(917) 447-4913

Dana Benningfield

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Dana Benningfield

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(917) 447-4913


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WELCOME TO MY FILM PAGE

I have had the great privilege of working both in front of the camera as an actress and behind the camera as a writer/producer and story producer.  


Read on for more specifics!

BEHIND THE CAMERA

Writer/Producer

My short film BUST was my first film project as a writer. The script started out as a vanity project, but then the story took over and got much darker and grittier as a result of my research into the world of New York City detectives and the type of cases they handle.  


I had originally intended to direct the piece, so I approached an acting colleague, Duncan Rogers, about producing it. But after our discussion, I decided he would be much better suited to direct, considering he already had several shorts under his belt and I had a grand total of zero. With a director in place, I decided to try my hand at producing the film instead. 


Suffice it to say, I had a blast.


I remain grateful to all the folks who believed in the project enough to help finance it, as well as to the team of people who ended up working on the film. While it's not a perfect film, it is a film we were all proud of.

STORY PRODUCER

In 2016, I was approached by director Tom Donahue and producer Ilan Arboleda of Creative Chaos about a documentary they were starting up concerning gender politics in Hollywood. They asked if I'd be interested in being the film's story producer. I jumped at the chance to work on such an important issue with such a talented group of filmmakers there at Creative Chaos. The result was the documentary entitled THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING, executive produced by Geena Davis and David Yurman. 


The project was enlightening, not only because it was my first time to work on a documentary, but also because, once we began collecting women's stories, my eyes were opened to just how discriminatory Hollywood has been... for decades. 


The film was nominated for the People's Choice award when it debuted at the Toronto Film Festival in 2018. It went on to have a healthy festival run garnering various award nominations (and one win!) along the way. Go Team Chaos!


Anyone interested in seeing the film can now view it on Netflix.  

Writer

Most recently, I wrote another short film script, "The Present," which was a semi-finalist in Cinequest’s screenwriting contest. 

IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA

In addition to writing and producing BUST, I also acted in the film.


We had the great fortune of having my friend Dan Lauria play the lead detective in the film while actor/musician Philip Lynch played his partner. Dan and I had some rather intense scenes together and he was always making sure I was comfortable with everything he was doing. A true gentleman on and off the set.


Sit back, relax and watch the full 15-minute film here.

If you'd like to see more of my on-camera work...

Additional Film clips

Dana Benningfield

benningfield@gmail.com

(917) 447-4913

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