Wayward Ark Productions

More about Laina Barakat

Laina Barakat is an Independent Film Writer, Director and Producer. Her film career began with Either/Or Films during Post Production and Distributions of The Sensation of Sight. During her eight years working with E/O, she produced Only Daughter, a feature film that premiered at Cinequest Film Festival and picked up various awards across the country including Audience Choice Award at New York No Limits, and NH Film of the Year at New Hampshire Film Festival.

Next working with Kingston Road Pictures in late 2015, Barakat Line-Produced a documentary film in Grand Rapids Michigan called More Art Upstairs, which premiered at Hot Docs in 2017 and won the Audience Choice Award at Tribeca Film Festival.

Barakat formed Wayward Ark Productions in 2016 to take creative control of her projects, and empower young filmmakers in the Monadnock Region. She has written, directed and produced seven award winning short films.

Her first feature film as a director, Light Attaching to a Girl, premiered at RiverRun Film Festival, followed by an award-garnering festival tour on three continents. It is now streaming on Amazon Prime.

Laina is currently in development of her next two feature films:

Mouth of the Bull, which was selected as a Stowe Story Producer’s Lab finalist. It is set to shoot in Panama in 2025.

Through the Woods Lightly, which is set to shoot in NH in 2024.

She is also currently directing a length Documentary film, Break a Lash, which explores Rural Drag.

Laina co-founded and was Executive Director for the Monadnock International Film Festival during its first three years, is the New Hampshire Chair of Women in Film & Video New England, and is a Board of Director for Keene Pride. She is a recipient of a Ewing Arts Award for Filmmaking, as well as a Trendsetter Award. She currently lives in Marlborough, New Hampshire and while balancing her film pursuits, she is the General Manager of 58 year old organization, Monadnock Music, and adjunct Film Professor at Keene State College.