Meet Rebecca Ann Bentley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Ann Bentley.

Hi Rebecca Ann, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
For me, telling stories has always been inside me and my way to cope with an unstable home and not fitting in. Although I have written everything from poems, short stories and even dipped into songwriting for a bit, I first truly discovered my love of the industry in Perth, Australia when I was twelve years old and saw my sibling in a play. I became fascinated with the theater and quickly secured an ensemble role in my siblings’ school’s production of West Side Story. I took on roles in theater productions in Perth and short films before moving to Melbourne, Australia shortly after turning eighteen. Since then, I have been involved in numerous short films, web series, feature films, and commercials both as an actress and in behind-the-scenes roles. I have trained in Australia, Canada, and in the U.S.A. I lived in Vancouver from 2017 to early 2019 and was fortunate enough to be involved in a couple of projects and even make my first award-winning short film, Forever.

Over time but especially after moving back to Melbourne, my love for writing and filmmaking overpowered my love for acting, and my focus shifted. I continued making short films and then inspired by Quinn Shephard’s story of making her feature film directorial debut Blame, I followed in her footsteps (as best as I could) and am now in post-production of my first feature film, Kill Me, Heal Me about violence against men. I also wrote, starred in, co-produced, and edited. It’s also the first feature film my production company, Bentley Pictures is behind, and Roc Chen composes the music.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think any road to the industry unless you’re born in it is smooth, but mine certainly had a few BIG bumps. In May 2019, shortly after moving back to Australia after living in Vancouver, Canada, I had three tonic-clonic seizures within 24 hours. I have no memory of them, and as far as I knew then, I’d never had seizures before. Looking back, there were times I had seizures in 2018, but just didn’t realize it. And then COVID-19 lockdown happened in 2020, delaying the wrap-up of filming my feature film until May 2021.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I write, direct, and produce short films, features and TV shows that focus on mental illness, disabilities, and abuse – told through driven diverse protagonists that defy stereotypes and are not victims, they are just dealing with what happened. All my work has a message with it and I draw from life experiences and previous discrimination I have faced. My short films, Forever, Letting Go, Him, and Stepping Out have all done well at festivals, but my feature film Kill Me, Heal Me, about violence against men is my favourite (and possibly best) work I’ve created. This story is very personal to me as I have been in an abusive relationship with a woman and have male friends who have been abused by women. I can’t wait to raise more awareness about men’s mental health…

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Making a difference for someone. Oh, and spending time with my wife and rescue cat Garfield.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rebeccaannbentley.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/itsrebeccabentley
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@bentley.pictures
• Other: www.bentleypictures.com

Image Credits
Casey Long, Andrew Lee, Kelly Ryan, Ashleigh Coleman.