Kalista Zackhariya​s, Lead Actress of ReelWorld'​s Opening Night Film "Snow" Will Attend the Screening and the After Party‏‏

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 16, 2011) - Following a widely successful world premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, Snow will have its Canadian premiere as the opening night film for the ReelWorld Film Festival in Toronto. Snow follows the life of Zackhariyas's character, Parvathi, as a Tsunami survivor.

Founded in 2001 by actress Tonya Lee Williams, ReelWorld hosts five days of the best features, documentaries, animations, shorts, and music videos from Canadian and international filmmakers.
"An absolutely brilliant and captivating performance by Kalista Zackhariyas," states Bobby Del Rio, the Canadian Features Programmer for ReelWorld.
On Kalista Zackhariyas, Rohan Fernando, director of Snow states: "Kalista brought incredible dedication to her lead role as Parvathi. Her performance is both subtly nuanced and emotionally powerful - bringing an empathy to the character that is absolutely essential for this film."
Kalista Zackhariyas is an Actress, Writer and aspiring film maker. She is also a Dancer and Martial Artist who is currently working towards the launch of a foundation that supports youth programs and women's shelters.
Opening Night Screening & After-Party
Wednesday, April 06, 2011 at 8:00 PM
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto 1 
259 Richmond Street West (at John)
Toronto, ON M5V 3M6
Phone: (416) 598-7933
Website: http://www.reelworld.ca/  
E-Mail: tickets@reelworld.ca  
 
Kalista Zackhariyas’ Website: http://www.kalistazackhariyas.com/
Snow Website: http://www.snowthefilm.com/
For Media Inquiries:  Raoul Juneja, holla@lyricalknockout.com or (416) 988-5363
Agent Inquires: Jessica Martins, jessica@nymmg.com or (416) 918-7175

KALISTA ZACKHARIYAS

Kalista Zackhariyas was born in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, but spent a large part of her childhood and adolescent years living in South Africa and Europe.  Kalista and the Zackhariyas family now live in Mississauga, Ontario.

Kalista formed a deep love for the performing arts at five years old when she started learning Bharatanatyam, a classical dance form originating in Tamil Nadu, India. She later expanded her dance repertoire, studying other forms of dance such as, contemporary and hip hop and later moved into choreography.

A tumultuous home life left Kalista on her own at a very early age. At the age of 13, Kalista was going to school fulltime and working a couple of part time jobs to support herself.

Travelling extensively, Kalista lived in Europe for a few years. She has briefly co-hosted a morning talk show and even worked as a cover model for the Slovenian magazine “MAG”.

Although, she took on occasional performances and small roles, Kalista for the most part stepped away from the entertainment industry to get married, build a career as a designer and raise her two children.

Less than two years into her difficult marriage, Kalista filed for divorce and embarked on a journey that has not only changed her life but it has given her the desire to fulfill her every dream and live with purpose.

Kalista has been a Martial Artist, studying Taekwondo and Hapkido since 2002. This skill has led to her participation on several stunt teams for film and television.  In 2003, Kalista participated in the Miss Canada pageant and won the title of Miss Vaughan. 

In 2009, Kalista could no longer resist her true love of the arts and made the bold decision to return to the industry. Having experienced many areas of the arts, she decided to pursue film and television. She has incorporated her pastime love of writing into a screenplay and has begun pre-production on her first short film.

Almost a decade later, Kalista embraced the stage yet again, performing at the Annual Sexual Assault and Rape Crisis Centre fundraising gala. Passionate about supporting youth programs and women’s shelters, Kalista is developing a foundation that is dedicated towards giving women and children surviving abuse a stable beginning to rebuild themselves.

Over the years, Kalista Zackhariyas has graced the cover of magazines, hosted a talk show, and been interviewed by countless publications and news media both in Canada and internationally.

Kalista Zackhariyas is an Actor, Writer, Mother, and aspiring film maker. While managing a full-time business and furthering her training as an Actor,  Kalista has filmed over a dozen commercials, several short films, been a print model and has landed her first lead role in the feature film Snow. Snow was a great personal success for Kalista and the film will have a world premiere at Cinequest Film Festival this March.