Ben Senior(II)
- Director
- Writer
Ben Senior is an independent writer, director, and producer based in Chicago, IL. Senior got his start at age 13, studying at Infinity Arts Academy with professional film and stage actor Kevin Lucero Less. He was involved in the production of several IAA films, most notably Aftermath (2014), Mens Rea (2017), Disjoin (2017), The Front (2018), and Fox Hunting (2019).
His first solo short film, The Routine (2017), won Best Student Film at the Illinois International Film Festival. After being accepted into a summer filmmaking program at Emerson College, Senior wrote and directed How To: Be a Man (2018), which took 2nd place at the WHYY Youth Media Awards and received the award for Outstanding Live Action Film at the MetroWest Film Festival, in addition to screening at the Minneapolis International Film Festival, the All-American High School Film Festival, and Blow-up International Art House Film Fest.
Senior produced his first feature in Senior year of high school, the no-budget dramatic romance The Fall (2019), shot by and starring other high school students. During production, Senior and producer Claire Cohen were featured in an article from The Daily North Shore. The film premiered on August 14th, 2019 at the Wilmette Theatre to a sold-out crowd. It screened at a variety of festivals including The Festival of the Arts of Starved Rock County, The Orlando International Film Festival, The Seattle Film Festival, YoungFilmmakers NY and The Golden State Film Festival, in addition to winning several awards including Best Director at the FROSTBITE International Indie Fest, Best Central States Feature at the Central States Indie FanFilmFest, Best Coming of Age Feature at the World Premiere Film Awards, Best Screenplay at the Wake Forest Film Festival and the Rising Star Filmmaker Award at the Method Fest Film Festival. The film received an 8/10 review from Film Threat, with film critic Alan Ng calling it "a remarkable tale of adolescence".
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Senior wrote and directed his second feature, Headwaters (2021), about a reclusive matriarch and her family. The film was shot on a $27,000 budget over the course of 11 days on location in Eagle River, Wisconsin, starring local Chicago actress Judi Schindler, known for her role in Theater Wit's "Admissions". The film is currently in post-production.
In the fall of 2021, Senior was invited along with 50 other filmmakers to study with legendary German filmmaker Werner Herzog on the island of Lanzarote in the Spanish Canary Islands. During the 11-day program, Senior wrote, shot, and edited Hasta Siempre (2021), a short film about two best friends exploring an abandoned hotel. The film screened at the Midwest FilmFest in 2022 and is available to watch online.
During the summer of 2022, Senior wrote and directed his third feature, Glass Houses, about an aimless high school graduate and amateur photographer who tries to secure his spot in a prestigious art school. The film is currently in post-production.
In 2023, Senior attended a program at FAMU in the Czech Republic, one of the most prestigious film schools in Europe. While there, he wrote and directed Spolu (2024), a sci-fi short film shot on 35mm about a long-running AI who falls in love with its client. The film was selected by FAMU to screen as part of an event to attract new students, and it won Runner-Up for Best Student Film at the Syracuse International Film Festival. It is currently in consideration for selection at a variety of other festivals.
At the end of 2023, Senior wrapped production on his Syracuse University Senior Thesis film, Bloodlines (2024), a horror short film about a mother-daughter vampire duo and their conflict as they develop different ways of coping with their vampirism. The film is currently in post-production.
Senior is currently pursuing an MA in Filmmaking at the London Film School.
His first solo short film, The Routine (2017), won Best Student Film at the Illinois International Film Festival. After being accepted into a summer filmmaking program at Emerson College, Senior wrote and directed How To: Be a Man (2018), which took 2nd place at the WHYY Youth Media Awards and received the award for Outstanding Live Action Film at the MetroWest Film Festival, in addition to screening at the Minneapolis International Film Festival, the All-American High School Film Festival, and Blow-up International Art House Film Fest.
Senior produced his first feature in Senior year of high school, the no-budget dramatic romance The Fall (2019), shot by and starring other high school students. During production, Senior and producer Claire Cohen were featured in an article from The Daily North Shore. The film premiered on August 14th, 2019 at the Wilmette Theatre to a sold-out crowd. It screened at a variety of festivals including The Festival of the Arts of Starved Rock County, The Orlando International Film Festival, The Seattle Film Festival, YoungFilmmakers NY and The Golden State Film Festival, in addition to winning several awards including Best Director at the FROSTBITE International Indie Fest, Best Central States Feature at the Central States Indie FanFilmFest, Best Coming of Age Feature at the World Premiere Film Awards, Best Screenplay at the Wake Forest Film Festival and the Rising Star Filmmaker Award at the Method Fest Film Festival. The film received an 8/10 review from Film Threat, with film critic Alan Ng calling it "a remarkable tale of adolescence".
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Senior wrote and directed his second feature, Headwaters (2021), about a reclusive matriarch and her family. The film was shot on a $27,000 budget over the course of 11 days on location in Eagle River, Wisconsin, starring local Chicago actress Judi Schindler, known for her role in Theater Wit's "Admissions". The film is currently in post-production.
In the fall of 2021, Senior was invited along with 50 other filmmakers to study with legendary German filmmaker Werner Herzog on the island of Lanzarote in the Spanish Canary Islands. During the 11-day program, Senior wrote, shot, and edited Hasta Siempre (2021), a short film about two best friends exploring an abandoned hotel. The film screened at the Midwest FilmFest in 2022 and is available to watch online.
During the summer of 2022, Senior wrote and directed his third feature, Glass Houses, about an aimless high school graduate and amateur photographer who tries to secure his spot in a prestigious art school. The film is currently in post-production.
In 2023, Senior attended a program at FAMU in the Czech Republic, one of the most prestigious film schools in Europe. While there, he wrote and directed Spolu (2024), a sci-fi short film shot on 35mm about a long-running AI who falls in love with its client. The film was selected by FAMU to screen as part of an event to attract new students, and it won Runner-Up for Best Student Film at the Syracuse International Film Festival. It is currently in consideration for selection at a variety of other festivals.
At the end of 2023, Senior wrapped production on his Syracuse University Senior Thesis film, Bloodlines (2024), a horror short film about a mother-daughter vampire duo and their conflict as they develop different ways of coping with their vampirism. The film is currently in post-production.
Senior is currently pursuing an MA in Filmmaking at the London Film School.
