User:Stephanie Bennett

Stephanie Bennett is an Australian film director currently residing in Ringwood, Victoria. Her directorial debut came with the 2005 smash hit "The Pre-Pubescent Attack of the Carnivorous Koala". Stephanie also directed and starred in a documentary on the responses of students to different learning environments. Stephanie was requested as a director by the regional educational director Jim Watterston, and she obliged. Her following projects were mainly freelance, realist documentaries exploring casual human interaction and were never publicly realised. However, she returned to the comedic fold in 2006 when she directed the satirical "Ach Du Meine Liebe", a 'sitcom' filmed completely in German. This was an ambitious project as none of her cast spoke German. The film never acheived international acclaim as she had first hoped, but it has a cult underground following amongst youtube viewers.

Her next project was the black and white detective drama "Hyde and Seek", written by and starring one of Stephanie's best friends, Scott Jones. There was never an officially approved version of this film released as Stephanie seemed not to like the final cut.

Stephanie Bennett also has released two further films on to youtube. One is an Oscar acceptance speech by a fictional character (played by Sarah Eckstein) and the other a documentary on the routines of hippie life.

Her most recent project is the comedic short film "A+: The Tale of Two Nerds" starring Sarah Eckstein, Shannon Loughnane and in a cameo role, Tristram Larkins. The film details the daily activities of two nerds at school as they study, solve complex maths equations which their intellects are able to transform into humour and organise chemical experiments. The film's concluding line, delivered by Tristram Larkins, reveals that the pair are actually spending their Saturday in such a way. Amongst audiences critics alike, the film was adored.

Stephanie, like other great contemporary directors such as Ricchard Kelly and Joss Whedon, tends to reuse the actors she casts. Not only this, but the actors she casts generally have some personal connection to her. For instance, Shannon Loughnane ("Ach Du Meine Liebe", "Carnivorous Koala") is Stephanie's bestest and most trusted friend, as are actors Martin Ball, Scott Jones and Justine Crofts.

Though Stephanie has begun to graduate into more mature film-making fare, her and her cast's ecclectic film-making style has become highly appreciated in underground circles. Shannon Loughnane describes the magic of the film-making style is, "to start with a structured idea, and then watch as it rapidly deteriorates" whilst Justine Crofts says what makes the films work is the "in-jokes" between Stephanie and her friends.