Bill Bennett (born 1953) is an Australian film director, producer and screenwriter.

Career

Bennett was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

to Australian parents and brought up in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

. He studied journalism and got a cadetship with the ABC in 1972. He spent two years working in Adelaide on ''This Day Tonight'' then went to work for Mike Willesee in Sydney. He then worked on ''The Big Country'' and ''The Australians'' before moving into feature filmmaking with ''

A Street to Die ''A Street to Die'' is a 1985 Australian film directed by Bill Bennett and starring Chris Haywood, Jennifer Cluff, Arianthe Galani. It was nominated for four Australian Film Institute Awards; Haywood won the award for Best Actor in a Lead Role. ...

'' (1985).David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p54 He dropped out of Medicine at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

in 1972 and joined the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owne ...

as a journalist. During a ten-year career as a journalist he won Australia's top TV award, the Logie Awards (Australia's Emmy) for Television Reporter of the Year, and then later for Most Outstanding Documentary. This led him to feature films. Bennett has directed 16 feature films since 1983. His film ''

Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character * ''Backla ...

'' was screened in the

Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films w ...

section at the

1986 Cannes Film Festival The 39th Cannes Film Festival was held from 8 to 19 May 1986. The Palme d'Or went to '' The Mission'' by Roland Joffé. The festival opened with ''Pirates'', directed by Roman Polanski and closed with '' El Amor brujo'', directed by Carlos Saura ...

. Three years later his film ''

Malpractice In the law of torts, malpractice, also known as professional negligence, is an "instance of negligence or incompetence on the part of a professional".Malpractice definition, Professionals who may become the subject of malpractice actions inc ...

'' would be screened in the same section at the 1989 festival.

Selected filmography

*''

'' (1985) (feature film): writer/producer/director *''

'' (1986): writer/producer/director *''

Dear Cardholder ''Dear Cardholder'' is a 1987 Australian film about a man who gets into debt on his credit cards.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p41 The film failed to find a cinema release, and its director, ...

'' 1987 (feature film): writer/producer/director *'' Jilted'' (feature film 1988): writer/producer/director * ''

'' (1989): writer/director *''

Mortgage A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law jurisdicions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any ...

'' (feature film 1990): writer/director *''The Banjo & The Bard'' (drama documentary 1991): writer/producer/director *''Last Man Hanged'' (drama documentary 1992) producer *''

Spider and Rose ''Spider and Rose'' is a 1994 Australian film directed by Bill Bennett and starring Ruth Cracknell, Simon Bossell, and Max Cullen. It is about the relationship between an elderly lady and a young ambulance driver. Although the film was marketed ...

'' (feature film 1994): writer/director *''

Two if by Sea ''Two If by Sea'' (also known in the United Kingdom as ''Stolen Hearts'') is a 1996 American romantic comedy film directed by Bill Bennett, and starring Sandra Bullock and Denis Leary. The screenplay, written by Leary and Mike Armstrong, is based ...

'' (feature film 1995): director *'' Kiss or Kill'' (feature film 1996): writer/producer/director *''

In a Savage Land ''In a Savage Land'' is a 1999 Australian film set in New Guinea just prior to and during World War II. It won the 2000 ARIA Music Award for Best Original Soundtrack. Story The film opens in pre-1938 Adelaide, where Phillip Spence (Donovan) i ...

'' (feature film 1999): writer/producer/director *'' Tempted'' (feature film 2000): writer/producer/director *''

Cut Cut may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely-directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** Cut (ea ...

'' (feature film 2000): writer (uncredited)/producer * '' The Nugget'' (2002): writer/producer/director *'' Deck Dogz'' (feature film 2005): producer *''

Uninhabited The list of uninhabited regions includes a number of places around the globe. The list changes year over year as human beings migrate into formerly uninhabited regions, or migrate out of formerly inhabited regions. List As a group, the list of ...

'' (2010): writer/producer/director *''PGS - Intuition is your Personal Guidance System'' (2018) theatrical feature documentary: presenter/writer/producer/director

References

External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Bill 1953 births Living people People from Brisbane Film directors from London Australian film directors Australian film producers Australian screenwriters