Film of the Year - 'Kairos'
This year's Lebanese Film Festival Film of the Year was Paul Barakat’s ‘Kairos’. Announced at the Closing Night event at HOYTS Bankstown on Saturday, 7 September, ‘Kairos’ was selected by LFF Film Judges from a strong pool of films, including 12 features, 11 shorts and one documentary, with five being Australian made, and 11 of which were directed by women.
‘Kairos’ superhero lead actor Chris Bunton, plays Danny, a man with Down Syndrome who is driven to overcome his obstacles through his ambition to be a boxer. The film challenges stereotypes and shines the light on a community deserving of more representation on screen.
LFF Co-Director, Jessica Khoury and LFF Film Judge, Ed Hanna said “Kairos is a remarkable film created by remarkable people with an inspirational cast that knows no bounds. They’ve not merely jumped over hurdles but leapt stratospherically over them. Paul Barakat’s ‘Kairos’ is a worthy winner made on a shoe string budget and imbued with lashings of love.”
Following announcement of the win, ‘Kairos’ director Paul Barakat said “as a proud Lebanese-Australian, I am deeply humbled by this award. ‘Kairos’ was a project made out of love and it is a call for empathy and compassion, for understanding and acceptance. I am grateful to have worked with an incredible cast, crew and family who embody these values. This award is a testament to their dedication and passion to help craft a meaningful story that shatters stereotypes”.
With Belmore’s Gymnastic Academy as one of the locations of the scenes filmed, ‘Kairos’ is a true Western Sydney film and grassroots project with the lead actor hailing from St. Clair and the editor from South-West Sydney, where majority of the film was cut, to name a few.
Kairos was released earlier this month at select Event Cinema and Dendy locations across Australia. We'll keep you posted on further release of this great film!
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