Leela Varghese

Leela Varghese is a writer/director/presenter/content producer with a flair for quirky comedy. She has written, presented and produced on Channel Ten’s flagship children’s program, Totally Wild and more recently ABCME’s Behind The News. Her film, Crush was a 2019 Tropfest finalist where it won Best Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Female Actress. Crush has gone on to gain a number of other accolades including three nominations at this year’s South Australia Screen Awards. Leela was selected through Tropfest and CGU Insurance as one of two directors to write and direct a short film under the guidance by Spence Susser and Nash Edgerton. She has also received a director’s attachment from the South Australia Film Corporation to be mentored by Nash Edgerton on season two of Foxtel’s Mr Inbetween. In 2018, Leela received funding from The Media Resource Centre as a part of their Production Initiative Program (PIP) to write and direct a web series pilot that will go into production later this year. She also has a factual television show being developed with Screentime’s Colin Thrupp as part of the MRC’s Screentime Initiative. In addition to making comedy for the screen, Leela is also in a musical comedy band, The Coconuts that was selected as a Raw Comedy state finalist this year.