on renowned stages across Canada. In film & Television, Baraka has had the privilege of playing many leading and supporting roles on Netflix, Disney+ and ABC (to name a few). Baraka is a 2 time Jessie Award nominee and the recipient of the Artistic Risk Award from the Vancouver Fringe Festival (2015). She has had the opportunity to shadow directors Adam Macdonald, Bassel Ghandour, and most recently she was the official Shadow on Skymed (Paramount+), learning from director Shamim Sarif who would go on to become the executive producer of Baraka's first short film "Before We Were Told''.
Recent acting credits include:
The Watchful Eye (2023), "Alex Toubassy", recurring guest, 9 episodes
Polarized (2023), "Zein", supporting
Love Classified (2022), Hannah, supporting
A Million Little Things (2022), Carly, 4 episodes
The Alleys (2021), "Lana", Lead
Slasher (2019), "Saadia Jalalzai", Lead, 8 episodes
