Gina Varela

Gina was born in Wellington, New Zealand to a Greek father and a Kiwi mother. At age ten her parents started a small production company producing historical/political documentaries about Greece. Throughout her teens Gina was actively involved in each stage of production from research, to the shoot (on location in Greece) and the edit. After high school she left New Zealand to live in New York and Rome, attending acting and writing classes before returning to New Zealand to begin working in the Film and Television Industry. Gina worked as an actress in New Zealand for several years but the strong urge to reconnect with her Greek roots led her back to Europe and she eventually settled in London where life swept her in a completely different direction. She worked briefly in the London Fashion Industry but before long, storytelling was calling so she headed back Down Under. Gina fell back into acting immediately and after several gigs in New Zealand television and film, her role in 'The Devil's Rock' led her to London again in order to more easily attend the many International Film Festivals that followed. These various Festivals gave Gina a somewhat disturbing insight into the industry that she had been part of for so many years. She firmly decided that she would no longer take on roles of a dark nature with all the sinister messages attached. She tried one more film in London but couldn't shake the feeling that the dream she was pursuing often lacked integrity and value and that she had another purpose. In 2012 she moved back to Greece during the turmoil of the crisis and a nation in panic. There, Gina worked as a freelance writer and photographer and co-founded a Drama Therapy program for kids and their communities. Gina happily resides in Athens, Greece.