REBECCA  ANN

BENTLEY

Director, Writer & Producer 

Rebecca Ann Bentley is a queer Australian director, writer, producer & disability activist currently based in Melbourne, Australia. 

Rebecca has always loved writing and creating stories with strong messages since she was a young girl. However, she first truly discovered her love of the industry when she was twelve years old and saw her sibling in a play. The idea of creating stories excited her.

Inspired by this, Rebecca then started acting and secured an ensemble role in West Side Story, the very same year. Soon after, she was hooked on the thrill sharing stories gave her. She trained at acting schools in Australia, Canada and the United States and acted in numerous projects including short films, feature films, commercials & web series. 

Rebecca also wanted to learn the other side of the camera, so she started working behind the scenes as a script supervisor, casting director and first assistant director on independent short films & web series. This experience inspired and motivated her further to make the industry her career. As a strong believer in creating your own opportunities, it led her to write, direct, produce & edit her own projects.

Over the last two years, Rebecca has been diagnosed with epilepsy as well as numerous other invisible chronic illnesses. She didn't let this stop her though. She has started using her voice to try and spread awareness, create opportunities for people in similar situations and also create stories surrounding these and many other illnesses. This as well as other reasons has led her to decide to focus mainly on writing and directing instead of acting. She has a strong focus on creating stories with messages that make people think and twisted stories.

Rebecca's first short films, Forever, and Letting Go, toured in 2018 to 2020 through festivals and won awards. Her recent short film, Him, released in early 2020 is touring festivals and has already won several awards.

Rebecca’s film company, Bentley Productions, has almost finished filming their first independent feature film, Kill Me, Heal Me. Written, directed, co-produced and starring Rebecca, the film is about violence against men. This is a topic she is very passionate about and is looking forward to creating further awareness, while also breaking down the stigma surrounding violence against men and men's mental health issues.