Samantha Rebillet

Samantha is an award-winning short film director, performer and singer/songwriter. She was born in Paris, and later raised in Sydney. Through her filmmaker father she was introduced to cinematic craft from a young age, starting with early experiences as an actor in film and TV. After finishing school at SCEGGS Darlinghurst, she moved to Paris for a gap year before returning to Sydney to embark on a Bachelor of Arts (Theatre & Film) at the University of New South Wales. She fell pregnant to her first child (Remi) at the age of twenty-one, and took five years to complete this first degree (with Hons). She continued acting and modeling in international advertisements and gaining roles in Australian series drama. She next enrolled in a Masters of Film at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), and also wrote and directed several short films and music videos. She also furthered her director training by working as an assistant to Mark Joffe and later Alex Proyas. At age thirty she fell pregnant to her second child (Gabe) and was accepted to study at the prestigious Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), for a second Masters Degree (Directing Drama). She graduated from AFTRS in 2006, winning the Australian Film Commission Award for Best Director. She has since won a host of international awards for her many short films and documentaries, most notably the IDFA Silver Cub for BUTTERFLY MAN and the Critics Circle Award for COSETTE (starring Mia Wasikowska). Samantha was chosen as the Australian representative at the 5Sur5 Artist Residence in Belgium, where she directed her first French language docu-drama. She was head-hunted to direct a series of commercials for McDonalds, and spent several years in the commercial/corporate realm. She was also offered a part-time teaching position at Macquarie University in 2005, and has continued juggling both film and academia, with many semesters taught at the College of Fine Arts (UNSW), NIDA, Metro Screen and the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). In 2011 she furthered her academic experience by enrolling as a tutor and Doctorate Candidate at UTS (exploring the use of the hand-held camera and emotional filmmaking). On a more personal note, back in 2007 Samantha converted to Judaism, and the following year married her childhood sweetheart, musician hit-master Ilan Kidron. In 2010 she was operated on for a life-threatening brain tumor, and embarked on a musical path during convalescence. Together with Ilan they formed the pop duo THE FREAKS IN LOVE, recording and performing live in Australia for several years. In 2012 the family moved to Paris, an artistic sojourn that allowed Samantha to write/direct/perform in her first independent feature film THE LAST GOODBYE. Samantha is now living in Los Angeles.