Hamish Bennett

Hamish Bennett is an accomplished director and award-winning screenwriter based in Aotearoa New Zealand. Recently, he co-wrote and co-directed his second feature film, ‘Uproar’ (Firefly Films, 2023), which celebrated its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, earning widespread acclaim from both audiences and critics.

In 2019, Hamish wrote and directed his debut feature film, Bellbird (Herringbone Productions), garnering recognition on the international festival circuit and securing several awards, including Best Screenplay at the Macao International Film Festival.

In addition to his success in feature films, Hamish has lent his writing expertise to various television series. Notably, he contributed to episodes of Hui Hoppers (NZTV, 2023) and the teen drama Mystic (Libertine Pictures, NZTV, 2022).

During the early stages of his career, Hamish directed multiple award-winning short films. In 2011, his short film The Dump earned him the Best Short Script award at the New Zealand Writers Guild Awards. Subsequently, in 2014, Ross & Beth claimed both the jury and audience prizes at the New Zealand International Film Festival.

Beyond his creative work, Hamish is an experienced teacher and script consultant. He conducts writing workshops and provides support to various organizations, including Script to Screen NZ and the New Zealand Film Commission.