THE BACKSTORY
Charbel is a passionate, multi-talented filmmaker with extensive technical, conceptual, and creative knowledge in many disciplines in the film and media industries.
"My journey in filmmaking began at the young age of 11 when I indulged in the silver screen and television for an average of 13 hours a day (my dad wasn't happy at all). I binge-watched every movie, from Manga to classics, and borrowed camcorders to experiment and imitate those films with my childhood friends; we made around 30 short films with special effects and live sound; it was the joy of my life. The world isn't big enough - I want to become a "hardcore" filmmaker!
In 1997, I joined the Filmmaking program at HSUK-USEK University in Beirut and graduated with distinction from the Master in Filmmaking program in 2002. I then embarked on a career of directing, filming, and editing diverse genres of narrative films, trailers, and TV shows.
Over the next six years, I honed my technical and conceptual skills to contribute to the vibrant film community in Beirut.
In 2008, I added Color Grading to my toolset, shifted focus to Dubai, and worked as a post-production supervisor, chief editor, and colorist at Montage TV Production. At the latter, I worked mainly on TV adverts for renowned ad agencies and brands like ImpactBBDO, Leo Burnett, JWT, TBWA\RAAD, Audi, Nissan, Hyundai, P&G, Unilever, Samsung, and LG, to name a few.
My 22 years of experience thus far have been recognized with prestigious awards. In 2004, I was honored with the Best Picture and Art Direction award at the DQFF film festival in Lebanon. I was further acknowledged with a 3rd Media Category Bronze at Cannes Lions in 2017 and a Grand Prix in Dubai Lynx in the same year.
These accolades are a small testament to my passion and dedication to this craft.
Today, I geek out about almost every aspect of the film industry, following up on the latest technologies in cameras, sensors, lenses, and software. I even created my own visual effects plugin, which I use in my projects.
Here's my backstory. I want to know yours. Let's start a conversation."
